7ht RURAL NEW.YORKER 
689 
Power from Helium 
(Continued from page 686) 
and would always be in the same relative 
place in the spectrum, as this rainbow is 
called. In the case of iron there are 
hundreds of these bands, other elements 
have only a few, but in all cases they 
are definite and characteristic for a given 
element. It was not long before all the 
known elements had their spectral bands 
pretty well determined, and in many cases 
it was found that sunlight had in it 
either just the same bands or shadows 
where the bauds should be. (Just how 
the sun sends out a shadow instead of a 
light is another story, but either a bright 
band or a dark one in the given place is 
clear evidence of a certain element in the 
sun. and in the stars, too, for that mat¬ 
ter). In 1868 some clearcut bauds of 
light coming from the outer coat of the 
sun were noticed by Janssen and studied 
by Lroekyer, who believed them to be from 
an element not yet known on earth which 
he named helium. Fifteen years later a 
trace of the element was found in a stone 
from Vesuvius, but it was not until 1895 
that Ramsay, hunting for sources of the 
gas argon which he had just discovered, 
found helium when he heated certain 
uranium containing minerals. It is one 
of a group of gases which have not as 
yet been made to unite with anything 
else by any of the devices known to 
chemists. One source of it is the element, 
if it is an element, called radium, but 
this story is a side issue just now. Helium 
has. been found in the gases from various 
springs, and mere traces of it exist in 
certain natural gas wells. But the flow 
of available gas from these wells is so 
enormous and the value of the helium so 
great that it actually pays to cool and 
compress the gas till the helium can be 
distilled off from the other gases present. 
It has. lifting power in a balloon be¬ 
cause it is about one-seventh the weight 
of air, and, while this is two times as 
heavy as hydrogen, it has not nearly as 
much tendency to pass directly through 
the rubber. But the great advantage is 
its inertness. In the case of the hydro¬ 
gen-filled balloon, there is not only the 
constant loss but the ever present danger 
of. a chance spark, even a frictional elec¬ 
trical spark, setting the whole affair on 
fire. In war the regular way to destroy 
the hydrogen balloons is to set them afire 
with special bullets. 
Helium balloons have only mechanical 
injury to fear, which can be guarded 
against, and the much slower loss by dif¬ 
fusion through the fabric. No more'than 
ordinary precautions, such as would be 
taken with an automobile, need be taken 
with the exhaust from the engines or 
with other sources of heat. The possi¬ 
bilities are enormous for the use of helium 
balloons in commerce, as well as in sci¬ 
ence, exploration and pleasure. 
Deodorizing Compounds 
V hat is the dry, white powder which is 
added to water in the proportion of a tea¬ 
cupful to six quarts for use in the sani¬ 
tary, indoor closets? What is the liquid, 
in two layers, to be used instead, one 
and one-half cups to two gallons? What 
is the odor and what good does it do? 
New York. w. a. m. 
The powder is commercial caustic soda, 
and the solution is probably about four 
per cent, though a teacup is a rather in¬ 
definite measure. This stuff is also known 
as soda lye, and come into the market in 
100-lb. drums at from three to four cents 
a pound. In 10-lb. sheet-iron cans it is 
six to eight cents a pound, and in small 
tin cans it is usually 10 cents for a half- 
pound can. It should, of course, be han¬ 
dled with care, as it is unpleasant on the 
skin and may cause bad burns. If you 
get if in 100-lb. lots, be sure you get the 
powdered, not the lump, and get a screw- 
top drum, even if you have to pay a bit 
more, unless you can use the whole lot at 
once, as it is usually packed in "one-time” 
drums, which cannot be sealed once they 
are opened. The same is true of the 10- ; 
lb. cans, which can be opened with a can- 
opener and the contents transferred to 
fruit jars with a long-handled iron spoon, 
working in a quiet corner outdoors. If 
you spill any on the ground, cover with a 
bit of soil. The caustic quality is soon 
destroyed by the carbonic acid of the air, 
but would be unpleasant for a day or 
two. Make the solution by taking the re¬ 
quired amount of soda lye in a stone¬ 
ware jar. adding about an equal volume 
"f water, stirring with a stick till prac¬ 
tically all dissolved, and adding the rest of 
the required amount of water. 
The lower layer of the liquid is a 20- 
per-cent solution of this same caustic soda, 
and when diluted with water in the pro¬ 
portion you quote is slightly weaker than 
the other solution. The upper layer of 
the liquid is an oil which is probably in¬ 
tended to form a sort of seal on the sur¬ 
face and hold back odors. The sample 
was rather small for much of an examina¬ 
tion, but it is, for the most part, at least, 
merely a cheap mineral lubricating oil! 
It is flavored with a little oil of eucalyp¬ 
tus, and perhaps a little pine or cedar 
oil also, and these are perhaps supposed 
to have marvelous antiseptic properties, 
but the caustic soda layer is all the anti¬ 
septic needed, and a few spoonsful of anv 
thin mineral oil can be used if desired 
I he method you suggest of making up 
the solution in smaller lots and emptying 
the container more frequentlv is certainly 
advisable. 
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Here Is the Secret Why 
The Light Weight Car Everyone Is Talking About 
Does Not Soon Show Wear 
The Essex Stays New 
The frame of the Essex is as strong as a 
bridge girder. 
Road strains do not affect it in the slightest; 
consequently, the Essex is free from squeaks 
and rattles. 
There is no weaving or twisting of the radi¬ 
ator. The Essex remains rigid and firm under 
the hardest service. Every wearing part is 
adjustable as well as being well lubricated. 
The Essex retains its newness. 
Just ask any of the tens of thousands who 
have ridden in the Essex and who are so 
enthusiastic in their praise of it to describe 
how substantially and quietly it rolls over even 
the roughest roads. 
How often motorists, particularly those with 
light weight cars, have driven miles out of their 
way to avoid a stretch of bad road, because of 
the torture to themselves and to the car. 
But the Essex is affected by no such abuse. 
Its spring suspension is unusual and effective. 
Its construction is so solid that even the rough¬ 
est cobblestone pavements are passed over 
with an ease that has created the greatest 
admiration. 
Its friends declare the Essex has no equal in 
easy riding quality regardless of the size, 
weight or cost of the car. 
When will you take your ride in the Essex? 
Any dealer will show you how and why the 
Essex rides so easily, performs so well and 
retains its quiet and rigid qualities. 
And you will see also a performance of 
acceleration, speed and power that is com¬ 
parable only to the highest powered costly 
cars. 
Think how rare these qualities are, even in 
cars costing much more than the Essex, which 
in the five-passenger model sells at $1395 f. o. b. 
Detroit. 
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Canada 
as as profitable as Grain Growinq 
In Western Canada Grain Growing is a profit maker. Raising Cattle, 
sheep and Hogs brings certain success. It’s easy to prosper where you 
can raise 20 to 45 bu. of wheat to the acre and buy on easy terms. 
Land at $15 to $30 Per Acre 
—Good Grazing Land at Much Less. 
Railway and Land Co’s, are offering unusual inducements to home- 
seekers to settle in Western Canada and enjoy her prosperity. Loans made 
for the purchase of stock or other farming requirements can be had at low interest. 
The Governments of the Dominion and Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatche¬ 
wan and Alberta extend every encouragement to the farmer and ranchman. 
You can obtain excellent land at low prices on easy terms, and get high prices 
for your gram, cattle, sheep and hogs— low taxes (none on 
improvements), good markets and shipping facilities, free 
schools, churches, splendid climate and sure crops. 
For illustrated literature, maps, description of lands for sale in Manitoba, 
Saskatchewan and Alberta, reduced railroad rates, etc., apply to Superintendent 
of Immigration, Ottawa, Canada, or 
O. G. RUTLEDGE, 301 E. Genesee, St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
Canadian Government Agent 
ivivn otump Lan 
Into Money - 
Clear your slump land 
cheaply — no digging, no 
expense for team* and 
powder. One man with a 
K can rip out any stump 
that can be pulled with the 
best inch steel cable. 
Works by leverage — same 
principle as a jack. 100 pound 
pull on the lever give* a 48-ton 
pull on the stump. Made of the 
finest steel—guaranteed against 
breakage. Endorsed by U. S 
Government experts. 
HAND POWER. 
I .4 Stump 
Puller 
Showini 
POWER, easy lev 
operati 
Write today for special 
offer and free booklet on 
Land Clearing. 
Walter J. Fitzpatrick^ 
Box 34 
182 Fifth Street 
San Francisco 
California 
No Stump Too B\£ 
