Dr. Rudolf Leonard Hasche-- 1896-1959

R. L. Hasche (1945)

Our First Chair

East Tennessee Section of the American Institute of Ch= emical Engineers

“The Rest of the Story ”

Dr. Rudolf Leonard Hasche was instrumental in founding= the 14^th local section of AIChE, our East Tennessee Section. He worked in Tennessee Eastman’s Resear= ch Laboratories in 1945, and according to the Eastman History, in 1937, “The f= irst unit of today’s Research Lab is built. R. L. Hasche manages the lab.” He was Director of Research from 1937 to 1945 and continued inventing processes through the 1950’s. It turns out, however, that there is much more to the story than you might think, includi= ng an untimely death. Read on!

Here is a timeline of his life, according to his obitu= ary, published in the Kingsport Times-News on January 10, 1959. (Thanks to Vince Staten.)

June 20, 1896 – Born in Doon Iowa, the son of Carl and= Clara Hasche.

1917 – B.S. from Tarkio (Missouri) College (the college closed in 1992).

1919 – M.S. from Washington and Jefferson College

1920 – Married Blanche Knox

1924 – Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins

1924-5 – Fellow of Univ. of California

1925-6 – Fellow of Univ. of Berlin and Univ. of Vienna=

1927-33 – Superintendent of R&D at American Smelti= ng and Refining Co.

1934-45 – Superintendent of R&D at Tennessee Eastm= an Company

1943-52 – Scientific Counsel for Eastman

1945, 1948 – Investigator of chemical plants in German= y for the U.S. Army

1931-59 – President and Chairman of Carbonic Developme= nt Corp.

1950-59 – President of the Hasche Engineering Co., Joh= nson City

Of interest to us in AIChE, Dr. Hasche was not only ke= y to founding our local section, but he also was its first Chairman. From our local section history:

“Wednesday evening, February 14, 1945, a group of twenty-seven chemi= cal engineers met in the Research Library (then in Building 95) of TEC. Members= of the Tennessee Eastman Junior Chemical Engineers’ Club, as well as members of the national AIChE, were represented in the group. The purpose of the meeti= ng was to consider organization of a local section of the AIChE. Dr. R. L. Has= che presided at the meeting and reported on his contacts with the National Committee on local sections. He learned that the successful operation of the Junior Chemical Engineers’ Club could be used as the one-year probationary period necessary to obtain a local section charter. This would enable the g= roup to obtain a charter immediately. After considerable discussion, it was moved and seconded that if it were agreeable with the Junior Chemical Engineers’ Club, steps would be taken to organize a local section of the AIChE. The mo= tion was passed unanimously and the meeting declared open for nomination of officers. At this first organizational meeting, the following officers were elected:

Chairman: R. L. Hasche

Vice-Chairman: C. L. Fletcher

Secretary-Treasurer: Jack J. Gordon

Directors: M. B. Convisor

R. B. Hickey

It was also moved, seconded and adopted that the Executive Committee "be instructed to study sample by-laws and make recommendations thereon, pending final adoption."

On April 4, 1945, a business meeting was held. Dr. Hasche read the correspondence with the TEC Junior Chemical Engineers’ Club and the letter of petition for charter to t= he AIChE. The proposed by-laws for the Section were discussed and passed after= a minor amendment. Plans for the first regular meeting were then discussed. T= he meeting concluded after a resolution was passed giving Dr. Hasche " a = vote of thanks for the way in which he handled the organization of the Section."

Dr. Hasche, whose very name says “has ChE,” was a prolific inventor of process innovations at Tennessee Eastman, and then afterwards with his own HASCHE Engineering Co. in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was inventor on at least 60 issued US patents. He licensed his patents to a number of different companies including Koppers which built a pilot plant based on “t= he Hasche Process” which was a heat integrated noncatalytic process for reform= ing hydrocarbons. He was erroneously s= aid to be “the inventor of dry ice” because he had two inventions in the early 193= 0s relating to a heat integrated dry ice production process (US 2,011,550 and = US 2,011,551) that reduced the cost of producing dry ice. However, dry ice was first sold commerc= ially in 1925. Dr. Hasche’s contribution= was to form and lead the Carbonic Development Company to license this improved pro= cess for making dry ice.

One = of Dr. Hasche’s early assignments after joining Tennessee Eastman Company was to c= ome up with a way to make propionic acid. He and his group developed the idea to use dehydrogenation of propyl alcohol to propionaldehyde, and t= hen oxidize it to propionic acid. This= first process was started up in Kingsport in the fall of 1935, and was one of the first production units for propionic acid anywhere.

Dr. = Hasche also was co-author of the first edition (1947) of a book called “Plastics—Theory and Practice” that was part of the McGraw-Hill Chemical Engineering Series. One copy in the Eastman Research Library is autographed by Dr. Hasche. The inscription reads “To Mark from Leonard 7-10-47.”

Dr. Hasche’s unfortunate end came at the age of 62. As reported by t= he Kingsport Times-News, he was killed in an airliner crash on January 9^th, 1959 on Holst= on Mountain. Southeast Airlines Flig= ht 308 crashed on a snowy evening while attempting an instrument landing on a flig= ht from Knoxville. Oddly, this incide= nt is cited by UFO enthusiasts because one of the search pilots from the Tennessee National Guard reportedly saw strange lights while looking for the plane.

Than= k you Leonard Hasche for your devotion and service resulting in more than 65 year= s, and counting, of our local AIChE section, Tennessee Eastman, and the profes= sion of chemical engineering.

And = now you know “the rest of the story.”

Plea= se see exhibits below to see more details about the life and career of Leonard Has= che. Also, his obituary can be found here.

http://www.= tnengineering.net/AICHE/hasche-obituary.pdf

Hasc= he Patents

Regenerative furnaces

US2766980 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - HASCHE RUDOLPH L

Self-sustaining regenerative process

US2844452 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - HASCHE RUDOLPH L

Unit air cooler

US2016428 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - HASCHE RUDOLPH L

Valve control mechanism

US2737970 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - HASCHE RUDOLPH L

Solid acetylene

US2584875 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - LEONA= RD HASCHE RUDOLPH

Refractory regenerative catalytic process

US2846296 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - LEONA= RD HASCHE RUDOLPH

Sulphur dioxide process

US1939694 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - AMERI= CAN SMELTING REFINING

Compression of corrosive gases

US2017408 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - AMERI= CAN SMELTING REFINING

Acetylene separation process

US2667234 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Process for dehydrogenating alcohols

US2173111 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Manufacture of acetylene, including recycling=

US2236534 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - WULFF PROCESS COMPANY

Manufacture of nitro compounds

US2298375 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Manufacture of hydrogen

US2635948 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Method of manufacturing solid carbon dioxide<= /span>

US2011551 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - CARBO= NIC DEV CORP

Regenerative processes and apparatus

US2845335 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Furnace

US2442460 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Manufacture of acetylene, including recycling=

US2236534 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - WULFF PROCESS COMPANY

Manufacture of acetylene

US2236535 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - WULFF PROCESS COMPANY

Treatment of gas mixtures containing acetylen= e

US2238490 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Process for treating alcohol, and catalyst therefor

US2273573 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Manufacture of nitro compounds

US2298375 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Furnace

US2432885 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Process for multistage conversion of hydrocar= bons

US2475093 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Process of producing acetylene

US2518688 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Furnace with jet cooling

US2533457 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Manufacture of hydrogen

US2635948 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Thermal cracking

US2678956 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Manufacture of solid carbon dioxide

US2011550 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - CARBO= NIC DEV CORP

Method of manufacturing solid carbon dioxide<= /span>

US2011551 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - CARBO= NIC DEV CORP

Process for the production of amines

US2182807 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Saccharification of wood

US2239095 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Regenerative furnace construction<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font= -family: "Times New Roman"'>

US2473427 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Process of producing acetylene black

US2475282 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Process of producing acetylene black

US2507157 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Apparatus for producing acetylene<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font= -family: "Times New Roman"'>

US2556424 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Regenerative processes and apparatus

US2845335 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Separation and recovery of gases

US1758398 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - AMERI= CAN SMELTING REFINING

Process for producting and distilling aliphat= ic acids

US2294984 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Furnace

US2442460 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - TENNE= SSEE EASTMAN CORP

Furnace

US2552277 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Process of producing acetylene

US2645673 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Process of producing acetylene by pyrolytic reaction from a suitable hydrocarbon

US2751424 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Semi-make and heat regenerative process and apparatus

US2755321 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - KOPPE= RS CO INC

Treatment of natural gas in distribution syst= ems

US2966402 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - CARBO= NIC DEV CORP

Process for the manufacture of unsaturated aldehydes

US2246037 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Process for the manufacture of unsaturated aldehydes

US2245582 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Addition agent

US1931854 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - AMERI= CAN SMELTING REFINING

Pyrolysis of methyl vinyl ether

US2294402 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Method for the manufacture of propionic aldeh= yde

US2150158 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Process for the separation and refining of am= ines

US2180006 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Ester-lactones

US2364358 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Manufacture of acetylene by regenerative type= of pyrolysis

US2319679 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - WULFF PROCESS COMPANY

Regenerative furnace for manufacture of acety= lene by pyrolysis

US2318688 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Manufacture of acrylonitriles

US2386586 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Copolymer of isopropenyl acetate and vinyl ch= loride

US2453317 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Concentration of aqueous formaldehyde solutio= ns by azeotropic distillation under vacuum

US2475959 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Separation of gases

US1794377 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - AMERI= CAN SMELTING REFINING

Manufacture of unsaturated ketones=

US2245567 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Esters of alpha-ethacrylic acid

US2388844 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - EASTM= AN KODAK CO

Furnace and apparatus for producing acetylene= by the pyrolysis of a suitable hydrocarbon

US2692819 (A), filed (unknown) , published (unknown) - WULFF PROCESS COMPANY

Bluff City, TN Airliner Crashes On Holston Mountain, Jan 1959<= /o:p>

Posted December 13th, 2007 by Stu Beitler

1959: UFO INVOLVED IN AN AIRLINER CRASH

"More puzzling is the light associ= ated with the crash of a Southeast Airlines DC-3 the night of January 8, 1959, in east Tennessee."

"It is a disaster I well remember = since, as a newspaper reporter at the time, I had the unwelcome task of getting in touch with the parents of the pilot."

"At 8:32 p.m., the pilot radioed Tri-Cities Airport (Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City--V.H.G.) that he was making a normal approach for a landing after a flight from Memphis and Knoxville. Two hours earlier, a snowstorm had left a four-inch (10 centimet= er) mantle (of snow--J.T.) on the ground, and the thermometer stood at fifteen degrees (Fahrenheit). Visibility in the haze was limited to five miles.&quo= t;

"But the plane did not arrive. Hou= rs passed. At 2 a.m. (January 9, 1959) airline officials said the airliner wou= ld have exhausted its fuel, but it had not appeared at any other airport. A se= arch was launched and Southeast Airlines released to wire services the names of = the three crewmen and seven passengers."

"One of the passengers was Dr. R.L. Hasche, said to be the inventor of dry ice."

"The searchers included volunteer = rescue crew members, sheriff's officers from several (Tennessee) counties and Civil Air Patrol (CAP) flyers. A few hours before daylight, a search party report= ed to Captain Virgil Peck, CAP operations officer, that they had a light under observation in the Holston Mountain region, twenty miles (32 kilometers) ea= st of the airport. The light answered the signals of the searchers. Highway patrolmen were sent to the scene and confirmed the report."=

"The point of observation was on U= .S. Route 421, about two miles (3 kilometers) east of South Holston Lake. Capta= in Ed Allen of the Civil Air Patrol said it was a bright steady light a considerable distance away. It shone continuously. After all vehicle lights= had been turned off, the captain took a powerful emergency searchlight and wave= d it from side to side. The distant light waved also. He moved the light up and down. Then the faraway light moved up and down."

"An old-timer, who knew the mounta= in country well, said there were no camps, cabins or anything in that particul= ar region that could account for the light. 'It just doesn't belong there,' he said."

"Captain Peck radioed operations c= enter at the airport and had a C-54 National Guard plane fly over the area. Altho= ugh the pilot failed to see the light, the captain said that when the plane pas= sed over the light's position, it 'seemed to go crazy. It waved furiously in all directions. There was no question in my mind at the time but that this was someone at the scene of the crash trying to direct the searchers to it.'&qu= ot;

"Again the men signaled and the li= ght responded. But when daylight came, the light was no longer visible, and, too late, the searchers realized they should have obtained an accurate bearing = on it. During the morning, the general area was searched by ground parties and planes. Finally, about noon, the wreckage was found near the top of Holston Mountain by a pilot."

"Seen from above, the pieces of de= bris were merely dark spots in the snow, sometimes obscured by low clouds and surrounded by steep bluffs and gorges. CAP officials recalled that a twin-engine Navy plane had crashed the year before (1958) in the same area.= It had required twelve days of intensive searching to locate it."

"Three and a half hours after the pilot's discovery, the first ground party reached the scene. The (DC-3) airliner had slammed directly into the mountain. Only the tail section, whi= ch had been thrown further up the slope, was not smashed to bits. The bodies w= ere scattered over an area of several hundred feet."

"'Ten persons were reported aboard= the plane and we counted ten bodies,' Dr. Robert A. Jackson stated, 'All ten persons died instantly in the wreck.'"

"David McBride, reporter for the Kingsport Times-News, was one of the first to arrive at the wreck. He exami= ned each body and the area around it. The snow was undisturbed, and there was no light--not even a flashlight--to be seen."

"'I was intrigued by the light,' he wrote, 'but none of the victims could have been responsible for it.'"<= o:p>

"Trees and underbrush had been cha= rred by the flash fire that followed the crash, but 'not even a spark or a whiff= of smoke was evident' when McBride arrived."

"No explanation has ever been foun= d for the light." (See Mysterious Fires and Lights by Vincent H. Gaddis, Dell Publishing Co., New York, N.Y., 1967, pages 96 to 98. See also the Kingspor= t, Tenn. Times-News for January 9 and 10, 1959, pages 1 and 2.)