The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-02
Deadly Chemicals Made Useful and Harmless
ey FREDERICK }. HAskIN

and shut off the valves. The chemi-
cal warfare service discovered that
silica gel. used in the canister OF
gas mask, was adequate protection
against ammonia gas. This has prov
en- great boon to industry, and made
an ammonia leak an easily controlled
and minor event.
The research work of this servivce
has developed tremendously the knowl-
edge about the production and uses
of high grade charcoal. Relatively lit
tie had been known about it. One of
the uses of this high grade charcoal
is in obtaining gasoline from natural
gas Experiments are now under way
with the idea of producing charcoal
direct from coal, something of i'm
mense industrial importance which
has never yet been done.
In cooperation with the department
of agriculture, chemical experiments
are being conducted for the develop
ment of new means of destroying
animal and bird pests in this country
| Tentative projects have been outlined
| for killing gophers, ground squirrels,
! blackbirds, and other pests which do
| millions of dollars of damage to crops
/
| by the Germans at Ypres - has been
| found efficaciOus in eXterminating
| gophers.
| Cooperative projects are under way
to determine what chemical agents are
useful for exterminating insect pests
and to hit upon the best means for
employing them. Several of the most
important war gases have given great
1 ;-0 IS, IL,
| Partial success has been obtained in
! finding chemical means of fighting
the cotton boil weevil. Experiments
! with gas bombs to control forest fires
in their initial stages were tried, and
the information gained has been of
/ benefit to the forest service
Fighting Potato Bugs
One use to which chemicals are be
ing put is in the eradication of the
blister beetle, commonly called the
potato bug. These insects make their
:, appearance suddenly, and a reliable
insecticide is necessary in order tC
control them. There are and have
been insecticides on the market fol
years, but the chemical warfare ser
vice has experimental along this line
more reliable means of combating this
pest and one which could be sold a.
lower price than usually obtains
} 1t is officially stated that valuable re
| suits have been obtained to date from
the actual test of these chemical.
on plants
For the bureau of standards, the
chemical warfare service is cooper
: ating to aid in determining the flow
of gas from natural gas fields through
the medium of great meters TIL,
: apparatus of the chemical warfare ser
: vice will be used for this purpose
; Chemical means are being used O
experimental with to destroy locust
| in the Philippine Islands, rats in tn,
sugar cane fields of Hawaii in tht
matter of spraying fruit trees from
airplanes, and in the improvement O
: the oxygen breathing apparatus in us,
: in mines the world over. One diff
, Guilty with this apparatus has been t,
i find something impervious to gasolin
1 vapors, and it is believed that thi
$ difficulty soon will be overcom
S through the perfection of chemical
5 ly treated cloth.
:! Another important development
f coming out of the necessity of devils
ing clothing and materials imperviou
l to mustard gas, has been to obtail
e much material of value in determining
:, methods of water proofing cloth an
; leather.
+ This does not pretend to be SUI