Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-30

H/ ET taxi and go out to see
Stratton about it. He's
your one best bet" sug-
gested New England
senator to a prominent manufacturer.
DIR Stratton can fix you up in no
time at ALL" declared middle west
senator to perplexed constituent.
There's only one man in the United
States who knows how to adjust things
of that sort, and that man is Stratton.
He always gets action of the dependable
kind" proudly claimed a congressman
from a mining section of the country
Don't think for moment. my friend,
that l am trying to pass the buck IN re-
ferring you to this man Stratton. I'm
sending you TO him because he knows
how to get the right answer. was what
q Texas congressman told Dig business
man from that empire.
These are characteristic. examples OF
daily conversations and communications
between public officials and men in all
walks Of life throughout the country
well, I'll bite-who is Stratton" IS
the frequent response to such sugges-
lions as the above. I'a4
Dr. S. w. Stratton is the director OF
the bureau of standards of the United
States Department of Commerce. This
bureau has rapidly developed into one
of the most important and valuable of
the many governmental agencies located
at Washington. Its name. however.
conveys but little meaning to the aver
age American. The term bureau Of
standards sometimes becomes con-
fused in the minds OF some people with
standards of mortality instead of its
r =
TN one way or another. every man,
woman and child in the United
States is more or less affected by
the work of the bureau of standards
Such being the case. it will be ex-
ceedingly interesting to learn some
thing about the scope and details of
the great work carried on at this big
institution.
In orsler,to make it possible for the
institution to function jn broad
gauge manner. it was deemed expe-
dent to organize it into nine technical
divisions. The. staff of each division
is made up of experts in some par
ticuiar line Of work, the divisional
organization being dependents upon
the character of the work rather than
upon the kinds of standards. Thus
division 1 is known as the division
of electricity. and is concerned with
All questions OF SIduUdEQiZdtfDu THAI
properly belong to the electrical held.,
Therefore, the determination of an
electrical constant and the rating of
an electric motor or the test, of an
incandescent lamp are all assigned to
that division:
In similar manner. division 2:
known as the division of weights and
measures. concerns itself with a wide
variety of work. from the comparison
OF sets of extremely accurate analyti-
cal weights with the fundamental
standards of the bureau to the
track scales in all parts of the. ,coun-
try. @aA
Division 3, of heat and ther-
mometry, has an extremely broad field
to cover. since it's work ranges from
the celebration of many hundreds of
mometers each year TO complete re-
searches in connection with the opera
ton of refrigerating machinery and
internal combustion engines.
Division 4, known as the optical di-
vision Is charged with all tests and
Investigations in the field of optics.
This is a larger field than is gener-
ally supposed and includes such i'm
portant work as radiometry, spectros-
copy. coiorimetry. polarimetry.' used
in sugar analysis, determination of
the constants of optical glass and tests
The chemistry division. No. 5.
and it's activities cover all the fields of
science and industry. It's work is
often in cooperation with some other
one of the bureaus scientific divisions.
as nearly all scientific research work
includes the use of chemistry. This
division likewise handles all questions
of purely chemical nature that are
submitted to the bureau by individuals
or organizations.
-,<xs~
chanical appliances and engineering
instruments. 1t is one of the smaller
divisions of the bureau. but it's work
is of great importance. and includes
such Investigations as the testing and
Standardization of pressure gauges
extinguishing apparatus and the de-
termination of the aerodynamica
characteristics of aerofoils. airplane
propellers and other airplane appa-
ratus.
Division Z. Of structural, miscel-
1aneous and engineering materials
embraces all work concerned with
steel. wood. cement. concrete and lime
leather, rubber. textiles. paper and
many other items. The various Sec
lions Of this division are provided with
the necessary testing machines for
conducting thorough Investigations in
their respective fields. and likewise in
some cases with apparatus for manu-
JdCIuFlHg certain Oh the materials DIV
the identical processes that would be
used in actual industrial plants. The
work of this division perhaps comes
closer TO the various Industries of the
country than of any of the other divi-
sious of the bureau.
Division 3. the division of metal
lurgy, has to do with all phases OF
the working of metals. both ferrous
and n"n-ferrous. from the mixing OF
the alloy in the foundry to the rolling
OF steel and the photo micrographi,
examination OF specimens.
The last division. No. .. is the
ceramics division. Its work is neces.
~2rily varied and includes the in.
ststigations connected with the de.
velopment Of clay products. optica
glass, refractories enamels for meta
ware and similar work
Il X
IArHlI.E the Importance of exact
standards was recognized by the
founders of our country. and although
the Constitution vests the fedora
government with power to fix The
standard of weights and measures" il
was not until July /. 1901. that tn,
present national bureau was estab
lished by an act of Congress-. Pre-
NIous TO that time the Treasury De
partmcnt had maintained the eustod,
of our standards of measurement.
In accordance with the Law creating