May, 1915 T H E J O C R N A L OF I N D r S T R I A L A S D E N G I S E E R I S G C H E M I S T R Y 3 7 1

DELEGATES OF THE FIFTIETH h f E E T I N G O F THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AT TULANE UNIVERSITY. N E W ORLEANS

serve the highest praise for the skillful1 and efficient manner in which they handled the details of t he con- vention as well as for t he many unique and enjoyable features which they added t o the purely scientific and business program of the Fiftieth Meeting of our Society.

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS By CHARLES HOLMES HERTY

It is m y pleasant du ty , in behalf of the members of t h e American Chemical Society, t o express our grateful appreciation of t h e cordial words of welcome so generously spoken by t h e people of New Orleans through Mayor Behrman, and by the members of Tulane University through President Sharp.

So hear ty and so evidently sincere is this greeting t h a t no other assurance could be required t h a n t h e gracious words of the speakers. Yet another proof does exist. Ten years ago this Society met in New Orleans and the memories of t h a t delightful week are still keenly alive in the hearts of all who were present a t t h a t meeting. It was not a mat te r of surprise, therefore, t h a t t he invitation t o meet here again was gladly accepted.

But as I th ink of t he t remendous changes which have taken place in the South during the intervening decade I cannot help bu t feel t h a t t he acceptance of the invitation was prompted also by a desire t o get into sympathet ic touch with t h a t new spirit whose throbbing can be felt throughout our beloved south- land today .

T h a t spirit is not yet entirely freed from the shackles of ultra-conservatism and long-accustomedness, bu t t he thought of t he nearness of the day of i ts full emanci- pation tempts me beyond resistance t o quit t he rBle of responding guest and t o join with you of New Orleans in welcoming t o our midst this group of men whose presence has always proved an incalculable blessing.

Ours is a land lavishly blessed with natural resources -theirs t he hands which take these products under closest scrutiny and by patient and laborious research shape them in to greater blessings for humanity.

Of what value were the wonderful deep-seated sulfur deposits of this s ta te until t h e dogged persis- tence of a Frasch brought this golden material t o the surface by an ingenious application of the bread- maker’s a r t , and thereby changed completely the sul- f u r market of t he world. Are we t o rest content with supplying this raw materia? while t he methods of changing i t in to more valuable forms are so well known and are open for use by all?

Again, we fall so easily into the poetic habit of speaking of our “snow-white” fields of cotton, although we well know t h a t when this cotton has been woven in to cloth i t shows a marked yellow coloration. B u t t he chemist comes t o the aid of nature and sets free f rom its tranquilizing union with sodium t h a t element, chlorine, which gives the perfect bleach, so t h a t a cotton cloth may be made t h a t is pleasing t o the eye. Here in your vast deposits of rock salt is stored suffi- cient chlorine t o bleach the cotton crops for years to come.

Our esthetic tastes are also exacting; mere white- Shall i t continue in this idle sleep?

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ness does not satisfy; variety of color is demanded, a n d a t t h e outset na ture was drawn upon for dyes, successful binding t o the cotton cloth being effected by the chemist through t h e aid of various mordants. Then followed the wonderful development of t h e coal-tar dye industry, a fascinating chapter in German chemical industry, culminating in the discovery of t h a t group of dyes which need no mordant for a t tach- ing themselves firmly t o t h e cotton fiber. I n the development of this industry nature has been fa r surpassed in regard t o both shades and durability. So insistent is this demand for colors t h a t many of ou r laboring class are today threatened with enforced idleness if t h e artificial dyestuff supply is completely s h u t off by t h e complications of t he foreign war. Much more will be said upon this subject during this meet- b y those fa r better qualified t o speak concern- ing i t .

The chemist brings cotton a n d nitric acid together a n d behold a wonderful series of substances, varying f rom guncotton, t h a t powerful explosive now playing so terrible a r61e in t h e fa te of mankind, through camera a n d moving picture films t o celluloid, t o t h e beautiful artificial silk, a n d in lighter vein, if you will, t o the wigs of straight black hair which have supplanted t h e anti-kink nostrums so eagerly bought by t h e more modern of our darker population.

The s ta tu tes of Mississippi once imposed a heavy fine for allowing cottonseed t o endanger health by i t s rott ing, or for fouling t h e streams into which i t was thrown, b u t t h e chemist solved the problem of profitable cottonseed oil manufacture a n d a new source of wealth was opened t o the South. Even today he is changing t h a t oil by a new process into a better la rd t h a n ever graced a greasy grunter.

Much use is made of t h e chemist in this oil industry, b u t it cannot be considered t o be upon a thoroughly rational basis until i t pays for i t s raw product, cotton- seed, according t o t h e analytical results as t o oil and protein present. Pas t economic conditions have not justified this, bu t t h e present is beginning t o show it a n d t h e fu ture will surely establish it.

Thanks t o the splendid work of Charles AI. Hall. t he bauxite of my native state. Georgia, finds i ts way t o Kiagara Falls for change into t h e beautiful metal aluminum b y t h e electric current generated therp by falling water; yet all around its native home the power of t he mountain streams has for centuries been neglected.

Even today shall we rest content with utilizing this power simply for purposes of transportation a n d illumination while we remain a producer of raw mate- rial? This same water power converted into the form of t h e electric current can set free your chlorine, can make available t h e nitrogen of t he free air for nitric acid, a n d can isolate your aluminum. Our thoughts for t h e fu ture development of chemical industries i n t h e South must t u rn t o t h e better utilization of our now almost neglected water powers.

These are simply types which I have mentioned t o you this morning; a host of other illustrations could be given, b u t I mus t not go further in this line for t he

first paper on our program today , by Mr. A. D. Little, will tell t he full story. We are especially glad t o welcome Llr. Little into our midst. for he has been strongly drawn t o the possibilities of our section a n d his is t h e clear eye which sees a n d t h e steady hand which can point t he way t o a t ru ly greater fu ture ; for there is waste all around us a n d the development of our resources has scarcely begun.

I cannot close, however, without registering a plea which is no t local or sectional in i t s character-a plea for closer cooperation between business men a n d t h e chemists of our technical laboratories and our educational institutions. Chemistry is no “black a r t ;” t h e days of magic a re pas t ; t h e methods of re- search are well known. Patience, t ime, accumula- t ing experience a n d good training are sure t o bring rich results. The accomplishments of chemists i n t h e past are ample proof of this s ta tement . Why should t h e pioneer be always subjected t o scoffing a n d t o ridicule? Cannot t he man of finance dis- tinguish between a chemist a n d a fakir? The ear- marks are plain. Our program today contains affirma- t ive testimony on this point from some of t he greatest business men of this country. They have been able t o make t h e distinction, and they have no vested right in t h a t ability. Dr . Hesse will tonight summarize th i s si tuation in a n address which will clear many m a t - ters and give inspiration for new hope.

I confidently believe t h a t such a hope is fully justified. The stimulation of this war period a n d t h e awakening of our whole people t o t h e need of closer cooperation warrant t h e belief t h a t , while t h e South will always remain a great agricultural section, through the blessings of i t s fertile soil and splendid climate, there will also be developed here industries undreamed of a t present. These will convert our raw material into more and more highly finished products, no t for t h e purpose of mere sordid accumulation of wealth, bu t t o relieve in the masses of our people t h a t pinch of hardship a n d privation which followed the close of our civil war and which for many years has made t h e struggle for existence paramount t o all else. I s there reason for aught bu t optimism? Is not t he air vi- b ran t with the conviction t h a t a new day is dawning for t he South?

Wha t par t are we of t h e South t o play in t h a t de- velopment? The great discoveries we now make use of are not t h e products of southern brains. Frasch of Germany developed our sulfur, Hall of Ohio our aluminum, Gayley of Pennsylvania increased t h e output of our blast furnaces by his dry-air blast, de Chardonnet of France gave us artificial silk, Mercer of England our mercerized cotton, Sabatier of France t h e reaction b y which our cottonseed oil is hardened, Germany t h e great bulk of our dyestuffs.

Wha t can our young men do? For those whose tastes lead t h e m t o chemistry as a profession, I would urge a more thorough training in the methods of research, which can be obtained in our universities. I know t h a t this necessitates a postponement for several years of entrance into active business life, a n d requires an es t r a expenditure of funds which many of our

brigl-test young men do not possess. Here lies the responsibility of our wealthier people-to aid by giving full educational advantages t o young men of this type and further t o see t h a t their own sons realize and appreciate the great par t they may play in this de- velopment if properly equipped. Love of country, section ant1 state. which mean sympathy and ac- quaintance r i t h those among whom we are t o work, Constitute a most valuable advantage in the struggle for success n hen it forms the broad foundation on 77-hich is laid :i thorough educational training.

Can our young men afford t o sit idly by and not do their share in this great development nom- at hand? hIy faith in their courage and ability, when once aroused, is unwavering.

CHAPEL HILL, K O R T H C A R O L I X ~ ~ _-___

THE INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE SOUTH'

By ARTHUR D. LITTLE

Only those who have stood upon the seashore and there endeal-ored conscientiously t o place the Atlantic Ocean inside a quart bottle b y the aid of a teaspoon Kill appreciate the temerity and difficulties involved in an a t tempt t o present within the compass of a brief address the industrial potentialities of the South. Probably no one but a relative stranger t o the South would make the a t tempt a t all. Nevertheless we are all prone t o overlook the ob\-ious in our immediate surroundings. and t h e visitor who looks upon them from a different standpoint with sympathetic interest a n d keen appreciation may sometimes point out new aspects in them and values before unrecognized. The man who views a mountain range from a distance may even trace i ts outlines and sense i ts t rend better than those who dwell upon its slopes. So it happens t h a t one whose knowledge of the South is in n o way comparable t o your own may hope, through your in- dulgence. t o enlist your interest and possibly to t u r n your thoughr in neiv directions.

The an-ful spectacle of a world in arms which we are forced ti:) contemplate today must recall with a peculiar 1-ix-idness t o many men and women North and South the horrors and desolation of another struggle which was concluded, happily as we all now believe. just fifty years ago. When we consider t h a t the wealth of the whole United States in, 18jo was es- t imated at a little more than $~,ooo,ooo,ooo. and the cost of t h e war t o the South has been conservatively figured a t S~.ooo.ooo,ooo, we may gain some faint notion of the material burden under n-hich the South slon-11- arose t o work o u t her destiny.

The situation she then faced was one t o daunt the stoutest hearts. I t involved a reorganization of the whole economic and social structure in a land mourning the loss of the flower of its youth and manhood. with broken credit, capital destroyed, industry prostrate, and streams of immigration direr ted. To the burdens of the Reconstruction Period were added the paralyzing fallacies of the Greenback issue and the nation-wide disasters and stagnation of the panic of 1873 and the

1 Opening .4ddress, N e w Orleans Neet ing , American Chemical Society, AIarch 31 to April 3, 191.5.

five lean years which folloived. S o t until 1S8o did the South begin t o come into its own.

E X T E X T OF S O C T H E R S 1 1 - D U S T R I E S

I n 1880 the agricultural capital of the South was $2,762,000,000 and the total value of i ts agricultural output $; j6,0c0.000. The cotton crop was j. j61,ooo bales of which the South used 119,000 bales and the Xorth 1,610,000. Only about S330,000,000 were in- vested in manufactures; the mineral output was $~S.ooo,ooo; the railway mileage 13-as approximately 2 j.000. and the population 18,600,000. K i t h these figures in our minds let us a t tempt the construction of a concept of the industrial South today.

The population of the South in 1912 has risen to 33,4;j,ooo, and the railway mileage t o 90,930. The population of the whole United States in 1880 was about jo,ooo,ooo and the total railway mileage 93.000 I n general it may be said tha t the South today is in a far stronger position industrially than was the entire country in 1880. I t cuts more lumber, mines nearly twice as much coal, produces nearly four times the petroleum, and nearly six times the spelter. I t has more looms and spindles and a much larger in- vestment in manufacturing plants. I t s agricultural capital is greater and the products of i ts farms are worth 50 per cent more. I t makes nearly as much pig iron and twice as much coke as the whole country produced only thirty-five years ago.

A G R I C U L T G R E IK THE S O C T H

Agriculture is still and always will be the greatest business of the South and the backbone of its pros- perity although even now the value of manufactured products exceeds, b y nearly J900,000,000, the revenue from its farms.

AS all the world knows, the South affords a peculiarly favorable habitat t o the cotton plant and the 36,000,000 acres under cotton produce annually from 14,000.000 t o 16,000,000 bales of the fiber, or about 6 j per cent of the world's crop. I n this connection i t may be said in passing t h a t chemists b y developing methods for utilizing values in the cottonseed have added from S I 2

t o $14 per hale, or perhaps $200.000,000 yearly, t o the value of this single crop, so t h a t the seed alone is now worth nearly as much as the entire crop of 1860. Cotton and seed together constitute about 30 per cent of the total value of southern farm products, excluding live stock. The ultimate products of the cotton plant together constitute 30 per cent of the merchandise exports of the whole United States. The value of staple, linters and seed in 1913 was $911,000,000. Corresponding values for 1914 were $;04,000~000,

so tha t the European war may fairly be said t o have cost the South, on this one i tem, over $zoo,ooo.ooo.

Many years ago a certain cafi. in S e w York attained a cheap but wide-spread notoriety by embedding in the mosaic of i ts floor a few hundred silver dollars. There are 600,000,000 acres in the South and nearly every one of them carries on i ts surface more dollars t h a n the floor of t h a t caf6. Upon I IO,OOO,OOO of these acres the South now raises crops valued at more than S3,000.000,000. From ISSO t o 1910 agricultaral capi-