Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-03-30
,.,.,es,inr Facts About Helium.

- .,,~-ectior with the discussion OF
.s,sr-s which caused the accident
.-. s,rsh-p Roma, frequent mention
-. -een made of hel.um. Not few
,,rticql engineers have attributed
-. allure of the army to use this
..-..yr'os,ve lcvi;a;ing gas as being
...--~s;ble for the heavy loss of life.
~. -s,;url been used, they maintain,
49,. vou,i have been no explosion and
60 os the passengers would have
49, GOOD chance of escaping.
q. .~e'v interest, therefore, is an
-...-,. headed "Helium, An Important,
~-..~7l Asset" by Lieutenant-Com-
-,,~ssr zachary Lansdowne, U. S. N,
,l..- arrears in the current issue of
, Air Service. Commander Lans-
Dun, who has the distinction of be-
e., .rs only American TO cross the At
,,-,;- ~ air he was a member Of the
,,., If the British R-S4-Says tina;
.s,.r,- IS almost exclusively an Ameri-
can PRODUCT. one of the few wartimq
governmental undertakings which has
,-o,el to be blessing in disguise.
He adds.
"He'ium is one of natures own
-r7arcts. il is not manufactured COM
o,uni. hut is a true chemical element
The Invention of the spectroscope made
If. discovery possible, In 1868 the
British astronomer, Lockyer, visited
India 10 observe an eclipse of the sun
visible only in that country. Using
the srecroscope for the first time to
examine the colored atmosphere which
envelopes the sun, Lockyer noted q
bright yellow line in the spectrum
which did not correspond with that of
any known substance. The discovery
ola new element was conceded; Lock
yer named it helium, after helios, the
Creek word for sun.
ON 1906. twcnty-seven years after
lo.Evcr's discovery, helium was found
IN the earth. 1t was really stumbled
into during experiments with natural
c1s cunSumpton, the reduction of
urar.ni,y, in the analysis of the air,
ami certain gases given off by mineral
Springs Various experiments with
hcfum brought out its remarkable
properties, all of which were we'll
known at the beginning of the World
War hence the feverish haste with
which the Allies hunted all available
gas supplies in an effort to obtain
heium in sufficient quantities to make
it factor in the struggle. The
search was in vain, although an ex-
trcmcly minute percentage of helium
was found in the gases given off by
the volcanic fumaroles near Naples,
especially Mount Vesuvius.
"When we entered the war, how
ever, further dilgent search was
made in this country for adequate
supplies of helium to fill the balloons
and airShiTs in use among the allied
forces. The search was made with
good reason, and the expenditures
made by this Government entirely JUS
titled, for helium is the real pooh
pan gas of the aronautical world
Being absolutely inert, thus not
combining with any other substance
III
heIium cannot burn; moreover, only
me most extreme temperatures of heat
and cold affect it, consequently it has
extraordinary stability with respect to-
NoIuine; that is, il does not readily
expand or contract, a vital characteris-
nc IN alrshiP gases. Pure helium has
- per cent of the lifting properties
" pure hydrogen, the lightest known
gas while hydrogen is highly infIam-
'."''e ana readily combines with other
V"'en'S' IS Unfortunately affected bv
"''' ana cold and sunlight, and diffus-
:, ".n Fapidity. Small wonder that
. '' A.''eS wished to replace hydrogen
WINE our efforts to supply helium
10 use al the front did not material
r. We a'd extract enough of the gas
t0''.'t us to ship to the coast en-
THU r'' Tor Europe 10000 cubic feet
sr;,u .Jn'stce, however, stopped the
,,- . ,'''''' Considering the time fac.
i,,, r,'''' mis- was more than a cred
, t,.'' performance; lit was remark.
N,,.. before our Joint ARMY and
had nun Board began work there
ia .yIer been extracted more than
vo,H '''S feet of helium in all the
to y''' And it was worth, on the mar.
no. 5000 a cubic foot II "a,