o4 The Fokest Pkoducts Lauokatoky 



The Railroad Administration experienced endless trouble in the 

 construction of wooden cars, largely due to seasoning difficulties 

 caused by the shortage of dry car stock. An extensive field study was 

 made and the exact causes of the trouble determined. A report out- 

 lining the proper remedies was prepared and submitted to the Rail- 

 road Administration. In various other ways the laboratory worked 

 with the Railroad ^Vdministration to solve miscellaneous problems. 

 The results of much of this work appear in the form of specifications 

 issued by the Administration. 



Furthering ihc ChcmlcaJ Warfare Campaign 



The chemical warfare work for the army was first got under way 

 by the Bureau of Klines and later taken over by the Chemical AVarfare 

 Service when this Service was organized. Specific problems were 

 assigned to various laboratories throughout the country and several 

 having to do with forest products were taken over by tlie Forest Prod- 

 ucts Laboratory. 



One of the most urgent needs was for a highly absorbent charcoal 

 for use in gas masks for protection against chlorine. Ordinary char- 

 coals were soon found useless for this purpose and experiments were 

 started to evolve a suitable coal. This resulted in the preparation of 

 a beech-wood charcoal which met the requirements. A similar mate- 

 rial had been developed at the same time by tlie chemists of a large 

 commercial carbon-producing firm. The manufacture of this charcoal 

 was immediately undertaken at a distillation plant under the super- 

 vision of a laboratory chemist, only seven days being required to make 

 the needed alterations in the plant. I^ater on it became desirable, due 

 to a shortage of raw material to find a substitute for the very dense 

 charcoal made from cocoanut shells. This charcoal was capable of 

 absorbing a number of gases against M'hich the beech-wood charcoal 

 offered but slight protection. A method of activating charcoal, simi- 

 lar to a secret process used by the Bureau of Klines, was first devel- 

 oped, so that activating and absorption tests could be made at the 

 laboratory, following which a series of artificially dense charcoals, 

 made from the hydrolized wood sawdust which is a waste product in 

 the manufacture of ethyl alcohol from M'ood. were developed. The 

 best of this series were almost perfect substitutes for cocoanut shell 



