224 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1919. 
together of soda, iron, and nitrogen to react for the formation of 
sodium cyanide, the distillation of grain or molasses or sugars derived 
sodium cyanide, the fermentation and distillation of grain or molasses 
or sugars derived from wood waste for alcohol, and the extraction of 
bromine from deep-well brines. 
We shipped to Europe in bulk of all these gases 3,662 tons, to- 
gether with 18,600 Livens drums loaded with phosgene. Edgewood 
was, moreover, a filling station with a filling capacity of nearly 1,000 
tons of gas a week or one million two hundred thousand 75-milli- 
meter shells per month for the time being, with extensions under 
way to double that output. The Edgewood production of filled 
shells was, however, greatly restricted by the failure in deliveries 
of shells and boosters, only 300,000 of the former and 200,000 of the 
latter being available monthly. 
The demand for pyrotechnics, including signal rockets, parachute 
star rockets, flares, smoke torches, and 20 styles of star shells to the 
number of several million in all, strained the producing capacity 
of the country to the utmost and involved the production in large 
amounts of many special materials. Phosphorus, for example, was 
largely used in smoke shell, as was also stannic chloride in the smoke 
funnels of the navy. Magnesium was required in great amount for 
wing tip flares for the night landing of airplanes and for ground 
flares. ‘The airplane flare for night bombing carried 32 pounds of 
magnesium, was suspended by a silk parachute, and burned for 10 
minutes with a power of 320,000 candles. 
The development of the airplane greatly extended the demand for 
military supplies, the chief materials entering into their construction 
being wood, sheet steel, wire, cloth, dope, and varnish. For the 
frames certain qualities of spruce are preferred, although some 
species of fir are also used. We took in all 180,000,000 feet of air- 
craft lumber out of our northwestern forests, of which two-thirds 
went to the Allies, while one-third was used by us. The average 
plane utilizes less than 500 feet from 1,000 feet of rough lumber, 
but in the earlier production as much as 5,000 feet of rough lumber 
per plane was consumed. In exchange for finished planes, we sup- 
plied the French with raw materials and parts, sending them about 
35,000,000 feet of spruce, fir, and cedar, 7,000,000 of mahogany or 
enough for 40,000 propellers, 4,000 tons of aluminum, much dope for 
the wings, ball bearings, steel, brass, copper, and aluminum tubing, 
together with sheet metal of various sorts. 
The average plane requires 250 yards of fabric, and some of the 
larger over 500 yards, in addition to that needed for spare wings. 
Linen was the cloth first used, but with the cutting off of supplies 
from Russia and the Courtrai district in Belgium, the stock was soon 
