Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-08-25
An Extraordinary Beverage-A New
Drink for Tipplefs.


/ clock, when it is about time to say good
night forever to all intoxicating beverages
that a new drink has been invented, which
although far from being delightful to the
eye or tickle to the palate, is nevertheless
of such a fascinating and drunken nature
that it threatens to supersede gin. whiskey
and Jersey lightning as popular source
Of intoxication Such, however, is the fact
and chemistry has been put to her iicrcest
agonies to compel her, like the ancient Py-
thoness Of Delpbos, when some impetuous
Alexander is in the extremities of bis fate, to
hlab the prolanc secret, and here it is.
Methylated spirit is alchokol which has a
certain quantity Of wood spirit and naptha
added TO it to render it nauseous and nonpalat-
able. This process exempts it entirely from
the excise duty in England. 1t is prepared
there io- manufacturing purposes, and
large portion Of the tinctures and other med
cnal preparations are made with it. From
methylated spirit a sulphuric ether is made,
which retains the peculiar flavor impaired to
the alchOhol. On good authority it is said
that this ether is extensively and habitually
used as an intoxicating beverage. and has
suppanted and supplies the place Of gin and
whiskeY in certain counties in Ireland.
1t is very startling to learn that even pure
ether, which has long been administered
incidentally in small quantities as an anes-
thctic, or a powerful diilGsable stimuiaut,
should be drunk as a common beverage but
it almost incredible that this nauseous
kind Of ether should be partaken Of morning,
noon and night, heaths drunk in it and bar
gains made over it. The practice began about
five years sinco one Of the causes which led
to its use being the laudable efforts Of the
Catholic priests to induce their l0cks to ab-
stain from whiskey another cause being the
cheapuess OF the new drink. Its use Is almost
altogether confined to the counties of Lon
donderry, Antrim and Tyrone, and prevails
chiefly IN the towns Of Drape'stown, Maghe-
"a, Cookstown and Armagh. The ether
manufacturers Of Dublin. Edinburgh and
Glasgow supply the demand, and the con-
sumers are mostly small farmers. and 70
some extent the mill hands and other opera
tiyes. The probable consumption Is about
ten thousand gallons yearly, one manulac-
turer sending to Belfast four thousand gal
Ions yearly.
The pucc of mcthylated ether is one shill-
ing and sixpence per pound, while that made
IRON pure spirits is FIVE shillings per pound.
There are seven and a half pounds to the gal
lon; one gallon Of ether will % &c far as
three and half gallons Of Whiskey. The
amount taken Is not small. os a medicinal
dose Is one dpchm or under, and iipplers
take three VI four drachms, s,-unmixed with
water, in which it l. only slightly soluble.
The practice is. first 70 take a mouthiul Of
water. then 10 drink the ether, and then to
take a second drink of water. lntoxication
is more rapid bat more eyancsccnt than that
produced bv alcoholic drinks. and probably
differs widely in its character, resembling
more the effect produced in the inhalation Of
nitrous oxide gas. Taken into the system it
appears 10 be all eliminated through the
lungs and pores. as no trace Is found else
where. The dTinker is readily discovered by
his breath, which, however, Is not offensive.
like the breath Of the alcoholic drinker.
There Is Eo reason TO suppose that the habit
ual ether dTinker lncurs more Ill effects from
It's use than from drinking alchoholic liquors
indeed, in this respect It is certainly less
n xiuus than sophisticated spirituous liquors.
The small quantity fnaptha in methyiated
ether, although 1t gives it a nauScous flavor,
+ does no5 make il more injurious
Eth,r has the same constituents as alch0-
hol, namely: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen,
and differs from il N having one atom Of
water less in It's composition. Ii is called
salphutic ether, but pure ether contains nei-
;her sulphur nor suiphuric acid. Taken ha-
hi;uallY AID freely, its e.i5c. on the system
would he very different from that Of alcho-
hol. /; has no affinity for water while al
cohol, after being freely imbibed, causes
thirst, by Its absorbing the moisture OF the
mucous membrane. pereira states that the
chemis; Brequet drank pint Of ether daily
to allav the agony ofintestinal Inflammation
But the record of cases in which ether has
been continuously used arc few Should it
he demonstrated by experience that the free
and habtual use OF ether is less injurious
than alch0hol, the use Of ether as a stimula-
ting drink would be greater extended The
pIice of pure ether here is about the same
per gallon as the highest class brandy. 1t
mixes with alca0h0l in any proportion. Hof-
man anodyne Is a mixture Of three parts all
ch0hol and one of ether. Almost any flavor
may be impaired To it to make it palatabe.
The time may not be far distant when it
viii be called for at tic drinking bars Of
New York as regular beverage. It is very
volatile, and its vap0r when mixed with air
becomes a very explosive gas. The alarming
contingency is suggested that man full Of
ether would be charged with an explosive
compound, and coming near flame might
20 of, like fired gas tank, with n vehe-
meuce to which spontaneous combustion is
no panllel..-NY.Poa.