506 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1453 



•the California Institute of Teehnology; W. L. 

 DeBaufre, University of Nebrasba; Edgar 

 Buckingham, of the U. S. Bureau of Standards, 

 and John W. Davis, of tihe U. S. Bureau of 

 Mines. The govei^nment also had the assistance 

 of Dr. Frederick Keyes, Massachusetts Insti- 

 tute of Technology, -and Dr. Harvey N. Davis, 

 Harvard. 



Helium recoverj^ as carried on at govern- 

 ment planjts iin Texas, results in a gas of about 

 64 per cent, purity, and necessitates a second 

 operation to remove impurities. By the old 

 method the flow from the natural gas wells is 

 directed through a series of compressors which 

 reduce 'the various gases in the misture to 

 liquid form. Methane (illumiaating gas) be- 

 coming liquid at a higher temperature is taken 

 off first. The remaining gases are then, one by 

 one, liquified and helium, having an exceeding- 

 ly low liquefying point, remains. The difficulty 

 with this method is to liquefy all of the nitro- 

 gen in the mixture. 



THE USE OF OXYGEN IN METALLURGICAL 

 OPERATIONS 



Use of oxygen in connection with the en- 

 richment of the blast in the blast fiu-nace and 

 in practically ail phases of pyi-o-metallurgieal 

 work will furnis'h the key to success in the 

 further development of such metallurgical 

 operations, according to Dr. F. G-. Cottrell, 

 formerly director and now consulting metallur- 

 gist of the United States Bureau of Mines, 

 ^^•ilo first directed .the bureau's attention to this 

 subject. Through this enrichment process, it 

 is hoped to increase the efficiency of metaiUur- 

 gical operation with a resultant production of 

 metals at lower coat aad possibly the use of 

 louver grade ores. 



The Bureau of Mines now has outlined plans 

 for two studies which will be carried on simul- 

 taneoush'. The first will cover the present-day 

 processes for the production of oxygen, in 

 order to determine the feasibility of ajfctempt- 

 ing to produce oxygen, or oxygenated air, in 

 such amounts ajid at such a cost as to permit 

 of its use in metallurgical operations. The 

 second study will be devoted to the feasibility 

 of using oxygen, or oxygenated air, in metal- 

 lurgical operations. 



Because of his interest ia this investigation, 

 j\I. H. Roberts, vice-president of the Franklin 

 Riailway Supply Comp^any, was asked to select 

 an advisory committee to work with the Bureau 

 of Mines and to act as chairman of this com- 

 mittee. The committee ■will consist .of Dr. 

 F. O. Cottrell, director of the Fixed Nitrogen 

 Research Laboratory; Professor W. L. 

 DeBaufre, chairman of the mechanical engi- 

 neering department of the Univei-sity of Ne- 

 braska; Dr. D. A. Lyon, chief metallurgist of 

 the Bureau of Mines; Dr. R. B. Moore, chief 

 ohemist of the Bureau of Mines; Dr. R. C. 

 ToLman, professor of physical chemistry and 

 mathematical ph37sics, California Institute of 

 Technology; J. W. Davis, mechanical engineer 

 of the Bureau of Mines; F. W. Davis, metal- 

 lurgist of the Bureau of Mines ; FVank Hodson, 

 president of the Electric Furnace Construction 

 Company, and P. H. Royster, assisbariit metal- 

 lurgist of the Bureau of Mines. 



Previous to the war, some work was done in 

 Belgium on the enrichment of the blast with 

 oxygen in connection with the smelting of iron 

 ores in the blast fiirnace. In tiie United States, 

 the late J. E. Jolmson, Jr., was interested in 

 the possible use of oxygen in metallurgical 

 operations and carried on some experimental 

 work along these lines previous to his death. 



ACOUSTICAL RESEARCH 



The London Times writes editorially in re- 

 gard to the desu-abUity of cooperation in the 

 conduct of aeouslical research as follows : 



Architects are still unable to predict with cer- 

 tainty the acoustic properties of the halls and 

 chambers they design. Commenting a few weeks 

 ago on the failure in this respect of the new 

 London County Hall, we suggested that bodies 

 such as the Eoj'al Institute of British Architects 

 and the National Physical Laboratory might get 

 together for the devising and conduct of experi- 

 ments for future guidance. But, so far as we 

 are aware, no practical steps have been taken in 

 this country. Meantime similar problems are en- 

 gaging attention in the United States, where, 

 indeed, the late Professor Sabine, of Harvard, 

 had already made valuable progress in explora- 

 tion of tlie acoustic properties of architectural 

 interiors. A sciieme is on foot to establish an 

 American Institute for Acoustic Eeseareh. Pro- 



