REPORT ON THE DIAaSION OF MINERAL TECHNOLOGY, 

 By Carl W. Mitman, Curator. 



Staff. — For 18 months after the resignation of Mr. C. C. Gilbert 

 and Dr. Joseph E, Pogue, curators, efforts were made to secure a 

 competent staff, but without success. On May 1, 1921, and in order 

 to prevent the continuation of this condition of affairs, the writer 

 was appointed to take charge of this as well as the division of 

 mechanical technology, inasmuch as he formerly was connected with 

 the division, first as aid and later as assistant curator, and is there- 

 fore experienced in the work. 



With this arrangement Miss Ruth Sherwood, stenographer and 

 typist of the division of mechanical technology, assumed similar 

 duties for the division of mineral technology, taking charge of the 

 files, catalogues, etc., for both divisions; while Mr. Haney, preparator 

 for the division since its organization, and who has admirably main- 

 tained the collections during the period of the division's inactivity, 

 continues in this same capacity. 



Accessions, — Although lacking in organization, the division made 

 some progress, but only in the obtaining of a few accesions — consid- 

 erably more than during the preceding year. Last year one acces- 

 sion, comprising one object — the working model of a salt works — and 

 626 specimens belonging to an earlier accession were received, while 

 this year four accessions, comprising 466 specimens, were recorded. 

 Of these accessions one is a gift, one a deposit, and two are transfers. 



The most important of these accessions is that of the American 

 chemical exhibit deposited by the National Research Council, Wash- 

 ington, D. C. The central feature of the exhibit is a model repre- 

 senting an idealized group of chemical industries such as are required 

 in the production of dyes, war gases, pharmaceuticals, and explo- 

 sives. The model plants which produce the crude chemicals, namely, 

 sulphur wells, a coal mine and by-product coke plant, a fixed nitrogen 

 plant, and salt wells are located at the outer portion of the model, 

 while the plants for the production of intermediates and finished 

 products are in the center toward the front. Radiating from the in- 

 termediate plant are four smaller plants; one for the production of 

 explosives, another for pharmaceuticals and medicinals, the third for 

 making war gases, and the fourth for the production of dyes. To 

 these there might be added synthetic flavors, perfumes, food colors, 



synthetic resins, and the like. 

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