Guarding Metropolis Against Attack by Air
Pretty Tableau Presented for Women’s Council
'labhuu of "Peace and Plenty" from the pageant ut "War and Peace” given in Wasnington in honor of the
International Council of Women. The tableau was presented by the McKinley dancers In the National Botanic
gardens.
Bromine at Last
Gets Its Revenge
Once Defamed Chemical
Cotnei Into It» Own.
exploration of the extent of the beds
and the strata recorded In rock salt.
At some distant time a great area of
»he Prussian plain was a bay of the
ocean. It tt(1H „ t)ay
gome of
those found today on the ealt shore
of the Caspian sea where a shallow
d^>reaslon Is practically cut off by a
•and bar. Drawing the necessary wa
ter front the Caspian sea these bays
crystallize tons upon tons of salt an
nually, gradually tilling themselves
up- When salt crystallizes a mother
liquor of other minerals, highly con
centrated. remains.
If the feeder
channel la deep this Is drawn off as
lighter water flows In.
But If the
stopper la Ann in nature's huge crys
tallization vat, the mother liquors
themselves crystallize out and leave
Washington.—The Ethyl has »one
down to sea for automobiles.
The
Ethyl la a specially constructed ship
for robbing sea water of bromine.
"Bromine, tn the last few years, baa
been getting revenge for defamation
of character,” aaya a bulletin from the
National Geographic aoclety from Ita
headquarters In Washington.
"In 1906 a popular author divided
all people Into two kinds, bromides
and sulphites The wlphltes, t-'nns-
fcrrlng chemical character to men.
were the effervescent, eager, bright,
original sort; the ’Uiomlnatl.'
The
bromides were the conservatives, the
mild bores, people who were always
saying the same things tn the same
old wny.
"Sloat people are formally Intro
duced to bromine, the element which
forms n part of all bromides. In their
high school days, and they remember
It ns s distinctly nnplea«nnt smelling,
dark brown, heavy liquid that gives
off an ugly brown gu« readily.
"How little does the world know
Its chemicals! In less than ten years
bromine stepped out of the role as
signed It. 'Mild, conservative, meek,'
bromine was one of the flrst poison
ous gnscs used in the World war.
Bro
mine made civilization gasp In horror.
And by a still more recent feat of
chemlcnl acrobatics bromine has taken
to serving automobile engines. The
Ethyl tins gone for bromine to help In
the mnklng of an 'antiknock' nld.
While It does not enter Into the com-
pottpd used, It has a Anger In the fuel
for those explosions which make It
possible to describe nn automobile en
gine ns 'a Gatling mn flrlng 0,000
shots per minute.’
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Hen’s 4 Adopted Pups
Scorn Her Worm Diet >■
^prlngflpld, Maw«.—When a
J J m ther bengle hound on the
farm of James W. Cesnn In
it Agawam deserted her four pup
" [ties the orphaned family were
i! taken over by n Rhode Island
" red hen. Now they are Insep-
it arable.
”
Mr. Cesnn flrst discovered the
>‘ waifs snuggled beneath the hen.
¡5 The only drawback seems to be
11 the hen’s failure to Interest the
!! puppies In the worms and other
11 choice morsels she provides.
h
n
”
>>
In Msdlclne and Photography.
“Bromine Is extracted from the
mother liquor sEer the salt Is taken
out of the brine from the deposit. The
process Is simple chemically, but the
percentage of bromine Is so small that
the price has long been high.
"In medicine and In photography
bromine fulfills the part given It by
the humorist. Certain bromides sre
considered excellent sedatives. In the
dark room bromides hold back the sil
ver salts In the emulsions on paper
and Aims which are as sensitive to
I light as the eye of a bat. Bromine Is
uIso Important to the dye Industry.
"But It Is hard to deny the Irony
' of bromides In their newest roles of
speeding enemies to destruction and
speeding up automobile engines."
River of Gold
Is to Be Drained
Untold Riches Buried in New
Zealand Stream. ■
High Seas a Producing Area.
"Tlie entrance of the 'high seas' In
the bromine market divides the pro
duction between three major sources.
The United States and Germany have
been tlie chief producers. The Ethyl,
which has been transformed Into a
floating chemical laboratory. Is pre
pared to treat 7, OK) gallons of water
per minute. So small la the bromine
content that this large amount of wa
ter will only yield between four and
live pounds of bromine
Chlorine Is
»•Employed to treat the water and the
extraction process Is fnlrly simple.
The chlorine can be used over and
over again.
"The Ethyl Is sent to sea because
of the Impurities that might occur In
shore waters. A further renson sug
gested Is that water taken from the
ocenn at a great depth contains chem
icals more highly concentrated and
therefore with more bromine.
“Bromine Is now obtained chiefly
from Michigan and from Stassfurt,
Germany.
Michigan nnd Strassfurt
happen to be the sites of large salt
deposits nnd with the salt are other
chemicals, such as Iodine, bromine nnd
potassium.
"In these deposits world history Is
salted down nnd preserved for our
knowledge. It Is possible to recon
struct prehistoric geography from nn
Iodine, bromine, potuialum and othe«
substances.
"In plncea the aalt deposits tn the
HtraMfurt region are nearly 4.<XX) feet
thick. It is estimated that at least
H.ow years were required for such a
deposit. A basin of normal sea water
| would have to be 30 miles deep to
| form such a deposit, so It Is certain
that north Germany was once the
site of a Caspian sea or a Pead sea
I
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Wellington, N. Z.— Recovery of un
told riches by damming at Its source
a river whose bottom Is said to be vir
tually paved with gold will be made
possible under pinna Initiated by the
minister of mlues.
The Kurarau river—known as the
’•River of Gold”—taps some of the rich
est "diggings” In New Zealand, and Its
swift waters are believed to have car- i
tied enormous quantities of gold from
tributary systems.
From one branch alone nearly $100,- J
000,000 In gold has been taken In the
Inst half century, nnd other streams
also baxe been prolific.
The "River of Gold" Itself retains
all of the gold that has been poured
Into it. Save tn patches, where the
water level was low during dry pe
riods. It never has been worked. Ex
traordinary results were obtained dur- i
Ing these few experiments.
The present plan Is to dam the source
of the main stream at Lake Wakatlpu,
and hold the water back during the
dry winter season, when the mountain
sources of the lake are frozen. With
the river drained dry, the gravel an<
sand In several promising pockets will
be attacked and deposited about the
flood level and then worked during th«
summer months.
This Is considered the only feasible
way to get at the gold-covered bot
tom, as the use of dredges Is precluded
by the swift current. If mining en
gtneers are correct In their assump
tion, the virgin river will yield mil
lions In gold during the flrst winter
und summer.
The river Is divided Into 122 claims
They will be worked by Individual
claim-holders and companies, who wll
pay to the parent compiny 20 per cent
royalty on gold findings for cost and
maintenance of the dam.
The scheme has been approved by
the government.
Engineering Term
The term "four-cycle," used In con
nection with an Internal combustion
engine, means that there are four pls
ton strokes for the accomplishment ot
the processes In the engine. These
strokes are termed the Intake stroke
the compression stroke, the power
stroke and the exhaust stroke.
Electricity Digs the Coal Here
The only coal mine In the world
which was dug by electricity, where
the fuel Is hoisted by electricity and
then hauled to market by electricity,
Is the property of the West Virginia
Coni company at Gillespie, III. Every
detail connected with the operation of
the mine, from the electrical drills
along the coal face to the hoist. Is elec
trical. *The mine hoists 2,000 tons of
coni per day.
Physical Defects
Cause of Mishaps
e-
the morning,” declared Dr. Robert G.
Davis, senior flight surgeon, “whether
be 1» able to go aloft that day. It bls
psychological contention seems shaky
be has to stay aboard.
“We will not permit a man to fly
San Pedro, Cal.—Flight psychanaly- who has domestic difficulties, or If his
sla, practiced to prevent aerial acci family objects to his going aloft. At
dents, rather than mend broken bones the critical moment a pilot's mind may
or patch up luckless pilots and observ wander to what his wife said at break
ers after a crash. If they survive, has fast and be ends in a fatal crash."
Increased the efficiency of Vulted
When nn ensign Is assigned to the
States naval aviators to a large de Aroostook for flight duty, he flrst must
gree, statistics aboard the U. S. 8. be In 100 per cent physical condition;
Aroostook, naval aircraft tender, indi then he is subjected to a most search
cate.
ing psychological examination. Doctor
Medical officers aboard the tender Davis explained. Visual balance, vis
declare that 90 per cent of aerial acci ual muscle balance and tests of depth
dents during the World war were due perception form the basis of the appli
to physical and psychological defects cant’s examination trial before be Is
of the flying personnel. Acting upon \awarded wings.
this percentage compiled from fatali
Then there Is the low pressure cham
ties, the medical staff of the Aroostook ber to climax the examination. The
has established a careful examination, applicant is placed In the chamber
scientific In every detail, over the 150 and subjected to atmospheric changes
pilots an l observers who take off In
heavy bombers or light scout planes
from the long, flat deck of the tender.
Flight Surgeon's Comment.
The flight surgeons observe the flyers
each time before a flight is begun.
"I can tell by talking with a pilot In
Navy Airmen Given Keen
Examination Before
Flights.
OOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOCCHXIOWKI
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Washington.—A new kind of
"death ray,” exceeding in its
destructive capacity any prevl-
ous device, rumored or realized,
was reported to the Commerce
department as the asserted ac-
compllshment of a German In-
ventor.
William T. Daugherty, trade
commissioner at Berlin, forward-
ed a summary of a publication
describing the Invention, which
Is called “hellotaeub,” with the
claim that Its mysterious waves
are capable of paralyzing life
for six hours over a distance of
forty miles and to an altitude
of more than 45,000 feet.
Explanation' of methods of
operation and of the source of
the energy used was lacking.
W ot department experts point-
ed out that the highest elevation
reached by an airplane as yet is
about 39,000 feet, so that the
new device—If It works—would
effectively clear the air In any
battle.
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that he would encounter above the
clouds.
The air In the chamber Is rarefied
until the aspirant to wings Is near
collapse. A chart then shows exactly
what altitudes the man could operate
In most effectively.
Many men. Doctor Davis said, are
excellent flyers below 12,000 feet, while
others are competent at 20,000 feet.
Thus one pilot may be capable in
a bombing squadron while another may
be at his greatest efficiency In a fly
ing or fighting squadron.
Surgeon in Full Control.
The fleet's flight surgeon has abso
lute control over all pilots In the air
craft squadrons.
He declares them
off duty If be thinks their physical
condition demands.
Constant flying,
the surgeons say, produces a condition
of stateness requiring frequent resta
Without these short vacations breaks
occur in the efficiency and men and
machines would be lost.
The flyers’ quarters aboard the Aroo
stook are kept well ventilated. The
food Is carefully prepared and served;
even as the college athletes’ training
table is spread, so it Is with the navy’s
athletes of the air.
To sum up their ceaseless efforts
for the pilot’s welfare, the flight sur
geons say, "It Is easier to build planes
than keep men alive."
Old Tombs Are
Found in Greece
Ancient Vase» and Bronze
Age Dagger Unearthed.
Princeton. N. J.—Important archeo
logical discoveries have Just been made
according to word received here by
Prof. Edward Capps of Princeton uni
versity. Professor Capps Is chairman
of the managing committee of the
American School of Classical Studies
in Athens, under whose auspices the
excavations are being made. Twelve
chamber tombs of various periods have
been found, containing a vast amount
of material, as they had never been
plundered.
The Argive Heraeum Is situated on
the top of a hill midway between Ar
gos and Mycenae. It was a temple to
Hera and was at one time one of the
most Important sanctuaries In Greece
and the foremost temple of Hera In
the Peloponessus.
Left Money for Project.
Dr. Charles Waldsteln did some ex
cavating on the site in 1S92 and then
abandoned It. One of his assistants.
Prof. Joseph Clark Hoppin of Bos
Whale Trapped on Texas Coast
ton, came to the conclusion that Im
portant discoveries were possibly
there. He believed that an Investiga
tion might disclose the remains of a
prehistoric settlement and also that
there were more Mycenaean chamber
tombs besides the two discovered by
Doctor Waldsteln. Last year he made
plans to return, but died in January
before he could carry them out Ha
left a fund, however, to be used by
the American school in carrying out
bls cherished project.
The work so far has completely jus
tified the beliefs, and there is no doubt
that an Important settlement existed
on the site in prehistoric times. Trial
trenches have been sunk in the terrace
above the old temple and have re
vealed house walls and pottery from
all three periods of the Bronze age.
On the eastern branch of the Yero-
galaro ridge the excavations resulted
In the discovery of 12 chamber tombs
In three groups fairly close together.
The tombs are In general of two type«,
one with a short, broad dromos, or en
trance passage, and a comparatively
small chamber; the other with a long,
tapering dromos and a large chamber.
Three Tombs Excavated.
Three tombs of the first type have
just been completely excavated. They
date from the late third Helladic pe
riod, about 1409-1100 B. 0. The tombs
yielded good vases of the late third
Helladic period and also gems, beads
and a very fine bronze dagger inlaid
with gold, with a design of flying birds.
The remaining tombs are now being
excavated, and one tomb of the sec
ond type of Impressive dimensions has
been found. It has a dromos 12 me
ters long and 2 meters wide, and the
chamber measures roughly 5.6 by 4.6
meters. This and tlie remaining tombs
are furnishing material for the archae
ologists, who will probably complete
their work In June. The excavations
are being made under fte supervision
of Dr. Carl W. Blegen, assistant di
rector of the American School of
Classical Studies at Athens.
“
Tries New Way
n
"
it
Denver.—John Went» tried to end
; his life by swallowing safety razor
blades here. The blades cut his mouth
and throat, but would not go down.
Doctors expect him to recover.
n
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I'hls big whale strayed past the shoals from deep water at Sabine Pass,
In its extensive coal mining oper
Texas, and was unable to return to the Gulf of Mexico and freedom when low
tide came. Members of the Sabine Pilots' association turned whalers for the ations Pennsylvania uses practically
day and caught him. For a time ho was kept “in leash” and exhibited to half of the country’s total production
thousands; but when he snapped three-inch lines like pack thread he was killed. of permissible explosives.