The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-23

Cet-tegetker neetinG - the WASH
lngton Chemical Society, AudIto-
rum OF the Cosmos Club. tonight.
8 o'clock. To eat. smoke and he
merry" says the announcement
Washington last fall saw the first
airship ever held aloft by heiium.
The Roma disaster is a costly lea
son. HelIum will be the balloon
gas Of the future.
II will be. provided this govern
ment engages in urgently needed
conservation. II nothing is done
twenty years from now there will
be no helium to use.
Here is the essence Of the helium
gas situation. This is the carefully
worded. conservative statement OF
the National Advisory Committee OF
Aeronautics. prepared in November.
without the added argumen Of the
Roma disaster:
"Heliun', next TO hydrogen, is In.
liRhtest gas known. II has 9. per
cent OF the lifting power Of hydro
zen. and for military purposes DOS
sesses an inestimable advantage
over hydrogen in that IL is non
nammable. The natura;-gas wells
IN the United States AFFORD a prar-
tlcal monopoly Of the known
sources of supply. According 10
the LATEST estimates. helium is g.
| Gaping into the atmosphere II tue
rate Of l.25O.O0O cubic feet a d.
or at rate sufficient to NJ. four
large airships a week. At this rate.
according 20 our present knowledge
or helium-bear.nE gas. our great
resources will have be ,nale di.Sf-
7 pated within the next twenty wear.
unless some appropriate measures
are taken to preserve the sources
Of supply.
The refrigeration process j. en-
I Iloyed 10 obtain hclium. In this
process every constituent present IN
I the natural gas Is iiquined exc-Iu
heliUm. which is expelled into SUIT
able containers for storage TIE
, application Of this process 10 the
extraction OF helium has not i,ccn
perfected. but the line q develop
n.Cnt is reasonably clear. The army.
the navy. and the Bureau oI Mines.
acting in close cooperate with
/ the limited funds available. are
carrying out certain d-yclufun' nts
which promise to solve tEt proGuc-
ton problem.
The Bureau Of Mines is also cor
Quoting experiments 10 de,eTrn ne
! whether underground-chamb stor-
age is practicable and economical.
II so. the problem may he resolved
into one OF conservation ~ the
storage Of helIum in its na'sral
state Helium for current uses.
however. will continue to be siOrCG
in high-pressure containers 3ntI,
used.
In connection with the consia-
1 Grafton Of an airship development
/ policy. the committee presents -
/ the Crystallizcd opirion OF the gov
eminent experts who have SU1'et
: tho heIiuiu problem that ga hclIun
I the United States has exclusive n1s-
session OF a valuable adj-n"t -
national defense which will n"
wasted unless conservation is pro-
vIded for without delay.
( The national advisory commit
tee for aeronautiCs therefore rI'-
{ ummenis that the government az
i ouire. and seal cor future use n"
7 hest heIium producing gas fields.
that such experiments be continual
as are inv>"ed in the DEVELOPMENT
B Of an efficient and economical NO.
ess for the extraction and - ir
( fication OF helium: and thdt
! government continue eNpvi in'cnia-
work IN connection with the dew j.
opment Of airsh.ps, and in.uE"ra'e
without delay the Lss = 1lrshiHs
( Inflated with herrum. With lar-
reserves Of helium and the ceNrl-
/ opment Of types % airshi1s - ;iriN
realize the advantages n oe de-
rived from the use Of helium, Am' r
( lea would possess resources ann
/ knowledge with which 40 oi.'. j.
ton could successfully mi .e-"'