Evening star., 1922-08-13

crate. SO at the explosives station
Of the bureau of mines in Pittsburgh
a series of tests were made and
methods developed for taking the
TNT-trinitrolue using it as
ordinary explosives in road work.
reclamation projects, Alaskan engi-
neering and stumping on farms.
AS soon as it was clear that this
peace-time use could be made of the
explosives the War Department trans
ferred 25.s29.4S3 pounds of INT to
| the Interior Department, after storing
all it thought might be needed for
future military requirements. The
bureau of mines distributed that sur
plus INT to the various government
agencies that needed explosives for
public work-principall to the bureau
Of public roads, Department of Agri-
culture.
Thomas H. Macdonald. chief of the
bureau of public roads. in giving con-
,, tracts for road building let them on
the basis Of the government furnish
ing the explosives. He estimates that
in this way he sold all OF the waste
INT at a price equal to what it cost
; the government in war days-that is,
Uncle Sam got his full money return
, on it.
This all worked out so successfully
that after the first surplus supply was
exhausted demands for more explosives
continued and the War Department
declared still further surplus stocks
In all. the War Department has turned
over 34.000.000 pounds of INT. SINH
lar uses have been found for $4,000, 900
pounds of pieric acid by cartridging.
So that practically 50,000.o0O pounds
of explosives, war-supply surplus,
have already been put to peace-time
work
AT the same time the government
! has a very large amount of smok eless
powder-extremely expensive stuff,
costing a whole lot of the peoples
money-for which no use had ever
been found except by the military and
naval forces. AS there was no com.
mercial use. the government had to
establish some costly plants to make
the smokeless powder. So interde-
partmental conferences came to the
conclusion that if some way of using
about 50,000.Oo0 pounds surplus
smokeless powder, worth about s10,-
100000, could be found. it would mean
just that much more that the people
would not have to pay in taxes. Which
is material reduction in the cost of
government.
nrivS TO- h1y h
Of mines show that while smokeless
powder cannot be adapted as easily
at TNT-the problem requiring much
more study-yet it can be reprocessed
at low cost and recartridged. Expert
ments show that when this is done 1t
will be pound for pound even better
for shattering and propulsion force
than INT or picric acid. Secretary
Fall in the budget now being consid-
cred for the next fiscal year has
recommend an appropriation of
$4,000 to continue these experiments.
Anyhow. a lot will be learned about
explosives. which is well worth while
from government standpoint.
Here are two jobs done by the bu-
reau of mines experiment station in
Pittsburgh to salvage surplus proper
ty Of the military agencies of the gov
ernment. While that station was
built and equipped with a view to
studying explosives for mine use to
prevent mine accidents. yet more and
more. through helpful spirit of CO.
operation, it Is coming to carry on all
work on explosives for the govern
ment. Both the War and Navy de-
partments have allocated funds for
conducting special Investigations. All
Of this shows a good example of CO.
operation and of sensible, business
like coordination of work in single
agency instead Of having duplicate or
partment.