Evening star., 1921-07-17
Gotta. so largely used in large build

Gotta. so largely used in large build
ings:
THE other day." Or. Stratton con-
tinued. eve were visited by the repre-
sentatives of dry cleaning associa-
ton who complained that the chemi-
Gals used by them in the cleaning and
dyeing of silks did not bring the same
beneficial results as formerly. This
condition was brought about by some
manufacturers using a solution of tin
to give added weight to the silks they
produced. Now we must find a method
which will enable the cleaners and
dyers to overcome this difficulty.
Some time ago some manufacturers in
Seattle. Wash. who manufactured
laminated wood chair bottoms. conf
planned that they were losing their
trade because the glue they employed
did not resist moisture. For number
Of years we have been working on
CLUES. and as result of our investi-
cations we were able to provide the
Seattle people with 4 formula which
has enabled them to again enter the
field Of competition
IT is doubtful if many persons Of the
United States know that every bit
through the bureau of standards, but
such is the case. and the fact that the
radium presented to Nine. Curie re-
posed in the vaults of the bureau of
standards until it was taken to the
purse- of the S. S. Olympic is a secret
which now may be made public.
When DR.. Stratton was asked as to
where all of the different experiments
were being carried on he countered
with. II will show you," and as we left
l.; IL =
the largest building in the group it
was we'll past the noon hour. He es-
pied a group of laborers busily en-
gagged in putting down an additional
roadway and. departing from our in
tended direction. we trekked off to the
road. where a young man was super
intending the mixing of composition
for the roadway which was a COM
bination of concrete and cinders. a
companion piece to that laid two years
ago. which showed no signs of wear or
tear. The director asked the young
man in charge why the men We're
working past the noon hour. The
young man smiled. and replied that
they were almost through and they
wanted to finish the job while they
were at it. That is the spirit of the
employees of the bureau of standards.
Just before we reached the portals of
the main work building the doctor
stopped, and said: Pretty nice build
ing, isn't it? Good and substantial we'll
constructed. I will tell you the secret.
During the war it was necessary to
have some temporary structures, but by
careful planning and saving here and
there, together with a small appropria-
ton, We were enabled to erect tempo
rary structure that is really permanent
one. We are not burdened with tine
tearing down of a wartime building and
the additional cost of erecting a perma-
nent one"
1t was another striking example of
how the bureau people just won't waste
anything that can fbe saved. In this
building was an airplane being used in
series Of experiments. the nature of
which is still government secret. and
while the writer is somewhat familiar
with the aviation service. he was greatly
surprised at the magnitude and scope
OF the work in hand. On the upper gal
leries surrounding. the. aircraft were
numerous testing devices, machines
which enabled one to gather much bene-
fetal information.
Inasmueh as 1.-The general public has
been deeply interested in the subject OF
paper, We proceeded to visit the section
of the. building in which the experiments
relating to the manufacture of paper arc
conducted. The miniature paper mil
was in operation, and there one saw
grades of paper being made from. no.
not from old, rags but from, such ar
ticles -as banana stalks. cotton stalks,
rice stalks, fax straw, ifange grass, from
Siam, and other articles of like nature.
The bureau has developed a number OF
medium and hfgh-grade papers from
these until now, considered. worthless
products While the bureau is not in
the papef-maing business. the paper
manufactured in the course OF expert
ments is" sorted, cut to- size desired and
used in the offices.
From there we journeyed to where
they test cement, where they heat It,
pound it. rub it and do all sorts OF
things with it that the cement man
never dreamed could be, done with
that commodity so extensively used
today. On the other side of the long
drying iron contrivance was a pile
of white mineral shipped from Cali
fornia. substance used in the
making Of floors. Untils the bureau
had taken up it's line of experiments
the articles needed for floors of this
character could be obtained only from
Greece. Now the product found in