AMERICAN CONTEMPORARIES Frederick Noah Pease R. PEASE is a recognized pioneer and authority on chemistry applied to transportation, or, as better stated hy President Hadlcy of Yale University, ''a leader in making chemistry a handmaid in the service of the people." He entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as assistant chemist in 1881, succeeded the late Charles B. Dudley as chid chemist in 1912. and on reachine" the allotted ace " ai thierscorr years sild ten was retired on January _ _ _ _ ~ 1, 1921, this being his personal wish. It is not the purpose in this short space to review his scientific work and publications. These attainments are referred to in The Yale Alumni Weekly of July, 1917, and "The Lile and LileWork 01 Charles B. Dudley," published by The American Society lor Testing Materials. The former reference is in connection with the honorary degree ol tllaster a i arts conferred upon him by Yale University, and the lattcr gives a list 01 his joint publications. We prefer to be more personal and to describe those traits which may give encouragement to others, especially to those of the coming generation who have not as yet found their life's work. In passing, however, it is to be E marked that the foregoing rciererices do not brins out his ability as an analyst. H e studied Frescnius before he went to college, and during his P T O ~ Frederick lessional career he studied the analytical methods published in the technical journals in linxlish, French, and Germ n , many of which were put to the actual test as to accuracy, and in some cases they were improved in his hands. For example. in the method lor the determinatioii of phosphorus in steel, based on the precipitation of the phosphorus as phosphomolybdate. and its subsequent estimation volumetrically by reduction with zinc and titration with potassium permanganatc, he found that hy proper technic the resulting reactions were to Mo20aoil reductim and to MOO. on oxidation. G d i e r investigators had based the equation on the reduction from a complicated oxide, some using the factors MoilOL+and Mo>Da;. Mr, Peaease was born on December 3, 1850. At the early age of four he was left an orphan, wlrereupon his grandparents t w k him to their honie in the village of Ellington, Conn. At this period of his life he was not robust. He had little opportunity to play with other children of his own age, and therefore relied much on that form of amusement which he devised for himself. In his early boyhood he accidentally found a worn volume of a n old edition of "Tlie Elements of Clirmistiy," by J. L. Comstock. In this book he became intensely interested, and it war his close companion. He put into practice many of the experiments suggested, and verified to his own satisfaction tlic statements of the author. Among the expcriments which he made might be mentioned the preparation of hydrogen with the appliances which he was able to assemble. The difficulties to be surmounted in this endeavor are indicated by the fact that the perforated
stopper which he used was made by his hands from a wood block. Acid and zinc were obtained from the village druggist. He also made charcoal by heating wood for several hours in an extemporized crucible imbedded in the coals of the living-room heater. An accident made this experiment memorable, the hot charcoal having hecn accidentally spilled on the oilcloth of the livingroom. One of his most ingenious experiments consisted in making oil g a and applying it. A discarded gun barrel served ac his retort. the source of heat was the livinr-room fire. and a gasometer was constructed from such .. .... utensils as he could find. -4 homeniadr burner enabled him to illuminate a room in his grandfather's home with the gas which had bcen prepared and collected. In .conjunction with the book t!iat had Ixcome his friend, he hecame interested in the popular science refer CLICCS given in tlie family magazine, which was devoted principally to politics, literaturc, science, and arts. €it always looked forward to the arrival uf this magarinc, and was keenly disappointed nhen the science section was neglected by the editor. We rcler tu tliis as a conspicuous illustration of the value ofa popular science section in the magazines and weeklies of the day, as they very frequently aid young boys in finding their work for Me. It will readily be appreciated that thc exneriments conducted in the vib lage home a t Illlington became known Nosh Peaso to the ne~rhbars. and the y o u w iii I . . . --JI vestigator acquired early local no to^ rietv. His work came to tlrr notice of Professor Lyman of Yale University, who persuaded him to p r e ~ pare for entrance t o the frcshman class of Sheffield Scientific School. bir. Pease accordingly prepared for college a t tlie Edward Hall Preparatory School of Ellington and entered Sheifield Scientific School in 1871, from which he was graduated in 1875. His work a t college drew his instructors and profrssors to him, many of whom remained his loyal friends through life. Since his retirement from active service as chief chemist of the Pennsylvania Railroad System, he has continued t o pursue his laboratory studies in his home, with special reference to radiophoily. He has constructed iiumerous receiving sets, illustrating different accepted principles, and he is now working on a new one which it is hoped will result in an improvement in selectivity. Regardless of the merit of what he may achieve in this work, the advised by a mutual friend. H e world will not hear of fic studies of other investigators is also interested in t to disclose the structure of tlic who are endeavoring has always appealed to him. t to visit him arid listen to his discussioii u l the higher things of life which have been the theme of the true philosophers of the past. One can obtain a slight conception of this pleasure by studying his expression in the accompanying picture taken on the occasion of his retirement on January I , 1921. Xi. E. XCDONNBLL I
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