| Show urges urotes helium to float airships kf k F M manning anning says rare gas ls Is and therefore safer than hydrogen MOST IN u s A it la Is now recovered from erom natural gas more experimental work in the production of helium urged by van R manning wash washington I 1 a agton further exper experimental liliental work in ili the production of 0 helium as et a substitute for hydrogen gas tor for dirigibles Is 15 urged by van R manning former director of the united states bureau of mines and new director of research rebear cli for the american petroleum institute the terrible loss of life in the ZIL 2 disaster at hull england gland mr bir IS manning fanning declared accentuates the need coed for nn an intensive development dev of helium here the nil lulli ilary iury and commercial use of liel helium luin tor dirigibles said air mr manning lu generally recognized recognised although iv date no practical utilization of this lus 1 us has been made except by the government in id the spring of 1917 as the director ot of the bureau of mines I 1 approved a preliminary investigation as to the possibilities of the production of helluin helium asa war measure and as a result a operative cooperative co effort was aws instigated by the interior army and nay departments looking toward the coining of a problem which was I 1 important in to our own and our allies interests te prompt and quick results vere desired results satisfactory it can be said to the credit of these branches of our government that satisfactory results were obtained although not in time to put into actual service dirigibles filled with helium ample funds were by the army anny and navy departments to the bureau of mines interior department arid and experiments were immediately begun with three processes one process was proved to be successful another not wholly successful and the lie third plant has been operating experimentally up to a few weeks ago the fact Is that the government Is now operating a large helium production plant with I 1 a capacity of cubic feet of 0 f helium per lay day maj P E van nostrand of the united states army who iio was to have been one of the officers on the ill III fated 2 was N as one of the collaborators in the development of this work arid and fully appreciates the importance of helium tor for dirigibles arid and balloons is credited by the press with the statement that had the ship been tilled filled with helium it Is doubtful it if such an accident could have hav happened expense justified As one who had to bear the alie responsibility lity for fol the experimental work until it a year ago I 1 cannot emphasize too strongly the statement that the government expenditures large as they were in separating helium from natural gas for use in dirigibles whether for military or commercial purposes have been thoroughly just justified and it will bo b obvious to any anny one who has even a superficial idea of the uses for helium that flint ample funds should be forthcoming from the government rind and private sources to carry on further experimental work tile the government Is now the lie chief user of helium and I 1 should like to direct the attention of our country to the importance of continuing active and immediate development of tile the rigid airship arid and helium programs previously undertaken by congress to the end that tate officers and men who for forfeited felted their lives may not have died in ili vain 11 the story of helluin helium was described hv by clr manning as one of the ra romances of science it may be of interest at this time he said to know something of helium and the development in the production to late date scientists admit that its discovery was one olle of pure science it was first discovered in 1808 in india while were ere making observations of an eclipse of the sun scientists agree that the occurrence of helium Is in ili the ar nar in sea and river water in rocks and mineral springs in geysers and in volcanic gases but the only quantities on a large scale can be recovered from the natural gas of the united states |
