June, 1918
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
7-Serious thought is being given t o t h e matter of t h e training of chemical reserves. With so many professors engaged upon war research and no instructors exempted in t h e draft because of t h e character of their work, t h e possibility of such reserves is very slight. Yet in various other ways we are preparing for a long war. 8-The Mineral and Ore Control Bill, already passed by t h e House and now before t h e Senate, embodies t w o important principles: t h e release of shipping for transport of men a n d supplies t o France, and t h e furtherance of national self-containedness. Why not extend its scope t o products other t h a n minerals? 9-With t h e passage of this bill i n sight, t h e Railroad Administration, in t h e interest of economy, discharges t h e industrial agents, among t h e m t h e very men who last September a t t h e Chem‘ical Exposition brought t h e undeveloped mineral resources of t h e South t o t h e attention of t h e country and particularly of t h e chemists who best understood t h e rational methods for their development. Think again, Mr. McAdoo. An automobile would be a n inefficient means of progress were i t not provided with reverse gear as well as forward gears. Io---We heard t h a t t h e “Garabed” h a d too much juice turned on and t h e machine broke down, necessitating extensive repairs before its exhibition t o t h e committee of eminent scientists. Meanwhile t h e matter of winning t h e war continues t o be prosecuted vigorously by t h e usual methods, which, though perhaps t o be rendered obsolete by t h e use of “Garabed,” nevertheless impart at t h e present time a greater feeling of confidence. AN INGLORIOUS ROUT Among t h e many difficulties t h e new American dyestuff industry has had t o overcome, none has been more nagging, more malicious, a n d less founded on fact t h a n t h e prejudice engendered b y t h e oft-heard phrasp “American dyes are n o t fast.” T h a t this propaganda has been quietly and subtly promoted b y those who wished t o preserve for post-bellum days t h e American market for German dyestuffs h a s been understood b y those who knew t h e facts. B u t t h e propagandists capitalized our national weakness for t h e “imported” brand, and t h e one-time prevalent belief t h a t t h e Germans possessed certain magical secrets which enabled t h e m alone t o make dyes worthy of confidence. Our good people of t h e t r a d e fostered their designs b y placarding their goods with such statements as “ T h e color of these goods cannot be guaranteed.” It was t h e old story of “giving a good dog a bad name,” and against this propaganda counterstatements have proved of little avail. However, t h e poisonous slander received its effective antidote during t h e recent Textile Exposition in New York City, in t h e clear, legitimate, and efficient demonstration by t h e S a t i o n a l Aniline and Chemical C o . , I n c . , of t h e relative qualities of American and German dyestuffs. Comparative exhibits were made of fabrics dyed with foreign a n d domestic products, a n 4 subsequently sub-
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jected t o similar conditions approximating those of daily use. I n this contest t h e American products fully held their own. To meet t h e possible criticism t h a t t h e tests may not have been genuine, a dyestuff laboratory was installed, and there, upon request, comparative experiments were carried o u t before t h e eyes of t h e skeptical. Here, too, t h e results substantiated all t h a t t h e most ardent advocate of t h e American industry had claimed. S o w t h e press is doing its p a r t in publishing these facts t o t h e world. Another German drive has been stopped, and as t h e exhibit and laboratory travel t o various cities i t is safe t o predict t h a t t h e ’ d r i v e will be turned into a n inglorious r o u t . PROPHECY AND FULFILMENT
We received a letter recently from a former member of t h e chemistry staff of t h e Medical School of t h e University of Minnesota. T h e heading reads “Somewhere in France, March 24, 1918,” and t h e concluding paragraph follows : As the Regimental Gas Officer I find plenty t o do and also find my chemical training and experience most valuable assets both when at the front and when in training. While en repos I conduct a Gas School for the Officers and N. C. 0 ’ s . * * My lecture room is the rear room of a French cafe; our campus, the great outdoors of untilled fields; our laboratories, the battlefield and gas-shelled areas; and our source of demonstration material is No Man’s Land where the only cost of material is the nerve to go after and the energy necessary t o carry away what is found and desired. * * * Sincerelv. (Signed) R6BERT A. HALL, Lt. Inft., h-.A,, Regimental Gas Officer, ;8th Infantry, A. E.’F. The following excerpt from “General Orders No. 15,’’ dated one week later t h a n t h e above letter, gives a prophetic coloring t o t h e reference t o t h e “source of demonstration material.” Headquarters First Division American Expeditionary Forces France, March 31, 1918 General Orders No. 15 The Division Commander cites the gallant conduct of the following officers and men: * * * * and Lieut. Robert A. Hall, N. A., 18th Infantry, “voluntari!y went into No Man’s Land on t w o occasions: once to hring back the body of an American soldier, again to secure equipment left by the enemy.” By command of Major General Bullard, (Signed) H. K. LOUGHRY, Major, F. A . , N. A., Division Adjutant. [Seal] “Oficial: First Division A m e r i c a n Expeditionary Forces.” Here’s t o Dr. Hall! And here’s t o his comrades in t h e Service! Keep up t h e good work. THE GREAT GAMBLE “Of course, the first duty, the duty that we must keep in the foreground of our thought until it is accomplished, is to win the war. I have heard gentlemen say recently t h a t we must get five million men ready. Why limit it t o five million?” -The N e w York Times, May 19, 1918.
Thus spoke t h e President of t h e United States a t t h e great Red Cross meeting in New York City on t h e
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T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
evening of May 18, 1918. Our answer t o t h e President’s question is t h a t , should a limitation of t h e size of our armed forces ever become necessary, it will not be due t o lack of determination on t h e p a r t of t h e American people t o win t h e war, nor t o unwillingness t o sacrifice their lives, nor t o any disposition t o withhold t h e smallest fraction of t h e Nation’s wealth; b u t a limitation may be forced upon us b y inability t o manufacture sufficient ammunition, and this matter depends directly upon our output of sulfuric and nitric acids, and t h e extent of manufacture of these two fundamental war necessities is indissolubly bound u p in t h e matter of our available supplies of platinum. B u t , it may be argued, platinum was commandeered on March I, 1918. So it was; and on May 1 5 t h e press throughout t h e country carried t h e announcement t h a t platinum had again been commandeered. Why this duplication of commandeering orders? The answer is simple. I n t h e preparation of t h e original order someone blundered in two regards-first, in failing t o include iridium within t h e scope of t h e order; second, in assuming t h a t manufacturing jewelers would comply with t h e spirit and intent of t h e order and hold hands off, which some did not, as set forth by excerpts from t h e jewelers’ own publications in t h e May issue of THISJ O U R N A L , in a n editorial entitled “Platinum Scraps.” Those charged with building a d a m across t h e platinum stream t o store u p its waters extended the d a m two-thirds of its needed length (the importers and refiners) whereupon through t h e remaining open space (the manufacturing jewelers) platinum flowed into t h e already green fields of nonessential adornment of t h e aouveau riche, while t h e builders of t h e d a m rested contentedly upon their labors, oblivious t o t h e possibility of a drought and t o t h e important r6le of this rare metal in t h e winning of t h e war. A V I S I T TO M R . C O N N E R
On Tuesday, May 14,we called at t h e offices of t h e War Industries Board in Washington and received a copy of t h e latest Commandeering order from Mr. C. H. Conner, in charge of platinum for t h a t Board. Iridium and palladium were included in t h e order but, rnirabile d i c t u , t h e d a m had not yet reached t h e opposite shore, for while jewelers were this time specifically mentioned, neverthelesstwenty-five per cent of t h e stocks thus commandeered was released for commercial usage, on condition t h a t t h e holders waive any liability of t h e Government for t h e remaining seventy-five per cent. Some bargain t h a t ! And t h e d a m had been purposely built short of completion, for, in reply t o our remonstrances, Mr. Conner asserted his conviction t h a t t h e present measure would furnish adequate supplies for ammunition manufacture (though President Wilson asks why t h e number of men t o be equipped should be limited t o five million, and though t h e estimated sufficiency of t h e seventy-five per cent t o be held was determined in advance of t h e inventory of stocks, f o r m s for which inventory were sent out along with t h e commandeering order). I n support of t h e wisdom and justice of t h e new order Mr. Conner gave
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all of t h e stock arguments of t h e jewelers: Theirs is a great industry which should not be suddenly shut off from its supplies (as if t h e jewelers were dependent largely upon platinum for a livelihood) ; t e n thousand skilled workmen and their families would be deprived of a living wage (as if there was not work, and crying work to-day for every able-bodied man in America) ; it may be possible still t o get some platinum from Russia in exchange for food and clothing (as if conditions in Russia could be depended upon for anything) ; and we will get some from Colombia (as if German money and plotting could never possibly cripple our supplies from t h a t source). Holding such views i t was only natural t h a t Mr. Conner should take strong exception t o t h e patriotic and unceasingly vigorous campaign being conducted b y t h e Women’s National League for t h e Conservation of Platinum, under t h e able and fearless leadership of its chairman, Mrs. Ellwood B. Spear, of Cambridge, Mass. T h u s is begun the great gamble, under official authorization, between t h e paltry profits of t h e jewelers and t h e limitation of t h e number of men in our army-unless some of t h e future drafts fight without ammunition and without supporting artillery, depending for their offense and defense upon t h e bayonet alone. S O M E A U T H O R I T A T I V E STATEMENTS
Feeling t h a t we might possibly be unduly apprehensive, a t t h e same time clearly mindful t h a t there h a d already been several other woeful miscalculations in Washington b y those clothed with direct authority, we sought t h e views of those in best position in other Government circles t o give authoritative statements. Such statements were promptly furnished and are reproduced here, fully confirming our apprehension. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITEDSTATESGEOLOGICAL SURVEY Washington May 16, 1918 Office of the Director
H. HERTY,Editor, DR. CHARLES Journal of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 35 East 41st St., New York, N. Y. M y dear D r . Herty: The facts of serious shortage in platinum supply are beyond question: The largest source, Russia, cut off, our domestic production only a fraction of I per cent of our needs, and our military requirements increasing a t a rate that no one can foresee, the remedy, and the only remedy is to cut out nonessential uses one hundred per cent, not a t some future date, but now, and of these non-essential uses jewelry is first and greatest. What meaning is there in a national thrift campaign when any luxury-maker is allowed to make and sell his wares, the material of which is absolutely needed in the processes of manufacture of munitions needed by our Army in France? What less patriotic use can be made of excess profits than buying platinum rings and platinum cigarette cases and platinum mesh bags? A Hoover is needed to conserve platinum lest our military program halt simply because our acid works cannot meet their demands. Of course, Mr. Editor, I endorse your protest against a halfway or a seventy-five per cent or even a ninety-nine per cent restriction of non-essential use of platinum. No American with his eyes open to the faats can do less than stand behind you. Yours very cordially, (Signed) GEO. OTIS SMITH, Director
