New Britain herald., 1923-04-03
CHEMICAL SOCIETY
 HOLDING SESSIONS
Hear of Perfect Gas sk--DiSCuSS
 Petroleum Research


 society was opened in Woolsey hall q
 Yale university this morning witt
 several hundred chemists and chem
 ical engineers present, the advance
 arrivals for the dedication Of th'
 Sterling chemical laboratory tomor
 row
 The presiding officer during th' preliminary exercises was Prof. Trea F. Johnson of Yale who turned oVel the meeting to President E. C. Frank lin of the society after the latter hac responded to the welcoming addresses by Col. Hiram Bingham, lieutenant' governor for the state; Mayor David F. FitzGerald, for the city, and Presi- dent James R. Angsi, TOT the uni versity.
 Old-Timc Scientists.
 Col Bingham had in his address touched upon colonlal history, point ing out that John Winthrop, Jr., the first governor of Connecticut, was in- terested in science, was a Fellow of the Royal society and devoted much time to research and chemistry, facts lost sight of because he is usually recalled as a wise magistrate and servant of the state. Another citizen in whose memory a welcome was given, was Benjamin Silliman, first professor of chemistry at Yale, and still another son was Prof. Samuel w. Johnson, the first professor in the college of agricultural chemistry. Charles Goodyear, inventor of the vulcanizing of rubber, also was men, toned by Col. Bingham who said that it was largely due to the ad- vances made by the modern chemist that during the great war Connecti- cut was the chief arsenal of America. In times of peace, the state is de- pendent for her prosperity in a large measure upon manufactures and ag- riculture. It has long been known as the home of many inventions.
 Col. Bingham's Remarks.
 Said Col. Bingham:
 We try, in Connecticut to encour- age invention and initiative and to develop independence of thought and action. even at cost of not having everything run as Some of the more progressive experts would like to see them run. Consequently we believe in laboratory work -. Some chemical processes of manufacture have resulted in making it difficult for fishes to frequent our streams. The chemists can do us a great service by devising means whereby our manufacturers may dis pose of their wastes in such a way as to avoid making our streams un- suitable for fish. The chemists of the past have tried Tn vain to turn things into gold. The farmers of the state complain that the state has an over-supply of rocks. If the chem ists can devise some way of turning our rocks into foodstuffs we shall be glad"
 Col. Bingham, in closing, asked if the chemists could rell what acids to apply in determining the genuine ness of the value of certain social and political reforms offered for consid- eration, and he added, i've need alcines to preserve the savor of the salt which is intended to keep the state life fresh and wholesome"
 Petroleum Industry.
 The petroleum industry needs fun damental scientific research of the chemical composition of crude oils and this work is worthy of the best efforts of trained chemists. declared Carl o. Johns of the research division of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jer- sey in an address at a group meeting at the American Chemical society ses- sions here today. He said one of the T nIry 7fc ic ture of higher secondary alcohols from refinery gases. These alcohols have been very rare hitherto and are useful as solvents and in the manu- facture of chemicals.
 Petroleum pitch was used in build ing the tower Of Babel and the walls of Babylon, according to Mir. Johns. He also declared that the ancient rec ords of China and Japan contain ref erences to petroleum as a fuel that was in common use in certain parts of those countries
 "The eternal fire of the Fire Wor- shippers was petroleum gases and burned at Baku. Russia. for many cen turies,' said MT. Johns. "The temple at Baku was still attended by priests from India as late as 1880. Although the petroleum had been known in va rious parts of the world since prehis- toric times and had long been used as a medicine it was employed as an illuminant until the 18th century"
 Mr. Johns spoke of Yale's contri- buttons to knowledge of petroleum through the work of Prof. Silliman and Prof. Siliman Jr.
 New Gas Mask
 Perfection of a mask that will give protection against all poison gases, in- cluding carbon monoxde, was an- nounced by Brig. Gen. Amos A. Fries, chief of the Chemical Warfare service ner given to the council of the Am erican Chemical society by the New Haven Chamber of Commerce last night. The new mask--or what Gen. cral Fries described as an "all purpose canister"--has particular value for and men engaged in fumi- gating ships or buildings. Bremen in In going into buildings where ilumin- ating gas pipes may be leaking.
 General Fries spoke more particu- larly of adaptation to peace-time uses of war time inventions by the Chem ical Warfare Service. He said that 200 of these new masks had been given to the United States public health service for it's ship-fumigating force.