Evening Star Newspaper, April 25, 1935, Page 5

CAPITAL BECOMES GRAVITY CENTER Dr. Heyl Near Completion of Work to Fix Abso- lute Value. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. ‘Washington is now the world's :‘cen- ter of gravity.” Dr. Paul R. Heyl, physicist,. of the Bureau of Standards, an- nounced to the American Geophysical Union this morning that he is_within a few days of completion of his six years of labor to establish the abso- lute value of the acceleration of gravity for the latitude and sea level of Washington. His measurements, he said, are about three times as precise as those made at Potsdam, Germany, about 30 years ago. Those figures have been accepted as giving the standard value up to the present and upon them all | American instruments now are standardized. Dr. Heyl's determinations are accu- rate to one part in a million. It is probably impossible to make them | more accurate without development of new techniques and, he said today. it is very unlikely that there will be & sufficient accumulation of these to warrant a redetermination for at| least another generation. Until thut! time, the accepted values of gravity | the world over will be determined by | the fused silica pendulum swinging in Dr. Heyl's underground laboratory at the Bureau of Standards and engi- | neers of other nations will come here to check their instruments instead of going to Germany. Austin, Tex. J. Thomas of Salina, Kans.. probably will discourage anyone from trying to repeat the work, although Dr. Heyl himself, with true sciertific U. S. Sent Man to Germany, | | The Coast and Geodetic Survey sent an officer to Germany about three vears ago to check its standard pen- dulum against the Potsdam one. The difference brought about by these six years of intensive work is actually very small, but of extreme importance because of the fundamental significance of gravity in surveying, timekeeping. etc., where the accumula- tion of small errors results in serious | ones. : Dr. Heyl finds that a falling body at Washington will fall toward the center of the earth at a rate of ©80.087 centimeters per second per second—that is it will fall approximate- ly 32 feet the first second, 64 feet the next, and so on with the increasing distance of the fall. The final Potsdam value, applied to Washington, is 980.100. The difference in the two values is approximately one part in 100,000. ‘This means that the mass of the earth is about one hundred-thousandth less than has hitherto been calculated. In another sense, the weight of everything on the earth may be considered as re- duced by that amount, since weight and the pull of gravity on any object are essentially the same. Value Will Fit Any Place. | was their meticulousness that they love of absolute accuracy, is not en- tirely satisfied. He believes that there is a slight error because of friction in the set-up of his pendulum and that | his value is a trifle low—less than part in a million. The final absolute value of gravity which may be ob- | tained by somebody a century hence, | | he believes, will be somewhere be- | tween his value and the Potsdam | | value. The German physicists who estab- | lished the value which has stood for 30 years worked in jgncrance of the | new materials and mechanisms which | | since have become available, but such came very close to the value estab- lished here by much more accurate | methods. Dr. Heyl believes, how- | ever, that they played in luck. The statistical treatment of their numer- | ous measurements happened to work out better than they had any right to expect. The difference between their greatest and least values is three times that between the great- | | est and least obtained by the Wash- ington physicist. Ions in Air Described. Results of studies at the terrestial magnetism laboratory of the Car- negie Inst:tution of Washington were Son Admits Killing Parents Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto. Associate Justice William Pierson of the Texas Supreme Court and his wife (seated), Who were shot to death last night on lonely road near Howard Pierson, 21 (standing), former University of Texas student, admitted he killed .ais parents for “revenge.” officers said. The youth first said the couple were murdered by highwaymen. Mrs. Harvey a daughter, is shown standing at right. fiimithsint~ e e | Aulick of Oklahoma City and read | justice for many yeai THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, WAR PATENT HEAD CENSURED BY DERN Col. J. I. McMullen Accused of “Scandalous” Business Activities. (Continued Prom First Page.) letter received from Secretary Dern. Col. McMullen’s name figured prom- inently in testimony given the com- mittee concerning lobbying at the War Department and the officer admitted in one hearing he had received large sums from the Cuban American M- ganese Co. for “legal services.” Testimony Is Studied. ‘Voluminous testimony in this con- | nection was turned over to United States Attorney Leslie C. Garnett by | Chairman McSwain and is being studied by assistants in Garnett's of- fice. In giving out Dern's report to Mc- Swain, the committee announced it has instructed the chairman to notify Dern of its desire that any plans for retiring McMullen for physical dis- ability be deferred, as the committee | has additional evidence which may | | warrant court-martial proceedings. | Dern had explained that court- martial action against McMullen was impossible, because the offenses al- leged were outlawed by the statute of limitations. McSwain said the new evidence in- dicated other official misconduct oc- | curred within the time covered by the statute of limitations. “It is our belief that it would be, in view of these facts, ery wrong that Col. McMullen should draw re- tired pay when he should be di LURING PARENTS TO THEIR DEATH | faines by ‘courtomarciato Meswain| | declared to the Associated Press. U. S. Code Violated. In writing to McSwain the results | | of the War Department investigation, Secretary Dern said: “It is affimatively established that during 1931-32 Col. McMullen engaged in private practice of the law which was, so far as can now be determined, | violative of certain sections of the | United States code and of certain | | YOUTH CONFESSES (Contirued From First Page.) hours early today, and on awakening rested quietly on his cot. He received a telegram of con- doience from Mr. and Mrs. A. L. it without changing expression. He soon called for Dr. Joe Woten. physi- cian friend of the Pierson family. 1 Meanwhile, official Austin, including otlicr Pederil statite Justice Pierson’s colleagues on the : Supreme Court bench, merabers of the | ‘The Wag Secretary said the statute Legislature, not in session, and Gov. | Of limitations prevented trying Mc-| James V. Allred, who bad known the Mullen before a court-martial but rs, appeared dnzed{ that he was informed he could be tried before a civil court. ! William H.w’ “For that reason I am transmitting rsity of | @ COPY of the report of investigation to " fu- | the Attorney General of the United States for such action looking to Col. McMullen's trial in the Federal courts | as the facts of the case may be found to warrant,” he added. | " The charges against Col: McMullen | | arose from a lengthy inquiry a military | subcommittee made, under orders from | the House, into War Department ex- | penditures and business practices. | Officer Rebuked in Letter. | ‘The officer was rebuked in a letter by the tragedy. Because another son, Pierson, student in the Unive Chicago. could not, arrive srlier, fu neral services originally nlanned for Friday were reset for 10 a.a. Saturday. Plays Tonight | Reed Hospital only a few days ago. ! there was no intention of placing him | | described at the opening sessions of the American Physical Society today by Dr. A. G. McNish and Dr. G. R.| Wait. They dealt with the existence | | in the atmosphere of “some ions | or molecules from which some of tI ‘The Washington value can be trans- posed to fit any point on the surface of the earth by reference to taples showing the gravity variation with latitude and sea level. The value con- sistently increases with latitude, being | greatest at the poles. It is least at the | equator, because there the surface of the earth is farthest from the center #hd because there the centrifugal force due to the revolution of the earth is greatest. It also varies with sea level, being greater the nearer the surface 18 to the earth's center. TRus con- #lderable variations have been found in submarine measurements in the great depths of the sea. Actually Dr. Heyl is close to com- pletion of a 12-year job, that of de- términing two fundamental values. | When he started work in his under- | ground chamber at the Bureau of | Standards he spoke of reweighing the earth. Weighing the earth depended op the most precise possible determi- nation of these values. The first was the so-called “constant of gravity.” tion, formulated by Sir Isaac Newton, 1s “the mutual action between masses of matter by which every mass tends towards every other by a force vary- Ing directly as the product of their masses and inversely as the square of their distance apart.” Thus the a traction of any mass in the universe for any other mass equals the weight | of the mass divided by the square of 1ts distance from the other mass. A good example was that of Sir Isaac anhd the apple. The mass of the ap- ple was pulled downward by the mass of the earth. The apple, of course, also was pulling the earth upwards at the same time, but the difference be- tween the upward pull and the down- ward one was essentially that be- tween the weight of the earth and the | weight of the apple. So the apple fell and the earth did not rise. Gravity Also Is Entity. But there was one other element essential to the equation—the so- called “constant of gravity.” Gravity was not merely a relationship between two masses. It was an entity in it- self, always the same everywhere in creation. The equation of the attrac- tion of any object for any other ob- ject was actually the mass of that| object multiplied by the constant of gravity, divided by the square of the distance apart. The redetermination of this con- stant was the hardest part of Dr. Heyl's work, in which he was as- sisted by Dr. G. S. Cook of the Bu- reau of Standards staff. Dr. Cook| slso was his assistant in the deter- minations of the pull of gravity. ‘Working year after year with a finely | adjusted tortion balance, by which the pull of the earth was measured against that of another object of pre- | cisely determined weight, they ar- rived at a value for G, which 1s likely to stand without change for many years. This value is extremely minute, approximately .000000006658. With this constant determined, it was necessary to know the value of the acceleration of gravity in order to calculate the actual weight of the globe. The measurements were un- (dertaken at a time when the actuality gravity was being called into ques- ition. It was admittedly an exceed- ngly accurate approximation for most ferrestial phenomena, but seemed to break down when applied to the vast- hess of stellar space or the minute- hess of the interior of the atom. It remains in doubt, but Dr. Hey] termination applies to this pre med force, whether actual or not, throughout the universe. It stands the most accurate determination the force that supposedly holds eation together. Earth’s Weight Found. The equation for the weight of the earth is as follows: Mass times the constant of gravity divided by the square of the radius of the earth s the acceleration of gravity. fith Dr. Heyl's latest determination three of the factors in this equa- are known and a simple algebraic constituent parts have been stripped | away by radiation. At Washington, they said, there is | a regular daily variation in the pro- duction rate of these particles, with | a maximum around sunrise and a| minimum about sunset. The varia- | tion is the inverse of the daily tem- perature curve and is interpreted | | due to the diminution of the radium emination content of the lower a | mosphere through scattering by con- | vection currents. | Fourteen American scientists yns-& | terday were elected to the National Academy. Prominent among them was Prof. Harold C. Urey of Columbia Univer- sity, Nobel prize winner, and one of the discoverers of the famous “heavy water,” counted as one of the most | ity . | important scientific advances ia many Gravity, according to the first defini- | “oF rs. Besides Dr. Urey the academy nt! its annual meeting elected the fol- lowing: Norman Levi Bowen, geologist, Car- negie Institution of Washington; | Charles Manning Child, zoologist, Uni- versity of Chicago; George Ellett Cog- | hill, anatomist, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia; James Ewing, patholo- gist, Memorial Hospital, New York City. Merritt Lyndon Fernald. botanist Gray Herbarium, Cambridge. Mass.; Harvey Fletcher, physicist, Bell Te'e- phone laboratories, New York; Ross | Alken Gortner, chemist, University of | Minnesota; Earnest Albert Hooton, | anthropologist, Harvard Universit: Jerome Clark Hunsaker, aerodynam- ics expert, Massachusetts Institute of | Technology. | Walter Samuel Hunter, psycholo- gist, Clark University, Worcester, Mass.; Dunham Jackson, mathemati- cian, University of Minnesota; Ches- ter Ray Longwell, geologist. Yale Uni- versity; John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, physicist, Harvard University. Two new foreign associates of the academy were elected, Jonn Scott Haldane of Oxford University, Eng- land, and Jules Bordet, Pasteur Insti- tute, Brussels, Belgium. Officers of the academy elected were: President, Frank R. Lillie, bi- ologist of the University of Chicag home secretary, Fred E. Wright, Car- negie Institution of Washington, suc- ceeding himself for another four years; members of the council for three years, Henry Norris Russell, Princeton University, and Ross G. Harrison, Yale, both re-elected. Blind Five Years, ‘Boston Tar Baby’ Recovers One Eye By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, April 25.—Sam Lang- ford can see today the world in which he rose to fame as the “Boston Tar Baby.” His left eye was removed after a rabbit punch in 1917. His right eye already was clouded by a cataract when he trounced Kid Savage for the Mexican heavyweight laurels in 1922. For the past five years Lang- ford, once considered the world’s best boxer by many, had seen nothing. Then Dr. James W. Smith operated. The bandages were removed yester- day. “Can you see well enough to duck a pass?” a visitor asked. “Just lower that shade a little and come on,” cried the delighted Sam. “I'll try to make it.” s The man on the next hospital cot groaned, He, too, had undergone an eye operation about the same time Sam did—the removal of his second eye. sojution is all that is necessary to rmine the weight of the earth. It!will come out somewhere in the nelghborhood of 6,000,000,000,000,- 000,000,000 tons. The tremendous labors involved in the determination of the two figures 8,500 Husbands Jailed. Nearly 3500 husbands in England went to jail last year rather than pay alimony. . ’ signed by Maj. Gen. James F. Me- | Kinley, the Army’'s adjutant general, | who said: | HUGH PORTER, Organist of the Second Presbyterian Church, New York, who will be heard with the Washington Choral Society in a program of organ and choral works at the National City Christian Church tonight as one of the events of the tri-chapter convention of the American Guild of Organists, which opened today. The Milk Gets Through A STAGE troupers venerate a tradition that the show must go on. For their part, milkmen have consistently recognized their responsibility to get the milk | through. | Storms are no respecters of | milkmen. When bitter weather keeps many citizens housebound, | blocks streets and highways, ties up transportation, and tries the hearts of all who contest its rigorous sway, the milkman manages to go his appointed rounds with a regularity so commonplace that it is taken for granted. Children, mothers, fathers, sick folks, well folks, all sorts and conditions of folks count on him with abiding faith, He does not fail them. On millions of doorsteps is the daily proof of his constancy. The milkman pleads no mon- opoly of conscience. Phat he chooses to make it his business to make good with the public is at once his serv- ice and his satisfaction, st CHESTNUT FARMS- CHEVY CHASE DAIRY “It is affirmatively established * * ¢ | that you caused Government business | connected with patent claims, with which you were associated in your ' official capacity, to be placed with a | law firm with which a member of your immediate family was employed. “It is further established that you engaged in private legal activities for compensation as attorney for firms whose interests were closely related to the interests of the Government. | “So scandalous was your action in this latter matter that positive steps looking to your trial by court-martial therefor would be taken did not the statute of limitations set forth in the Articles of War interpose a bar to the prosecution of such a trial. Deepest Censure Conveyed. “The Secretary of War, however, directs me *o convey to you his deepest censure for both these acts, which he OFFICAL Sl:l\'lclm D. C., THURSDAY, LAWMAKERS HOPE 10 QUIZ DANIELS Fish Predicts Ambassador Will Be Questioned on Mexican Situation. By the Assoclated Press. The reaction to church-state trou- bles in Mexico took a new turn today when Representative Fish, Republican, of New York, predicted the House Foreign Affairs Committee would ask Josephus Daniels, American Ambas- sador, to give his views on conditions below the Rio Grande. Ambassador Daniels is now in this country. Charging religious persecu- tion, several legislators have sought action in Congress. Senator Borah, Republican, of Idaho, has introduced a resolution asking that the Senate protest and condemn “the campaign of the Mexican government against the profession and practice of reli- gious bellefs by our nationals now domiciled in Mexico” and that a Sen- ate committee conduct hearings. ‘Wants Economic Views. Fish, ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it “expects to invite Ambassador Daniels to appear and give his views on the Mexican situation, economic, social and therwise as well as religious. It is highly desirable that he teli us of conditions.” Fish is the author of a resolution that the President “use his good offies with the Mexian government and with other nations to permit the fullest freedom of religious worship.” Representative Higgins, Dem.cr: of Massachusetts, who introduced a ! similar resolution, said “it would be very acceptable if Mr. Daniels could give his description of religious condi- tions in Mexico to the President. I, personally, would like very much to | talk to him.” Borah Seeks More Support. Borah said today: “I imagine he (Mr. Daniels) is against my resolu- | tion. I am not pressing it at the| moment because of a delicate s.tua- | tion in the Foreign Reiations Com- | mittee.” The Idahoan indicated that he had secured & measure of support in the | committee for his proposal and that | he is working for more. regards as violative of the ethics and standards of the service and to spread upon your military record this letter of reprimand as the official expression of the War Department's reprobation for your established misconduct.” Col. McMullen is still on “active! duty” in the Judge Advocate General's | Office, but for several months has| been {ll and has not been assigned to any actual duty. He returned to his home in Washington from Walter War Department officials said today on the retired list and that he would | continue on duty here at the disposi- | tion of the committee. | Col. McMullen was born in Fairfax. Va. and although he now resides in ‘Washington he is listed in War De- partment records as a resident of Palo Alto, Calif. Before Selling Investigate the Prices We Pay for OLD GOLD Jewelry of every description. bridge- work. silver. No matter how old or dilapidated "any of foregoing ar- ticles might be. you will be greatly gurprised at the cash' prices vaid Y us (Licensed by U. 8. Govt.) SHAH & SHA 921 F St. N.W. Phone NA. 5543—We Will Call “Put Your Car in Safe Hands” Our 45th Anniversary You may only need good tires for one second in your life—Firestones are safe ti r es—try them. AUTO TROUBLE? Gl CARL Store Hours, 8:40 to 6 More Friday-Only Specials ‘ You realize that in these Friday-only sales we are disposing of broken lots—REDUCING THE PRICES DEEPLY that they may be closed out in ONE DAY. Group of MODE TOPCOATS. Harris tweeds, velours, etc. MODE SHIRTS, tab and regular $2.50 DRESS SHIRTS, slightly soiled—sizes 1/14, 2. Were $2.50 and $3.............. RADIUM SILK SHIRTS, just a handling .. MODE NECKWEAR. Odds and 12 WOOL SWEATERS:; slip-on styl 6 SLEEVELESS SWEATERS—tweed. Were §$ FANCY HANDKERCHIEFS; were Raglans and set-in shoulders; in Were $27.50 to $35 MODE SUITS, in sports models—worsteds in single and double breasted styles. Were $27.50 and $3( (Clothing Alterations at RPORATED ...$19.75 . .$19.75 Cost) collars attached. Were $2 and 2/16%, 3/1714. 69e small lot, slightly soiled from ..51.89 many .49¢ $L79 ceeeees. 8195 -2%7c—4 for $1 ends of many styles and le. Were $4 and $5 35¢ and 50c. CROSS-BAR WHITE HANDKERCHIEFS. FANCY SHORTS; were 75c and $1—sizes 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44. 7 PAIRS SUSPENDERS; were $1 TERRY CLOTH BATH ROBES; plain shades. Broken lot of PARIS GARTERS; were 50c... MARK CROSS GLOVES, chamois, "$3.75. Sizes 7, 7% and 7 only...... MARK CROSS PIGTEX GLOVES; were $2.50 Small lot of PAJAMAS, middy and coat styles. Were $2.......81.39 HIGH-GRADE PAJAMAS, sateen, broadcloth, etc. Were us: l’l teseetiiseseietisaiieiaane ...52.1 FINCHLEY SCRATCH FELT HATS; broken sizes. Were §7...$4.79 The Mode—F at Eleventh ¢ A and $4.50 . mocha and cape. .89¢ APRIL 25, . 1935. Mercy Trips of Auto in India Woman Doctor Described by Notables Turn Out to Hear Work of College Told at Club. Hundreds of Graduates in Medicine Fight Native Diseases. Millions of women and girls in dis- ease-ridden India look to Dr. Ida Scudder, who yesterday discussed “Changing India” before the Wash- ington Club at Seventeenth and K streets. Dr. Scudder, who is the fourth gen- eration of her family to devote their lives to missionary work, has served in India for 35 years. For 18 of them she has been president of the Wom- an’s Medical College at Vellore, India. This college, sponsored and financed by the churches of several countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Canada, has turned out hundreds of women | trained to cope with native fllnesses. | One part of its work is the main- tenance of a “roadside” ambulance service for the treatment of the dis- eased, Dr. Scudder said. An ambu- | lance, loaded with all the needed | supplies and making cross-country | 1,000 Lepers Treated. | On one of these trips, the corps of | workers treated more than 1000 ‘ lepers. More than 900 patients were given treatment over a distance of several hundred miles, Dr. Scudder said. At one time Dr. Scudder called upon | Mahatma Gandhi to endow a bed in | her hospital. She still keeps the letter | from the Mahatma in which he said: “I do not have the money with which to endow a bed, but if I did have the ! money, I would much rather endow a spinning wheel or a cow.” Dr. Scudder wrote back and told the great leader that the hospital would willingly accept the cow or the spinning wheel. Dr Scudder is an American citizen. The purpose of her visit in this coun- try is to raise sufficient funds. through a series of lectures, to obtain 10 ad- ditional professors for her college, | which would make it a grade A in- stitution. | Allaying the Irritation in CYSTITIS To neutralize the aci ng erstitis— d Mountain Met. 1062 1105 K St. W. & J. Sloane | Chief Justice of the United States, | D g 3 vt | | DR. IDA SCUDDER. ~—Star Staff Photo. Attending the meeting yesterday to! hear Dr. Scudder were Lady Lindsay, wife of the British Ambassador: Mrs. | Charles Evans Hughes, wife of the| and Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor, wife of the president of the National Geo- graphic Society. In her talk Dr. Scudder said it is | trips, treats any one along the way.|the plan of the college and hospital | to establish a network of small hos- | pitals throughout India, with compe- | tent physicians and nurses on duty and with 'an ambulance to make mercy trips into the outlying areas. | She described the conditions under which the people live and told the necessity for medical care. | | 109, Iradium Platinum WEDDING RING Set With 10 Beautifully Matched DIAMONDS $20 Complete Assortment of Wedding Rings, $5 to $100. &lvatore Desso 926 F ST. N.W. Just another ex- ample of our splen- did diamond values. LIONS GLUB HEARS CANADIAN OFFICIAL Commissioner Godfrey Tells of Attempts to Halt Fraud Stock Entrance. Attempts of Canadian securities o™~ clals to fight off entrance of fraudu- lent stock promoters in that esuntry since the new United States commis- sion has curbed their activities here were described to the Washington Lions Club yesterday noon by John M. Godfrey, commissioner for the Province of Ontario. Commissioner Godfrey is in Wash- ington to confer with members of the United States commission for co-op- erative action in dealing with the problem. United States Commissioner James M. Landis and Representative Utter- back, Democrat, of Iowa were other guests of the club yesterday and spoke briefly. J. FRANK KELLY, INC. L e — Let a Simple Telephone Call Solve Your Repairing or Remodeling Problems Call Mr. JACK. NOrth 1341. and an - experienced estimator will call. He will advise what you need. how much it will cost. and arrange a complete sched- :I‘As of work. materials, ter) We’ll Finance the Work In co-operation with F. H. A.. our finance plan is designed to help you meet easy payments. from 1 to 3 years on loans from $100 to $2.000. For full Lumber & Millwork 2I12I GA.AVE. 4| A Distinguished Dining Suite Interpreting the English Sheraton School with Early and W. & J. Sloan A Colonial thought e craftsmanship nother demonstra- tion of always high grade—never high priced This group has all the delicate lines and harmonious proportions that have firmly fixed Sheraton in enduring popular favor. Every inch of the construction mahogany is of careful selection. and brought to that rich, old red, rubbed finish that only skill. inspired by tradition. can give. Group consists of full ten pieces—sideboard. server, china cabinet, dining table, master armchair and five side chairs, upholstered in blue haircloth. Presented the Early Colonial Room on our Third Floor. for your inspection in *255 Oddities in Lamps—Charmingly Different If you haven't visited the ngw Lamp Section, you have, indeed, a treat in store for you—in value, variety and originality. Boudoir Lamp Genuine Alabaster in many colors; with at- tractive lace-trimmed shade— $2.95 Table Lamp Carara Marble, exquisite gilt decora- tion and finish. Smart shade in white. with Hand carved A baster, undercut: cleve styled silk shade, $30 $24 Table Lamp beautifully Boudoir Lamp White figurines, dainty and unique—with lace-trimmed shade in colors, $3.50 1a- rly W. & J. SLOANE For greater convenience our custo- mers will park their cars at the 711 Twelfth St. Capital Garage. The House With The Green DIstrict 7262 Shutters