Evening Star Newspaper, June 13, 1926, Page 77

ILLUSTRATED FE ATURES MAGAZINE SECTION Fhe Sy Staf Part 5—8 Pages WASHINGTON, D. C., SU} DAY FICTION AND HUMOR MORNING, JUNE 13, 1926, Federal Shop Workers Follow Unblazed Trails in Mechanics 3 H. DACY. ‘ 1 be done. we can do it.” The inconspicuous, but ex: | tremely efficient mechanical | shops section of the national . Department of Agricultu might well have some such sloga is one branch of the Gover ice which has never been “stumped which has never had its “Waterloo." Jor no matter how technical or com- plicated the problem may be, irrespec. tive of whether new appliances have | to be invented and perfected, and even though the quest penetrate unex: | plored fields in scientific mechanical | and engineering line upt. R. L, Swenson and his trained sistants achieve whatsoever they attempt. This is the first time the cor mations gicians been set forth in printer's ink 4 years the consolidated shops the Department of Agriculture have attended to - their ever-increasing as- signments without any local publicity In that period results have been achieved, riddles have been solved and ~cientific’ apparatus and accessories of n Kinds have heen designed Iarly in the history of the Depart- ment of Agriculture the imperative need for expert mechanic: n and expert de: ers became manifest was mobiliz a specialists ers, from carpenters to « from to pattern- assist Uncle Sam, the most ¢ farmer the world has ever known. For many vears ‘h bureau, neh or division of the department d its ical aides until, ring the administr: Secre. v James Wilson, about 1909, this 1 skill was concentrated in the imated mechanical shops. Since I the experimental apparatu appliances. automobile 1 painting, electrical "k blacksmithing. awning and rub Stamp manufacture, typewri usiment and other mechanical ac- es of the department h e been alized in these consolidated shoy he total personnel at present i les 139 employes, a group of work men and supervisors of outstanding le, for in the history of their service' they have never failed on a single job. Even though the demands on their abilities have been stretched to the limit at times, these Govern- ment workers have carried on suc fully. The black mark of failure h never been chalked up against them. During the t vear, for example, thev completed the work on more than | 12000 shop requesis. which ranged | om tasks costing $4,000 or more for the job to petty work worth 50 cents to 1 an assignment. The mechanical shops at present do from §200,000 to £300,000 worth of work every 12 months, and in the doing save much money. it G« of . | to the credit of the: of modern mechanics” havi [ . logical of | her ¢ ad ok ox % N the daily operation of the me- chanical shops there is naturally much routine work. our of the department utomo hiles are m red in the shops, chines from such out Arlington arm, Belts thesda, Md. nd Vienna, Vi mental stations, The mammoth central heating plant | of the department, which hears 2 Government buildings and 42 green- houses, is managed and maintained by the mechanical shops. During the Jast eight vears this heating plant has been improved and modernized by | Supt. Swenson and hix corps of sexperts and workmen, that it now saves the GGovernment 2,000 tons | of coal annually over the former con- sumption. Conzress appropriated ap- proximately $33.000 for this impro ment work. and it was money well spent, for it is paving dividends of ahout §12,000 a vear in fuel saving. not to mention the smaller personnel now required to operate the plant. entist So and So of the Bureau of Plant Industry some bright Summer morning 1 telephone to Supt and Assistant Supt Wil arrange for a confer: some experimental ap- I he needs to solve the lant behavior when ex-. 1in insect diseases. When wkes place, the scienti he hopes to the me outlines what from the test. He needs kind of electrical apparatus s mechanical science never hefore eve dreamed of. It is up to the shops’ spe- elalist to produce it, to g it for 1 tensive and delicate ser e, to equip it with automatic recording devices which, like a silent ohserver, will keep careful tab on the responses of the plant to its scientific environments by night and day. Thus vou can understand that the dally duties of the shops’ designers | and inventors are mecl 1 and scientific _adventures into the un. known. They seek vou-may call-it” that no one else has ever found. They follow unblazed trails in mechanical achievements. There are no precedents or traditions to make | their tasks easier. If there are short | cuts, they have to find them. These | have not been mapped out. They jug- gle tools and equipment, metal Wwood, fittings and fixtures, electri current and gasoline power, and ulti- mately produce the equipment which this or that or the other scientific de- partment or th expert de: Originality i ader. The of applied mec are the posts along the w They dovetall scientific theories and practical results until they obtain the anticipated results. The mythical horse of Tr < certain extent, r part in one of the scientific consum- matlons of the mechanical shops. In the latter case, however. the equine equipment is a horse stable, the most extraordinary house for a horse which records ever registered. This curi- ous horse stable—we apologize to ani- malindustry science for calling it such—was a wonderful orimeter constructed by the mechanical shop It was equipped with a tread power. | The energy which the horse produced ! by walking on the tread power was | measured carefully by scientific means. With this experimental stable, it was ossible to answer questions about orse power which the mute beast could not answer. The calorimeter was really an in- sulated room. All the heat developed by feeding the horse and transform ‘ing the food into enerzy was meas- ured. The fuel and output of the | horse were tabulated. The production of energy from different feeds and combinations of feeds was studied. Outstanding data were obtained, and these have added greatly to animal husbandry’s knowledge. This original calorimeter, which was much more complicated and technical than space limitations per- mit us to indicate, was also used in measuring the energy production of | man when fed different rations and | food mixtures. The arrangement was such that the man who acted as the experimental subject rode a_station- ary bicycle as a means of energy gutput in the calorimeter in a form « Which could be measured scientifi cally. Valuable_information was thus A These Washington Experts Have Never Met Their Waterloo—If It Is Anything of Wood or Metal, Within Range of Possi- bility, They Can Make It—They Invent, Design and Build Mechanical Marvels Which Solve Scientific Problems—American Agriculture Profits From Their Accomplishments—They Handle About 12,000 Shop Jobs Annually and Make Most Every- thing From Rubber Stamps to Live Stock Calorimeters. Expert national mechanics making scienlific equipment. secured regarding man’s energy pro- duction from ' different foods, Later the mechanical shop nlso buflt a smaller respiration calori- meter, which was. used by the Home Economics Bureau in the investiga- tions of the energy which women de- voted to such tasks as sewing, iron- ing, sweeping, dusting and other household tasks. In all these tests the subject worked within the in- sulated respiration calorimeter, The energy which she devoted to the va- rious tasks was measured in the form of heat. The results were eventu- ally translated into the recommen- datfon for more ideal and efficient working conditions in the Kitchen, laundry and living room of the or- dinary home. * K ok K LL the laboratory and scientific equipment used in the thousand and one various offices of the Depart- ment of Agriculture in Washington were built in the mechanical shops, except those of ordinary commercial inception. Among these, two large refrigeraiion plants are particular features. One of these was installed in the Bureau of Chemistry last vear at a cost of ahout. $15,000.. It. con~ 4 Federal pattern and modelmaker sists of two ten-ton refrigeration com- pressors, driven by a palr of horsepower direst-current motors. There is another large refrigera- tion plant in the Bureau of Animal Industry. The refrigerated brine cir. culates through many of the research laboratories, where it is available for experimental use. Special insulated “light he - which take the form of constant temperature cabinets, have been de- signed and perfected in the mechani- cal shops and are used in epochal investigations of the effect of light on plant growth. Such a study re- quired the control of all other factors which might affect plant growth, ex- cept_either daylight or artificial light, S0 that these could be studied. The constant temperature cabinets, which are maintained at no greater varia- tion than plus or minus one degree centigrade, provide the essential con. ditions for the exclusive exploration of light effect on plant growth. Sev. eral of -these cabinets have been ar ranged for exhibition at the Philadel- phia Sesquicentennial Exposition, as part of the $82,000 exhibits which Congress. authorized the Department N Superiniendent R L SWENSON, iwspecting a wooden model . of Agriculture to prepare and demon- strate, In the Bureau of Chemistry lab- oratories two sclentific vats are now in service, where frogs are kept for experimental purposes at carefully- controlled temperature. These cu- rious vats were originated in the mechanical shops. One vat has a ca- pacity of 50 dozen frogs. Its tem- perature is held constant at 15 de- grees centigrade. The other, smaller, vat is maintained at a slightly higher temperature, the frogs being kept therein for 24 hours directly before experimental use. These frogs are used in special drug investigations. In another laboratory a certain bacterial-culture experiment is in progress, and this has been made pos- sible by the inventive genius of the rational experts. The equipment con- sists of a serles of eight constant. temperature cabinets, which are linked together so that temperature is different in each container, the range being from plus 3 degress cen- tigrade to plus 23 degress. The growth of certain bacteria and fungi on spe- clal agar cultures is being measured and observed, in order to solve eco- g nomical secrets in specialized crop production. : It was of course difficult to secure the graduated, constant temperatures in the different cases. The use of electrical heating cofls at one end of the scientific set-up and refrigerated brine circulation at the other accom- plished the desired result. * ok K K NOTHER recent achievement of the shops was to design and build a galvanized tank where the tempera- ture is controlled by electrical immer- sion heaters with_satisfactory water circulation for the sterilization of bulbs. This experimental work is be- ihg conducted to determine the possi- bility of ridding valuable commercial bulbs of their disease infestation, so that they can be circulated in com- merce. To devise and build this ex- periment equipment was.but one of the many jobs which Mr. Swenson and his co-workers have performed re- cently. An original tomato-seed drier was inspected in the mechanical shops. It was a large cabinet made of sheet iron, insulated, and so arranged that steam could be admitted under thermo- Cuttin for « Making rubber -stamp mathix static control. During the seed-dr ing process, the temperature is main- tained at 115 degrees, an electric fan being used to circulate the air. An exit for the damp air is provided at the top of the cabinet and an intake for dry air at the bottom. The seeds are exposed on trays at the central part of the drier. In the wood-working shops expert pattern makers were watched as they carved and chiseled, cut and shaped specimen models of equipment to be used at the Philadelphia Sesquicen- tenial. Carpenters and cabinetmakers were making attractive booths and exhibits which were sight-of-eye dem- onstrations of this or that feature of progressive scientific agriculture. The object of all these exhibits is to tell the story at a glance. They must be in- teresting and often spectacular, in order to attract and hold the atten- tion of the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will observe them. Painters and color artists put on the finishing touches, after the woodwork- ers have finished. The exhibits are made of light durable material and are hinged so that they can be packed readily in shipping cases. These ex- hibits, in practically all instances, are wooden bases ber stamwps < made so that the material can be used again and again for educational pur- poses. A model kitchen-—part of the Home Economics Bureau display—was of particular interest. . As you doubtless know, the Depart- ment of Agriculture is the super- visory landlord and “big boss” of Center Market. In the improvement of this marketing center, the mechan- ical shops have recently been making new and model showcases for the dis- play of meats and other food products under refrigeration. Twenty-five of these artifically “iced” cases have been completed and soon will be seen in daily service at Center Market. They will be refrigerated by circulating brine from the central plant. Dealers will be able to display their choicest meats under glass for your inspec- t{on ‘without danger of food deteriora- tion. The rubber-stamp office of the me- chanical shops makes all the rubber stamps used by the Department of Agriculture and its various branch | offices and experiment stations. The total output is about 12,000 stamps a vear. These as used by the Bureau of Animal Industry in marking meat as it is inspected at American packing Rubber Inected with | chanfcal shops plants are sure to comma tention There are more United States abattoirs v meat .nspection is prac different rubbe: arking the m plants. vour at- than 1,000 stamps are at products at Then there are | hundreds of other varieties of rubber stamps used by the agricultural spe in their offices and lahorat The composition work s with the production of « rubber stamp is similar to that followed in the aver age print shop, where type is made and set or where stereotyping is done instead of metal is used in King the stereoty | iere are 14 elated operations con the manu 1eh 1, no matter whether it be as sn s 4 penny or ge as loaf of bread. After the rubber stamp itself is produced from the originl matrix the supplementary task ting out the weoden stamp, providing it with a gluing the rubber into j on base remains to be done. An impres on of every stamp made in the me is maintained and in dexed as a part of the Government's agricultural records. re of rubbe: andie the THE Department of approximately Washington. T for the methan typewriter experts and adjust more than annually. The awning shop, a neighbor to the typewriter repair room, is also kept busy constantly, making and repair ing awnings, canvas covers, tarpaulins and fabric and leather work of differ ent kinds for Secretary Jardine's Fed eral department. ‘There are ab 1,800 awnings now in on the agri cultural buildings more than 2,000 ¥ - dura ble matert: annually making leather “ship grain loaded from the awning cases and brief cases incin ed with draperie: its two repair 500 machines used ded on or e all made i artmen e also repaired. tors and milk driers are cover in ion, and all the si curiains and burlap used by the office of exhibits are also made in this shop. There has never been a job of sewing or fabric repair which has developed in the Department of Agriculture but that the awning shop could do it satisfactorily The mechanical shops operate regular_hardware store as a supply ase. It carries a stock of $35,000 worth of plumbing material and fix- tures, valves, balts, nuts, sheet iron, galvanized pipe, screen wire, auto- mobile and electrical supplies, paint in colors, and the miscellany of ma- terial essentials for all kinds of con- struction. The reclamation storeroom is filled to capacity with fundamental equipment and supplies reclaimed from former jobs and all ready for potential service. A complete blacksmith shop, ma- chine shop, wood milling shop, elec- trical shop, carpentry and cabinet- making shops, paint shops, design and drafting rooms and offices are other work rooms in this unusual branch of the Federal service. If you have visited Arlington Farm on yonder side of the Potomac or the Beltsville ex- perimental farm a dozen miles out the Baltimore pike, or if you have stop- ped at the contagious animal diseasa station at Bethesda or the insect laboratory in northern Virginia, you may have seen many strange pleces of ‘scientific equipment, pens, stalls, cages and appliances. All of these have bheen made at the mechanical shops. One of the dairy buildings at Beltsville was constructed by these overnment emploves. The wool laboratory at Beltsville is the most complete of its kind in creation. It has been equipped largely with ex- traordinary apparatus made by the agricultural “shopmen. A lettuce pre-cooling outfit has recently been built and will be tested out in the lettuce producing sections of South Carolina and Florida. It weighs 5 tons, uses ice as the refrig- erant, and is designed expressly for lowering the temperature of lettuce before shipment, so that it can be delivered on the northern markets in the best possible condition. If the experiments with this pre-cooler turn out satisfactorily, it will be used com- mercially during future shipping sea- sons. Another invaluable made in the Government shops during the last few inonths consisis of a Lilli putian yardstick which measures the annular rings of growth on forest, shade and fruit trees. The economic importance of this device is that of a detective which determines the in- ect infestation of discased trees. It s essential in such research to make about 300 observations in the case of a tree 100 years old. The handy and efficient little gauge speeds up this work which would otherwise be a very slow and expensive proce. Thermostatically controlled electric are used in another form of technical apparatus, to provide favor- able growing temperatiires for experi- mental sweet-potato plants, and by af- fording constant temperatures to elimi- nate the effects of other factors. Elec. tric propellers are used to circulate moisture in maintaining constant temperature and humidity conditions. In this experimental apparatus, the aim has been to provide conditions which would facilitate the exclusive study of the disease orsanisms which prey on the sweet potatoes. During the last decade, the mechan- ical shops have turned out more than 100,000 completed jobs on requests from the many offices, divisions and bureaus of the Department of Agri- culture. Many of the educational ex- hibits which they have made have en- tertained millions of Americans. Some of them have even heen sent to foreign countries. Among all the Government departments in Washington, Agricul- ture's mechanical shops are without a rival. They constitute the most im- portant consolidation of practical ex- perience and technical and research skill in the National se=-ice. And in the future, as in the past, they will not fear to attempt any mechanical task, no matter what difficulties it in- volves. - PR, « R ‘Movie” Billboards ALL billboards turned into movies is the dream of advertisers now. The New York Fdison Co. has made public an invention by Richard M. Craig of San Antonio, Tex., whereby different colors on the billboard are emphasized in succession, creating an fllusion of constant change. If either red, orange, magenta, pink or yellow Is placed against a white background and a red light is flashed on them, all these colors will disap- pear, according to the inventor. But the same colors against a black back- ground will stand out in bold relief when a red light is turned on. Sim ilar combinations with blue-green and other lights given an opportunity for many quick changes. Fourteen differ- ent types of apparent motion have been thus produced. A little device