New Britain herald., 1922-12-22
LABORATORIES ARE
 SCENES OF WONDER
Tests to Make Life and Property
 Saig Made Every Day

Chicago. Dec. 22.--An Iron tele- phone pole swinging from the roof like giant pendulum hit a station nry automobile bumper and bent it badly. Then derrick lifted a red hot steel safe hish above third floor roof and dropped 1t on pile of brick bats far below
 The days work had begun at the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc, q topsy-turvy land wilder than any thing Alice in Wonderland ever dreamed of--a place where experts burn and smash and break the cre- ations of other experts, all to make life and property safer.
 Safe Tests
 The glowing safe, fresh from fur mace with temperature of 1,700 de- grees failed to break under the strain of the long drop, 80 scurrying work men bundled 1t back into the oven for another hours cooking. If 1t sur wives that they will chisel, burn and smash their way into it's compart- ments, and if the books and papers there are found in good condition the may attach an Under writer's Laboratories, Inc" label to his product.
 . Upstairs little automatic machine is sticking keys in automobile locks three locks at a time-unlocking them locking them again and then the keys. An automatic Io itu a locks must stand the strain of 50,000 similar operations.
 Fircproof Tests.
 In the heat testing rooms flames are seeping through the cracks Of a wood lined, metal covered fire door, built into the brick front of a furnace. Nearby an attendant with electric re- cording devices is studying what is in the 1900 degree inferno behind the red hot door. Suddenly the entire furnace front, door and all, rolls away on an overhead track and a workman plays 2 inch fire hose over the glowing door. The color dies away. Inside the metal covering is a mass of charcoal, but the steel plates have withstood an hours bak- ing without letting sufficient fire through to ignite anything beyond the door.
 Nearby a cement covered steel pill ar, such as is used in modern build ngs, Is being installed in tall fur 1ace by brick masons Its base rests on solid concrete. High above gi- yantic hydraulic press clamps down, applying an enormous pressure. The furnace front is sealed, the gas turn ,n, the heat gradually rising, until, at he end of eight hours, it will reach ,,300 degrees. If the pillar still stands the Hydraulic press, with a maximum power of 545.Oo0 pounds Q the square inch, will be turned oose to crush it.
 From the tangled debris experts will construct the theories on which ireproof pillars are to be built.
 1opsy-Turvy Land.
 Topsy-turvy land is working at full ,last Tn the roof testing room the esters have. completed a miniature 'oof of patent composition shingles gas flame at the end of long wind | unnel sweeps up over the caves and ,lays along the roof surface. Asphalt | n the roofing catches fire, but when | he blast is shut off the flames die | ut. The roof has passed the test and | would resist the usual flying brands | rom other burning buildings.
 As the burning roof dies out a | workman pours five gallons of gaso- | inc into nearby tank and lights it. ] ID above an automatic valve opens l nd fills the tank with foamy chem cal, smothering the fire.
 Against Fire.
 A party of visitors is coming down he hall. An engineer builds Q small | Ire on the tile floor. The flames rackle for a minute or two. Then | n automatic fire door which func- ions if the temperature changes ten | egrees in two minutes, closes, an | .utomatic sprinkler head blow off and l lie fire is out.
 The Underwriters Laboratories, nc, was founded by w. H. Merrill, so Pi SpiuSftb Wilil ny l he national board of fire underwrit- rs, The institution is self-supporting trough nominal testing fees and the I ervice charge for factory inspection nd the sale of it's labels, which are anfiliar on hundreds of different de- ices.
 Original Start.
 MT. Merrill, who came to Chicago I 1894 as chief electrical inspector f the Worlds Fair, originally start d a testing laboratory to standardize lectrical equipment. Now there are laboratories here devoted to fire pro- Hction devices, hydraulic and fire ghting equipment. gases and oils, hemicals, electricity and signals, au- omotive parts, safety devices for ma hinery, and an aviation section which asses on the safety of airplanes and he qualifications of pilots. Major R. V. Schroeder, former holder of the yorld's altitude record, is in charge f the latter work.
 In addition to the big three story lboratories here, covering half city lock, an electrical laboratory is main- aimed in New York to pass on the ef- ciency of electrical apparatus. A lmilar laboratory here deals with the re resisting qualities of insulated arts.
 Samples Tested.
 In addition to the original test, the lboratory follows up all labeled pro- ucts, by testing samples purchased l the open department or received rom users from time to time. The lock department alone, n sgipp on lopks ,vhicb bv f1,o;c ,,sa