Evening sentinel, Friday, February 3, 1922 · page 9

 
 

i-‘Rl'DAY. sea. 3, 1932 . W

How'FiWhE-on Rust

5

i.

f‘
1

IS Vital to Usall

1: HOWE. chairman of the
H . catch extension division
' ’ : the National Research
0 ;' \K’ashington. is an active
applied science. He has

r‘uch about chemistry as
weryday life and his book,

.17 t. *. Stone Age." is both
p‘ Y a nd authoritative. The
3.. him to-day is not only
lit. 2:. but most interesting
' 8y H. E. HOWE. 7

l'llest times man has sought
a permanence to his works,
_ general wherever his seal
.’ J lrllpci upon time thé‘f‘e we find
- materials used or unusually
conditions. We have no
ancients gave attention to
nhivh tend to destroy human
" till the use of stone. which
tarnisly more enduring. The
w of some buildings was prin-
t: a desire to overshadow a

i .'l

Till

tel science recognizes that
.-. must be overcome or we
by them.
dense

-. min
‘i llS‘

l, {H

“'e are no
forest. mountain
tribes.
‘ .; of nature are overcome.

. l > deuce, we cut through.
. l 'llli'T and attain our ob-
‘r 'tl~ against the
extremely small
know when they are
find
tlpulzll

were the early

today is
if- Hill
flv'w‘i‘

Hutu we chemical
others of

- rn Ht useful ill man's band‘s

ill” '1‘. is.

~uruwtive forms of plant and

mm which we call burning
: lpii union of oxygen with
the combustible ma-
. n. my chemical reactionsthis
'l ET-‘MOT speed at higher than

The temperature at
2, than to burn is known as
.. t~zngwratllre and when you
. yum stdr‘t with a heat of one
L: ling upward by easy stages
» uhiv ll ignite at higher and

. ,

. l‘l .ttlp with hard coal. but in-
lll’lt kindling point for

.'lt: up

:i'.er~l.

:"H (ll

w it uh Iiilll goes on up the scale.
'lgmraturo can only be measured
ilr of the light given off or by the

;- liential caused by the expansion

-':s of selected metals or alloys.

.r or not a material will burn rapidly

:h to emit lig‘u ind sensible heat de-

l. on the urn-cw <upply. the tempera-

-.,f the sun V‘l'. ._ .ts and the size of the

4... Thu; 2: ‘. “in: is easily burned

in "YVL'""

."rlrt Mere/y Is Burning

li/l'thout Spectacular Features

inn H .li: ; burning metal slowed

r) ‘ {inllli to lose the spectacular

w The evil product—the oxides of

-' it. is “it, same. L‘nder some con-

.‘lliphillml are formed. but. the

l*zllit‘l tarnishing rather than

r will: attack. cauSlng corro-

v-..; n.- salts of the metals. which

soluble and possess no

 

 

 

*- ).' less
‘lh-m fur the scientist is to find

' lh resist the attack of oxygen
...-l~.-.. to the influence of moist-
.nll :llkalis. Falling in this. per-

’ mu live mating can be devised.
.l much yet to be known about
VIYJ'llllll that we become all but

.1 it is only the knowledge that
advances provide improved
~ all.“ k upon the complex prob-
l\--.-;H us at them. The whole
. i liimily practical aspect. For

 

 

‘N ‘ ’l'h

 

'iillllllity', large and small. de-
nvtent upon iron pipes buried
ti Some of these pipes carfy
llvljl in dispose of sewage.
:Ii~ lines or electric conduits.
n-r. w.» call them tubes and
'« vii people through them.
_ tn lllt’ to have all-such pipes
:n-r'll'lnent. They have mas-
'tl‘e sth‘ified as to chemi-

ll physical properties. and

m ~-d or partly protected by

zoned to Iron .
After Decades in Sea
queer things. Note this

it i-‘Ilnn:
hi If}; Hose capsized OE Spit‘
."l~ t"ll'l'led some wrought-
: ..t iron shot. After 292
'r‘l l» in: brought into the
'r' itiunlly became redhot.
~- A similar fate over-
vwrgo- in 17542 in the same
l\\.l years later someirou
- 1 fr lzn the wreck. After
.wnre some cannon and
l 11') from the Edgar also.
i that the cast iron from
i~~v-l.< was generally soft.
1m tut with a knife, re«
'r). Wrought iron on
i, .t so seriously injured.
'i state some of the old
1» l, cart-fully to ‘the Tower
"‘ . ‘.\‘. inutes of the Proceed-
institution of Civil
.t oil—ill! years ago. Major.
r~ "UNIS that after a time
l~ 2".el their original hard~

 

 

l

 

 

‘rll'<ll|

 

'There is still a difference

ness. The same authority declares that iron '

parts of pumps immersed in mineralized

waters were similarly affected. Another

authority states that the old guns men-

313:1“ ”war; again flred.‘ Cast-iron piles
g e n is '

rated. 3 h coast likewise deterlor

“In the ‘Transactions of the Ame
ciety of Civil Engineers' for 1915.133353
R. Pugh narrates that ‘caeron guns from
some ancient pirate ship Were brought up
from the ocean depths of! Holyhead in
1822. after the lapse of a century. They
were quite soft. but hardened so much on
exposure to the air that they were used to
fire salutes to King George IV. when he
passed -through Holyhead on his way to
Dublin. These old guns were said to have
gi‘ven louder reports than any other.’

'Old sea tales might be multiplied. Mod-
ern shipbuilders. too. state that in repair
work cast iron parts exposed to sea water
are frequently found in the condition de-
bcribed. at least in spots.

Pipes Along the Seaboard
Often Have to Be Replaced

"Iron pipes along the seaboard are so
deteriorated by salt water as to need re-
placement in some places within a few
years. while in other places a generation
or even two may pass. This deterioration
appears to be more rapid in tidal marsh
land than in seaways. It has been learned
also that coal ashes and certain industrial
wastes deposited on the land through leach-
ing cause the same unfortunate results.
Likewise pipes and other iron objects in
alkaline. acid or saline soils in many lo-
calities suffer deterioration. .All kinds of
iron are not allt‘ltt‘il nor is the action
uniform.

“Narratives of such troubles could be‘
written for many parts of our countryand
other countries. A little knowledge has
been gained about this form of corrosion
and some methods for avoiding it partially
llzne been developed. However, it is still a

menace to many iron objects, jeopardizing

 

 

 

H. E. HOWE.
Noted chemical research worker. who
tells of the fight on rust and its im-
portance.

 

 

 

valuable
““03

"information concerning the trouble
must be countered by scientific knowledge
of causes and means for avoidance or re-
sistance. Manifestly it is undesirable to
have iron in pipes or structures become
soft enough to be whittled with a jack-
knife and in extreme cases as soft as
putty." ,

Some corrosion problems are more sim-
ple. City water to—day is aerated and at-
tacks iron pipes more rapidly than the
water formerly used. Consequently a cor
tain ho'ted found its plumbing b'ecoming
rusted and faced unheard of figures for re-
placement. Then it was” remembered that
the old pipes were in the walls.

New plumbing meant a new building!
Have you been building lately? Well. they
thought so too.

Then some one remembered the chemist.

property and indirectly human

'not at first but at last. as so often happens.

The chemist reasoned that if the oxygen
in. the water could be satisfied with iron
before it entered the pipes there would be
no “further rusting. It was a simple mat-
ter to provide a tank with removable
plates put there to rust. That problem
was solved: and now some power plants
remove by mechanical and chemical means
all the oxygen in the water entering the
system.

The need for nan-rusting and non-cor-
rodible metals gives rise to ‘numerous spe-
cial alloys for work under particular caddi-
tions. One such was used in the roofing
of the Pennsylvania Station in New York
with marked success. City conditions are
very hard on metals and other building
materials. The sulphugl in coal burns to a.
gas. which forms big ly corrosive acids
when washed out of the air by dew and
rain. The soot itself is corrosive.

This bad influence of coal burning is
well illustrated in the older European cities.
where structures which have withstood. the
centuries under wood burning conditions
bear severe marks of corrosion dating from
an increagejn bituminous coal burning.

Hard Rubber 3 Substitute M
' For Iron in Many Pumps

First cost. brittleness. difficulty in cast.
lng or machining have limited the use of
non-rusting alloys and called out s.bsti-
tufes for metals. High silicon irons serve
many purposes where acids are involved.
but tug are dificult to work. .lnvolved
techniuue in preparing alloys Willi: occutr
ready mixed in the ores runs 110p! 0:53;;
whether pure iron is less corrodible than
iron with a trace of copper and each v?
riety seems to have its usefulness.

Hard rubber hasreplaced metal for may

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. -w¢f€"‘f'§‘-: ‘
100 .ss'- s‘wwic‘fi‘tew ’~ .6...
so
.0
.Q
70
J 60
w I
40 .
‘INOOZW 125mm layman
so malzvcmms BELOW $2,ooo,mnmn
20 .1
10 K '
0
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914' 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

 

 

purposes, and really large pipes. &c.. are to
be had. Pumps for chemicals are made
from it. and it lends itself to accurate fit-
tings. In chemical manufacture fused
quartz has been gradually coming to the
fore, and creditable research has been re-
quired to learn how to form pipes. tubes
and containers from molten quartz. An
equal order of skill has provided ceramic
wares which are dense. resist corrosion and
are made surprisingly true to specified di-
mensions. It is one thing to shape clay
into intricate foxms. It is quite another to
preserve these forms in the hard burning.

Another line of attack has been carried
on with the aid of vitreous enamels or coat-
ings. Here we are met with differences in
expansion between metal and enamel. Pin-
holes soon lead to trouble. uneven surfaces
and joints present a problem. ,There are
many more, but scientific research has gii on
us the upmr hand. with the result that
glass lined vessels of to-day Withstand
severity of treatment thought impossible
little While ago. This includes chemical
reactions with acids at elevated tempera-
tures. and tanks with such a lining have
proved invaluable for storage purposes
where the contents are not contaminated
by the rusting of the metal.

A favorite method for protecting metal
surfaces is to give them a coating of oxide
produced under controlled conditions. The
mtallic compounds so formed are often
complex and give us the well known gun-
metal finish. There are numbers of special
coatings. usually known by the lnventor's
name. designed to give at the start a rust
resisting surface. and in these the physical
condition as well as the chemical composi-
tion is important. Indeed in rusting the
oxide. wh‘ch forms in scales. affords no pro-
tection'to the metal underneath, whereas a
fine powdered 'rust may do much as an
insulator against the penetration of cor-
rosive or rusting agents to new surfaces.

Cost of Non-Rusting Metals
Limits Use in Industry

The higher cost of non-rusting metals has
been mentioned as limiting their applica-
tion in industry. An effort to lessen this
cost is found in electroplating. for which
we are indebted to the chemist. The process
is often used to beautify a product or to
make an object seem more valuable than
it is. but when employed to afford re-
sistance to rusting influences it reaches its
greatest utility.

Protection and beauty are often com-
bined. An under or foundation coat of zinc.
upon which another plating is made for
color or finish. is employed in many cases.
Very heavy coatings are sometimes built

_up and parts have been brought up to size

by electroplating. -

An unusual example of protection
through plating is to be found in the
manufacture of fine mirrors. The day has
passed when quicksilver or mercury is used
for the best mirrors. Silver has replaced
it. but silver is easily scratched and sub
ject to attack by the sulphur of the air.
causing black spots which rapidly increase
in size. Silver is deposited on the glass by
chemical methods. Then its electrical con-
ductivity is used to direct the invisible par-
ticles of copper in a copper plating solution
and there is formed a fine hard film of cop-
per over the silver. When this is followed
by a suitable paint baked on an exceedingly
durable mirror results.

Hard Baked Enamel
Insures Against Corrosion

Enamels. varnishes and lacquers are fa-
miliar coatings used for the same purposes
as electroplating. Indeed. some plated
coats must have a~ lacquer to render them
really efficient. Baked enamels are un-
usually impervious to rusting agents. They
are compounded from fossil gums. resins
and similar bodies, which are insoluble in
water. most acids and even in many grades
of alcohol. The baking process gives a
continuous surface film. Synthetic resins.
another chemical triumph. make excellent
rust resisting lacquers. being insoluble
save in uncommon solvents and alkalis.

Another important development has
given us slashes used to coat metal sur-
faces, parti uiarly wifen finished parts are
stored or sh pped. These slushes are easily
removed. when no longer needed. and afford
protection not only by keeping air, mois-
ture, gases and fumes away. but. in the
better "ones. have chemical compounds
which inhibit rust. At least one such slush
has been known to remove incipient rust
which has begun to be formed on the pol-
ished metal surfaces.

'Portlaud cement is not commonly known

as a metal protector. yet such it often is.
(Sony'iizlii. 192'}. by

A met-lean Vast Egalfh

Accurately Surveyed

COMPRESSED in one small volume
Just off the press are startling facts
and figures concerning the wealth

and income of the United States—the richest

nation in the world. The book is called
"rho Income in the United States," and the
authors are Vi'esley C. Mitchell, Frederick
R. Macaulay. Wilford 1. King and Oswald
YV. Knauth. Their work is the summary of
a survey covering the years 1910-1919 made
by the National Bureau of Economic Re-
search. Facts sought by the survey were:

\\'hat is the aggregate Income of the
American people? ‘ "“"' ‘t'

How much does that income vary from
year to year?

What part of the changes is due to
fluctuations in prices and what part to
fluctuations in the production of goods?

How is the pggregate income divided
among individuals?

What proportion of the whole income
goes to wage earners and salaried em-
ployccs?

How does the per capita income in the
I'nltcd States compare “lib that in other
countries? .

This broad field of investigation was
traversed in the broadest possible way. ac-
cording to the summary just published.
Say the authors:

"Only one country in the world-Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERCENT
180 l I l l j ‘
72mm SIZE urns}: 1
NATIONAL mcopas ”11909-1919 . . . <5 {a
’60 amasfir 1910 -1913 um ,4
ESTiMA-re BY ESTIMATE 0‘:
SOURCE OF ‘5 BY iNClMES \
PRODUCTION RECElVED
14-0 :3??? 3133 .7‘e
rat 1 -73 7%
33% 33 _Ss‘w—
'3}; 83 83
120 isle us n5
‘ ion? is: l36
i9l8 l50' I55
’9'9 — i693
100
80 55:15 E/
60 ~- ,
1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914- 1915 1916 1917 m 1919

 

In some structures permanence depends to
a large degree upon the ability of cement
and concrete to protect the steel reinforce-
ment. Underground concrete finds many
such uses. while the advent of machine or
"gun" placed cement has given an entirely
new protective coating.

Such cement is Very dense. hard and
strong. fairly uniform in its ting light-
weight layer. and when used with a light
weight. woven wire reinforcement can be
built like a membranedndependent oi vol-
ume changes of the iron surface. due to 61‘
pension and contraction. Such cement pro-
tects many a railway tunnel and electric
tube from premature rust and failure.

Quite another way is to remove corrosive
fumes before they come into contact with
other materials. A favorite way is by the
well known Crottrell precipitator. wherein
the tiny particles are charged with one
kind of electricity to be attracted by a
charge of opposite nature causing mists.
dusts. etc. to be deposited. This is capec-
ially applicable to certain chemical and
metallurgical industries. Values are gen-
erally recovered simultaneously with the
prevention of corrosion or other nuisance.

Decay is quite another story, for it is
most generally caused by plant life. lts
prevention is a biological and chemical
problem which. since it anects man's favor-
ite building material—wood—«leserves sep
arate narration. So long as metals rust
and corrode the chemist. the metallurgist
and the engineer have work to do.

Just now there is new effort being di-
rected at answering "Why?" is corrosion.
When we know “why" We shall have pro-
gressed still further along the road toward
its reasonably complete prevention.

——has ever taken a census of incomes. in
othcr countries what is known about the
size of the national income and the inc-do of
its distribution rests upon estimates. These
estimates can only be made by dovetalling
mgmhor data that are diverse in form, con-
tent. scope. date and source; bulky at some

points. scanty at others. and generally re-l
qulring adjustment."

The survey shows that the national in-
come in 1910 exceeded 531.000.000.000. the
variance between two methods of estimat-
ing being less than 37.000.000.000. By 1919
the figures had grown until the grand total
was 566.000.000.000. Thus in 19.10 the per:
capita income was only $33? to $344. but in "
1919 was $629.

One of the very interesting angles of na-
tional income, but not considered in making
the grand total. came from Dr. A. M. Ed-
“?rds. an authority 0 occupation statistics.

estimated thht n 1910 there were

8.000,0& American giver-pen over sixteen
years old engag in housework in their
own homes without monetary consideration.
This. number had increased in 1919 to
20.700.000.

"How much was their contribution
worth?" ask the authors of the summary.
"As much as the average pay of domestic
servants? Somewhat more? Perhaps $500
per annum bci’ore the war and more than

 

that after servants’ wages rose? We do:
not know." '

To indicate the magnitude of this item. a
table is printed in the book showing.

$0,000,000.000 from this source in 1910 and
$l8.450.000.000 in 1919.

"These figures are of the sort." says the
surx (xv. "that any one can alter to suit him-
stli’. Any one who so desires can add some
such magnitudes to the estimates of na-
tional income." -

rindy (-5 the Charts printed boron-1th tell
the high lights of the condensed hook better
than n'turds. Especially illuminating is the
graph that compares national incomes. Con-
crrning Japan's small showing, the authors
sav:

"’l\“7‘ 60 per cent. of their population are
outward in agriculture and live on an
amount per lit'ld that would be impossible
in liul'olilv—‘illdccd. a comparison lirmrg out

i

W' ' “a..- _._..">..

111' itilnlamcnial difficulty of t'V-fl‘l;llfll‘.: the
j|;.*1r!lll’\‘ of peoples whose scales are radi-
cally unlike,"

_‘i‘n lhi‘ mum in the street the v2.71?! show- i
in: li.-- pcl‘t't‘ntllrcs of personal .lil‘ffliT‘“ above .
mu Well-c; $2000 Will be ilifr‘t'v‘t‘idlt'. The!
:ivmxly f."ll'l in numbers of tho- mal‘r‘ for—,

lt;l-.ii«~ l'lum 1914 to 1918 (l-mtdless rcpre—‘

 

 

Ftnl“ lie \Vnr prnfiirorq and ll..- iii ‘.: wage-I
M‘fllvs, i» i? ll‘.“ turn has (‘nmc find «21.. ime -
(‘lll‘\4 s l‘; “are! again,

ul’ ”wru- in making in tins Near? The
ol‘llt-zul ll‘vom-~ tax “curve plump large:
part and full «‘rhdit is give-n ix} lip» writer-3.:

The Conclusions of the s: ~ln'e that
both the national and per caper: incomes 02
line L'nilod Suites are much larger than any
tiller country's; that. the hub" increase
during: the war was merely (inc to the rise
in prices; that the "share of labor“ in lu-
dnslry varies from one—eighth in agriculture
to about three-quarters of the total in min-
ing. manufacturing, watr-r transportation:
and Gnvnnmcnt work. A somnd volumo'
gives the facts on which the survey is
based.

 

v. .-

1“,”.-. .

l

 

UNITED
STATES

 

 

 

5H .

 

 

UNITED
KINGDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'4

-.‘..

 

 

 

 

 

 

m“

 

15

'26 "'z's' '.
1N DOLLARS

 

 

INCOME

\

 

 

Estimated incorne per capita of various countries in 1914 adapted
from the summary of Sir Josiah Stamp. July, 1919.

 

 

 

Reporter Was First to Use Tcle‘phOne'

ANY interesting accounts regarding
M the hardships and difllcultles Dr.
Alexander Graham Bell had ex-
perienced and combated in his efiorts to bring
the telephone to the attention of the people
of his country and of the United States have
been written. Accounts of his struggles
when he was at work upon the instrument
in a gaffe}, his only laboratory. and where
he worked in secret with his trusted assist-
ant to conceal it from curious eyes until
ready to introduce, have all. but one. been
told.

Thataupart of the story. the connecting
ink. has been overlooked. Vii-hen, where and
by whom other than the inventor and his
assistant did the first telephone "tubes" have
their initial test? The various books giving
the birth and history of the telephone also
lack the information regarding this impor-
tant phase of the invention which has be-
come of worldwide use.

The following is an duthentic account
frcm one of the few persons who was in-
tcrcstcd enough to be on the ground and
u ho has the distinction of having Spoken
over the first "tube" put up for public test
lri April. 1276. by Mr. Bell. then 29 years
old. at Tilsonburg. Ontario.

The Person mentioned in the foregoing as
the first to speak is none other than the
"famous ballot man" of the late '805. in
the person of John W. Rhines. now 67,
American, author. traveller. lecturer. and
the original inventor of the voting machine
’or recorder. He is now living in Blngham-
ton. N. Y. ,
V “After the first click of the telegral"
instrument announcing readiness." Mr.

Rhines states. “I opened conversation o‘eréiv’ect

the first telephone that Alexander Graham

Bell DU! Up for public test It wasa crude ‘
affair. consisting of two tubes resting in 3

\

Wires from the telegraph table. Mr. Bell
then lived in Brantford. Ontario. Try as he
would. he was unable to getpermission to
use a. telegraph line in that place for long
enough a period to test his telephone. He
went to Tilsonburg. a. few miles away. in the
same province. where after a long delay he
finally told the authorities that what no
had was no ‘dream’ but a reality and was
of practical use. They regarded it as a hoax.
but reluctantly allOWed him the use of the
wires from the village office to the railroad
Station, about a mile and a quarter away.

“(Mn Bell urged the representative news-
.puficr publisher in Tilsonburg to go with
him 0 investigate. The publisher declined.
as her ldn't ‘want to bother with it.‘ thought
it of little consequence. so designated me—
1 was a reporter on his staff. I went“ This
was in April,~1876.

“Mr. Bell was slightly deaf. but each in
turn spoke into the tube and then turned
ear to receive reply. My conversation was
:ith his assistant at the other end of town—-
the railroad station. I did not learn the
assistants name, but in all probability be
was Thomas A. ‘Watson, who, as records
show. was Mr. Bell's right hand.

“While We could hear the voice from the
station. it failed to carry with it the in-
dividuality that voices carry over the per-
fected telephone to-day. There was a clamsi
ble. a halt. followed by a clickety—clack, then
parts of words. sometimes a full wordhthen
agaln 1n syllables only; then we could hear
clearly for a time. The 'tube.‘ as was garter-
ward explained. ‘vras not properly adjusted
and would shoot the words back at the
speaker instead of from him. This was cor-

ed by speaking at varying distances from
the ‘tube' until the voice could be heard
without a break. ' _

‘ “1 lineman hotn- with it and thought it

box. which, could be fastened to telegragnfianpsnremarkame and mind-rm in many

he New York Herald.

J 1

ways, but very weird. When I returned to
the office and explained it to Mr. Law. tbs
publisher. he told me to write it up. but not
to devote much space to my item of alth'
cism. Of course. I could do nothing else,
but follow his instruction; luck against
my will he had me finish the item by m—‘ .
lug: ‘Although the contrlvame to a marvel.

it is not possible for it to cone into general' ._

use.’ Therefore. really condemned without
a hearing.

"1 was disappointed, for Mr. Bell was I.
genial. kind and earnest man. and in 5:193
ticc to the inventor {wantedtp give an;
the most favorable criticism possible In;
praise of his telephone that so thorough a
test.

"Following its exhibition at the Centennial'

Exposition at Philadelphia In 1876, where it: .

was subsequently taken. the importance of
this contraption was made manifest as to‘
its commercial possibilities. Now the tab-'
phone has had forty-five years of develop.
ment. and we can hardly conjecture What 3
like period in the future may bring. m
would the world do without ft fro—day?" I

‘ 1.

181% when they swim make a noise. and
this can. be detected by the million.“
according to the folbmng‘ : 1

Most of us have watched with Inter-eat
the movement of shoals or fish beneath the‘
surface of the sea. or of a lake, but few
will have associated with than move-menu.
the idea of noise. Nevertheless, such move-‘
ments do make a noise. and Norwegian 933.}
ermen. it is said. have taken advantage or
that fact to devise an arrangement to met
them in detecting and mean; fish at con.
slderable depths. The, lower a. mlCI‘ODhOI' "
by means of a wire from their boat into tho;

 

water. the other endear the wire both; easy.
nected with a. telephone receiver on the M

I.
l