OCR Text |
Show BUREAU OF MIS ACCOMPLISHES MUCH Annual Report of Director Van H, Manning Is Full of Surprises. $1,000,000 IN RADIUM Saving of $20,000,000 Worth of Natural Gas in Oklahoma a Feature. AVA8IIINGTOX, Dec. 8. Manufacture Manufac-ture of radium worth more than $1,000,-000; $1,000,-000; a wiving or' more than $120,000,000 worth of natural yns in thn Dlackwoll field of Oklahoma; manufacture of gasoline gas-oline at a voat of 6 (Mints a gallon; development de-velopment of an electrical furnace which promises to wipe out losses of $10,)UU,-U00 $10,)UU,-U00 a year in the melting of brass, and the saving of many lives through the promotion of scientific mining methods, meth-ods, are among the Achievements of the federal bureau of mines outlined today in the annual report of the director, Van II. Manning. The manufacture of radium was accomplished ac-complished in co-operation with the -National Radium inst itution, whi'-h furnished fur-nished capital of $310.000 necessary to develop an economical method of ex- i trading the precious metal from the j carnotitc ores of the west. Eight and; one-half grams of radium were produced j at a cost of less than $40,000 per gram, I which in open market would nave cost between $100,000 and $120,1)00 a gram. The greater part of tho product was i turned over to two great hospitals for use in treatment, of cancer, from which ; it is estimated there are 75,000 deaths each ,'year in the United States. Government1 Gets Share. The institute supplied the ore, plant1 and machinery and the bureau of mines ppent $35,000 developing the process. Yor its part, the government received at least $100,000 worth of radium, which will be used for scientific purposes. The method evolved has been patented for the government and nuiv be used free by anyone within the United States. ' The' saving of $20,000,000 worth of natural gas ni the Blackwell field was accomplished by use of the bureau Ts method of drilling wells. It includes a process of pealing the gas in its original reservoir unt il marketing time. Oil . operators in Kansas and other states have adopted the method. May Cheapen Gasoline. The new process of manufacturing gasoline was evolved with the Rittman furnace, which makes it possible to take the waste gas oil of California, which is worth 2 cents a gallon, and make from it gasoline at a cost of (5 cents a gallon. The rejwrt announces that the Hittman process is a commercial success, suc-cess, and that the bureau is ready "to give to the public a commercial cracking crack-ing process, free of royalty, which will make available for internal combustion engines large quantities of otherwise unavailable un-available tractions of petroleum. ' ' In studies for recovering metal wastes in brass melting, the bureau has developed devel-oped an electric furnace which gives promise of eliminating wastes of $10,-000,000 $10,-000,000 a year at the present rate of great production and high prices. In its work of safety for miners the bureau has approved types of electric I miners' lamps which are being installed; at the rate of 100,000 a year and will; eliminate the cause of many fatal explo-, sions. In California investigation showed a; large number of deep gold miners af-, fected with hook worm. Measures were installed which are expected to stamp: out the disease in a few years. ' |