Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04

Kentucky Oxygen-Hydrogen Co. Of
Louisville.
This firm had been built up for the
manufacture of oxygen, hydrogen anG
acetylene for welding. The group of
men in the concern were all young men,
headed by Walter H. Girdler the presi-
dent, who Is also a director of the
largest bank in the South, and E. G..
Leuning, an engineer of great expert
ence in gas manufacture. Nowhere in
the United States is there more pro-
gressive group for. in addition to being
young men, they had vision, courage
and unlimited financial backing.
1t was hard pull, selling the idea
of helium making to that Kentucky
group. Helium was q new thing as an
industrial factor. Finally Bottoms sue
ceeded in getting the project over, and
the deal was ready to 60 through when
the Shenandoah crashed. Lighter than
aircraft flying was put back more than
five years by that crash, for only now
have we regained the confidence Of
1923 in this mode of transportation.
The Kentucky group rebounded rath-
err more quickly than the rest of the
industry, apparently, for early in 1927
the board Of directors decided there
might be something in Bottoms credo
and built at Dexter, Kans., the only
commercial helium-producing plant in
the world.
The Bureau of Mines spent years in
building its Amarillo plant. Four
months from the day the Helium Co.. as
the new subsidiary was known, was
awarded its first Navy contract the
first helium was delivered. Meanwhile
the plant had been designed, built and
put into production.
Rather amusing is the story of the
original discovery of helium in large
quantities. Back in 1905 there was an
oil company drilling In Dexter. Kans.
But, instead of oil. they ran into gas.
This was not unheard of In the Kansas
oil fields, but had never happened before
at Dexter. Popped up at the discovery of
gas, the townspeople arranged cele-
bration. with the lighting Of the gas to
be part of the initiation of the gas
supply for the town.
Pressure Blows Out Torch.
The evening arrived. The mayor
made o flowery speech, lit the torch,
and ordered the gas turned on. The
torch went out. The mayor explained
with nice words and naive manner
that the gas was under such pressure
that 1t blew the torch out.
A bonfire was built, and just little
gas turned on. Even this put the fire
out. And SO it became known as
laughing gas" to thu chagrin of the
residents of Dexter ~
DIR. H. p Cady, professor of chemis-
try at the University of Kansas, heard
about the gas at Dexter, and on in
vestigation found that the gas con-
tanned relatively high percentage of
helium, which accounted for its not
burning. Relatively high, that is, in
view of the atmospheric ratio of /
volume of heliurn to $4,000, for the
Dexter gas showed 1.S4 per cent Of
helium.
When Bottoms took his helium puri-
fcation and extraction process to the
Kentucky company, he remembered the
old story about Dexter'S Laughing gas
and. seeking to locate a good source
of helium- bearing gas for the new in
dustry. he investigated the gases in
Kansas At Dexter the plant was built,
and nearby was found a per cent gas.
This per cent gas was as rich a
helium-bearing gas as was located until
q few months ago. Forced to price
competition with the Bureau of Mines
new helium plant at Amarillo, with ex-
tinction as the alternative, Bottoms soon
realized the only other possibility CT
competition was in finding richer gas,
! which would mean lower price.
Government examination of all avail
able gases had been made, but the re-
suits were never announced. At great
expense, Bottoms duplicated much of
this work, locating some new. gases him
| SELF, and this work led hin1fsix months