Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-02-21
Special Trains To Move
Helium Being Developed

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 20.The
"Helium Express" VIII be pictures
que part of war machinery, if plans
of both army and navy for handling
the buoyant element used in lighter
than aircraft develop according 20
present indications.
The tedious, laboratory-like equip
ment now in use discarded, the once
rare gas will be rushed from base 20
base in long black trains of ominous
looking cylindrical tank cars, the first
of which was approved recently by
the bureau of explosives and is due
to arrive at the United States helium
plant here within 80 days.
Drawn up far enough behind the
lines to be safe from hostile shells,
for they will be charged to high
explosive pressure, a battery of nine
or ten such cars will be able to fill
a dirigible the size of the ill-starred
Shenandoah.
One will carry more than enough
helium to initiate blimp of the TC
type hangared at Scott Field, and in
small fraction of the time required
with the present bottle" system of
handling the gas.
Great as this step appears, it is
really not as remarkable as the adj
vance shown in the production and
handling of the gas during and since
the world war. When it is recalled
that prior to 1918 less than the con-
tent of one bottle" of 178 cubic foot
capacity had been produced anywhere,
the construction of tank cars capable
of transporting 10000 cubic feet each
becomes less of "a feat by comparison.
The history of helium development
in this country is another CONNER
cial romance, tinged with the grim
ness of national necessity. From a
business enterprise operated by two
private companies, it grew to a ma
tiona1 monopoly, the present plant
having been built jointly by the army
and navy, later operated by the navy
alone and now under jurisdiction of
the bureau of mines, with every gov
ernmental department. privileged toI
requisition helium for legitimate
needs.
The cost, once prohibitive, has come
the first drumful produced to less
than $27 thousand cubic feet for
the $4,000 feet month extracted
at the plant at this time.
Should items allowed for helium
development in the present budget
before congress prove sufficient to
double the supply of natural gas from
which helium is extracted, the cost
can be brought down to $17 a thou
sand cubic feet, it is pointed out by !
R. A. Cattell, Washington, engineer
in charge of helium development, bu-
reau of mines, who was here recent
ly for conference with plant Of
ficials.
Production on this basis would be
at the rate of 100000 cubic feet
month, or enough to fill ship of
the Shenandoah's size every four
weeks The cost of producing this
amount, after the expense of laying
new pipeline had been charged off,
would be little more than that of
extracting the present output, said
G. F. Cook, engineer in charge of
production at Fort Worth.
The volume, of natural gas handled
would be much greater, however for,
the helium content of that now avail
able is only one per cent, varying a
few hundredths from day to day, so
that a billion feet of natural gas
would be required monthly.
Some idea of the saving in handling
and transportation costs may be gain
ed from the fact that one of the new
tank cars will replace 1857 of the
iron drums or "bottles" now in use,
making the latter seem primitive in
deed