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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 E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
Vol. 9, No. I T
EDITORIALS WAR SERVICE FOR CHEMISTS
TOLUOL, TOLUOL, AND THEN TOLUOL! There is work, urgent and vital work, immediately ahead for every member of the American Chemical Society. It is the arousal of this Nation t o the imperative need of bringing into energetic codperation the War Department, the gas companies and the people, as represented by their several Boards of Commissioners, so t h a t the stripping of gas of its toluol content shall begin throughout the country a t the very earliest possible moment. Many of our troops are already near the French battle front, still more are in training camps in this country, impatient t o get t o France, and soon other drafted armies will be raised t o augment this number until America’s full force makes itself felt in bringing t o a successful ending the greatest of all wars. Press accounts have shown clearly t h e amazing development of artillery fire during the past two months. The quintuple barrage, the wavelike and weaving barrage fire of the British artillery during the recent drives east of Ypres, have successfully driven the Germans steadily back and a t a sacrifice of man-power amounting t o only ten per cent of the numbers estimated before the drives began. When the Spring drives of 1918 begin, American soldiers will be participants in great numbers. If they are t o prove equal in effectiveness t o our British allies, if their casualty lists are t o be held down t o relative small numbers, we must provide them with the maximum possible amount of high explosives for barrage fire. Of the several high explosives now in use, the War Department has pronounced tri-nitro-toluol (T. N. T.) as best. It is the easiest high explosive t o make, and the safest t o transport. For its manufacture toluol is required. At the present time we are producing DON’T ask to be assigned to chemical work until you are annually approximately I I,OOO,OOO gallons of toluol actually in the camp. Camp assignment must be made before from the by-product retort coke ovens which have inyour name will be submitted to the War Department. creased so rapidly in number since t h e war began. DON’T send in your name, even for consideration for such This quantity, however, is under contract for t h e supply service, if exemption is to be asked for or while exemption of the Navy and our allies. At least a year is required claims are pending. It leads to endless confusion. for the construction of a large battery of by-product DON’T try to deprive another chemist actually in the Army ovens. For the new army the only quickly available of his opportunity to render chemical service by yourself seek- source of toluol is the gas plants. A statement t o ing such service, until called. The industries which supply the t h a t effect was made to us recently by BrigadierArmy and Navy with the sinews of war need trained chemists General Wm. H. Crozier, the chief of the Bureau of and are being seriously handicapped by the depletion of their Ordnance of t h e War Department. Gas plants can chemical personnel. be equipped within three t o four months, some more DON’T write to anyone in Washington to aid you in a claim quickly, t o remove the toluol from gas. for exemption. Even if they wished to do so, they are quite General Crozier further stated t h a t the mobile properly powerless for the law delegates exemption to the Local artillery alohe would require by September, 1918, a t and District Boards. least zz,ooo,ooo gallons of toluol. Statistics show DO send me your name, address, military and camp assign- t h a t during 1916 approximately zzo,ooo,ooo,ooo cubic ment when actually sworn in (not before). If you have not feet of gas were produced in this country. Assuming already filed details of your age, training, and experience, send an average recovery of 0.05 gallon of toluol per thousand this also at the same time. cubic feet of gas, we should be producing from the CHARLES I,. PARSONS, Secretary, gas plants within the next four months, if immediate AMERICANCHEMICAL SOCIETY steps are taken everywhere, at t h e rate of II,OOO,OOO Box 505 gallons of toluol annually. Even a t this, the recovery WASHINGTON. D. C.
France and England freely acknowledge t h a t they greatly decreased their efficiency by sending their scientific men t o the trenches. Although they have since withdrawn most of those still alive and are now using them in special service, the dearth of technically trained men has been and is severely felt. Secretary of War Baker, aware of this fact, is carrying out t h e full spirit of t h e selective draft, and specially trained men, so far as needed, are being assigned t o the war service which they are trained t o render. More t h a n others among scientific men, trained chemists have been needed for war purposes b y both the Army and t h e Navy. Fortunately, t h e American Chemical Society and t h e Bureau of Mines, acting cooperatively, foreseeing this need, took first a census of American chemists and later compiled from all data available a list of those enlisted. From this list of chemists actually in the Army and the Navy a large number have been selected for special fitness and have been already assigned. Many more, undoubtedly, will be so assigned, and if the present demand keeps up, it may later be necessary t o ask for special enlistment for chemical work. T h a t time has not yet arrived. A t present any chemist not required b y law to enter chemical war service who enters voluntarily keeps one chemist in the ranks and deprives the chemical industries of his own service as well. A number of chemists have been commissioned, b u t these are picked men of special attainments and specific experience. The majority will serve as privates or noncommissioned officers until such time as they are found t o deserve promotion.
