Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-01
MOSQUITOES FACE
NEW WEAPON HERE
Maj. Wetmore Tests Inven-
ton and Will Put More
in Operation.

A new weapon soon will be swung
into action in the war on mosquitoes
fl the District of Columbia-the
Panama oiler-a device for auto
matically releasing oil to the surface Of
water, killing mosquito larvae.
The oiler is development and in
vention of Maj. William o. Wetmore,
Medical Corps, United States Army, who
will succeed soon to the office OF medl-
cal director of the Office of Public
Buildings and Public Parks.
The campaign against mosquitoes IS
being carried on by the Office of Public
Buildings and Public Parks, with the
assistance and cooperation OF the
Public Health Service experts. Con-
siderable progress is believed to have
been made.
Is More Prepared.
Already one of the oilers is in opera
ton in the District, where 1t is fast
killing off mosquitoes in the Anacostia
River in the vicinity of the new Ben
ming Culvert on Benning road. not far
from the power plant Of the Potomac
Electric Power Co.
Twenty-Five of these new devices are
being manufactured for use in this city,
and are expected to arrive before long,
and be placed in operation by Maj
Wetmore when he takes his new post
in the Office of Public Buildings and
Public Parks.
Maj Wetmore made a personal in
spection of the Panama oiler which he
has had in operation in the AnacoStia
River, and found 1t had been giving
substantial relief to workmen in the
vicinity G. A. Wilkinson. property
man at the United States engineer con-
crete plant of the War Department,
L. wryffI Hof UInf-
more in operating the oiler in waters
about the concrete plant, reported that
the device had been working salts
factorily. Wilkinson said the night
Waterman on the plant, Lawrence
Wright, had formerly been driven from
one part of the location to another by
hungry SwarmS of mosquitoes, but that
since the recent operation of the oiler
said he had hardly been bothered at
all by mosquitoes.
Used in Hawaii.
The oiler which Mai. Wetmore will
swing into the mosquito battle is de-
vice, patented by the major, and used
Gently stationed. In Hawaii the oiler
was used by forces of the health Of
f1cer of the islands in their mosquito
control work. He found, Maj. Wetmore
said, that the oiler reduced the time
and cost of oiling mosquito infested
waters by more than half, as compared
with the old method then employed, OF
spraying oil on top of the water.
The principle Of the oiler, as ex-
planned by Maj. Wetmore is to spread
oil over the surface Of water in the
simplest and most effective fashion at
the least expense. The device consists
IF nnniou1 chopnd oan Huhinh fc mo rio
in various sizes, containing from one
gallon of oil up to large quantities. The
one in operation in the AnacoStia River
holds one gallon. The IS new ones soon
to be delivered here will hold two and
a half gallons each.
Thrown in Water.
In the bottom of the can is poured
a quantity of sand, through an open
ing in the side, in order to weight the
can to the bottom of the pool of water
Above the sand compartment is dia-
phram separating the sand compart-
ment from the compartment above fol-
oil. Oil is poured into the device from
an opening in the top. There is q
water inlet tube fastened along the
side of the can running from the bot
tom Of the oil compartment to near the
"IlCn 1OauCO Will O1 1klu Sd4lN
the device is thrown into the water
with a rope attached to a float, fol
later recovery. Oil which rises begins
to leave a small opening in the top OF
the can, and rises to the surface In
bubbles, which break, and spread grad
ually over the surface. Water runs down
the water inlet tube replacing oil al
the bottom, and gradually the Oil al
bubbles out, leaving the can full OF
water. The two-and-a-half gallon
cans which are to be used here, will
require two days of bubbling to empty
The oiler for some TIME has been
demonstrated before all classes Of medi-
cal officers who graduate from the Army
field medical school at Carlisle Bar
racks Pennsylvania.