Evening star., 1926-06-13

is one branch of the Government serv-
Ice which has never been stumped,
which has never had its "Waterloo. y
For no matter how technical or COM
plicated the problem may be. irrespec-
tive of whether new appliances have
to be invented and perfected. and even
though the quest penetrate uneX-
plored fields in scientific mechanical
and engineering lines, Supt. K. l..
Swenson and his trained assistants
achieve whatsoever they attempt.
This is the first time the consum-
nations to the credit of these ma
eicians of modern mechanics" have
been set forth in printers ink. For
~ years the consolidated shops of
the Department of Agriculture have
attended to their ever-increasing as
SignmentS without any local publclty.
In that period results have been
achieved, riddles have been solved ana
scientific apparatus and accessories of
many kinds have been designed.
Early in the history of the Depart
ment of Agriculture the imperative
need for expert mechanics. artisans.
toolmen and expert designers and enSi-
neerS became manifest. Thus. logical
ly, was mobiiZed a small army of
SpecialiStS-from pipettterS to plumb
ers, from carpenters to cabinetma kers,
from painters to pattern-makers to
assist Uncle Sam. the most diversified
farmer the world has ever known.
For many years each bureau,
branch or division of the department
maintained its mechanical aides until.
during the administration of Secre-
tary James Wilson, about 1909. this
technical skill was concentrated in the
amalgamated mecha nical shops. Since
then all the experimental apparatus.
scientific appliances. automobile re-
pairs, plumbing, painting, electrical
work bla lacksmithing. awning and rub
her stamp manufacture, typewriter
, adjustment and other mechanical ac-
tvitieS of the department have been
centralized in these consolidated shops.
The total personnel at present in
CludeS 139 employees, a group of work
men and supervisors of outstanding
morale, for in the history of their
service they have never failed on a
single job Even though the demands
on their abilities have been stretched
to the limit at times, these Govern
ment workers have carried on success
fully. The black mark of failure has
never been chalked up against them.
During the last year, for example,
they completed the work on more than
1900 shop requests, which ranged
from tasks costing 81 900 or more for
the job to petty work worth so cents
to 81 an assignment. The mocha nical
shops at present do from 100000 to
S300.0 900 worth of work every II
months, and in the doing save much
money.
IN the daily opera ton of the me-
cha nical shops there is naturally
much routine work. Thirty-four of
the depa trucks and autOmo-
bileS are maintained and repaired in
the shops, as we'll as 16 or more ma
chimes from such outlying stations as
Arlington Farm. Reltsville and Be
thesda. Md. and Vienna, Va, expert
mental stations.
The mammoth central heating plant
OF the department, which heats %
Government buildings and ~ green
houses is managed and maintained
by the mechanical shops. During the
last eight years this heating plant
has been improved and modernized by
Supt. Swenson and his corps of
>experts and workmen, SO that it
now saves the Government 1000 tons
of coal annually over the former con-
sumption. Congress appropriated ap-
proXimately S33 900 for this improve
ment work. and it was money we'll
spent, for 1t is paying dividends of
about $4,000 a year in fuel saving.
not to mention the smaller personnel
now required to operate the plant.
Scientist So and SO of the Bureau Of
Plant Industry some bright Summer
morning may telephone to Supt
Swenson and Assistant Supt. Will.
son, and arrange for a confer
ence about some experimental ap-
paratuS which he needs to solve the
secrets of plant behavior when eX-
posed to certain insect diseases When
the meeting takes place, the scientist
outlines what he hopes to ascertain
from the test. He needs q certain
kind of electrical apparatus such as
mechanical science never before even
dreamed Of. 1t is up to the shops spe
cialist to produce it, to gear it for in
tenSiVe and delicate service, to equip
1t with automatic recording devices
which. like n silent observer will keep
careful tab on the responses of the
plant to it's scientific environments
by night and day.
Thus YOU can understand that the
daily duties of the shops designers
and inventors are mechanical and
scientific adventures into the un-
known. They seek a what you may
Call-it" that no one else has ever
found. They follow unblazed trails in
mechanical achievements. There are
no precedentS or traditions to make
their tasks easier. If there are short
have not been mapped out. They jug
gle tools and equipment, metal and
wood, fittings and fixtures, electrical
current and gasoline power. and ulti-
mately produce the equipment which
this or that or the other scientific de-
partment or research expert desires.
Originality is their leader. The laws
of applied mecha MICS are the guide
posts along the way. They dovetail
scientific theories and practical results
until they obtain the anticipated
results
The mythical horse of Troy has, to
"a certain extent, a modern counter
part in one of the scientific consum-
nations of the mechan nical shops. In
the latter case, however. the equine
equipment is a horse stable. the most
extra ordinary house for horse which
records ever registered. This curl
Gus horse stable-we apologize to ami
mal-induStry science for calling it
such-waS a wonderful calorimeter
constructed by the mecha anical shops.
1t was equipped with a tread power.
The energy which the horse produced
by walking on the tread power was
measured carefully by scientific means.
With this experimental stable. it was
possible to answer questions about
horse power which the mute beast
could not answer.
The calorimeter was really an in
sulated room. All the heat developed
by feeding the horse and transform
ing the food into energy was meas
ured. The fuel and output of the
horse We're tabulated. The production
of energy from different feeds and
combinations Of feeds was studied
Outstanding data We're obtained, and
these have added greatly to animal
husbandry's knowledge
This original calorimeter, which