The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-04
Uses OF Tar.

Twenty years ago one OF the most Often
sive refuse products from manufacturing
industry was that known az gas tar. It
was surreptitlously got rid OF hy throwing
1t into the rivers, and formed the ghastly
blue patches known as "blus billy" This
substance, by the aid of the chemists art,
has been lifted up from its lower place, and
no 'ends forth as the source OF some of
Il useful products in the arts; but
it. color and odor have been trans
mt the most beautiful dyes, aud
the n,v.. delicious flavors. The offensive
refuse--this poor, rejected Cinderella la--has
now become the queen Of the by-products
Of our manufactures. Instead of it's being
turtively put out Of sight, factories have
sprung up alongside of tho gas works to
enable the chemist to transmutc their gas
tar and ammoniacal liquors into score of
different products of wholly different ma
lures and the curious thing is. that many
OF them are, as If by magic art, elevated
from this dire nuisance into materials which
appeal to the sense Of beauty and delicacy
in every form. Among other products of
gas Tar rs of insufferablo smell is benzole,
which, with nitric acid, produces nitro
benzolc. a body resembling in odor bitter
almonds. 1t is greatly used for the pur-
pose of perfuming soap. Bensole, itself,
is II body of great solvent powers, and one
OF the most effective rcmovers OF grease
stains known; whereas the source from
which 1t springs is one of the greatest coil
ers in existence. Naptha Is product of
rics removed from gas works; when treated
with turpcntlne it IL transmitted into CAM
phine, and illumiHates our drawing rooms
Naptha Is also used in dissolving the va
riOus gums, rosin, etc.; india rubber, gut
ta-pcrcha, and by instrumentality, hun
drcd new substances are introduced to the
world. Aniline, the base of the dyes bear
ing that name, is obtained from the action
OF nascent hydrogen or nitro -benzole. 1t
seems almost incredible that the delicate
tones of color known under that name
should issue from 30 foul source; but it Is
80. The arts would, indeed, be deprived
OF one OF It's most beautiful embellishments
If this new agent had not been discovered.
A brilliant yellow is again produced by the
action of nitric acid. Carbol,c acid is con-
vcrled into carbonic acid. Even red dyes,
but OF very ephemeral character, are pro-
dnced from napthaline. Almost all tic
colors of the rainbow Issue from it; but In
the absence Of all color lampblack Is made
by burning with slight access of air the
least volatile component of gas tar. Among
the light oils of tar are some which, with
the heavy oils, are effective in preserving
wood from rotting, and tar crcoSoic, carbol-
ic acid, which Is most powerful antlsep-
tic, and one Which will come greatly into
use now that the nation Is becoming more
careful of its health. The production OF
alum and sal ammonlac, although it cannot
be said to be recovered from the refuse OF
gas works, can with truth be said to BIC pro-
duccd from the refuse OF coal mines--the
shale which roofs them IN. Formerly this
was waste material which occupied vast
space, like the spclter heaps 1t is now
utilized by our dyers and color printers to
fix their colors. This product Is made by
setting fire to the shale, and heating the re-
siduum in iron pans with sulphuric acid,
with the addition of tho gas liquor, when
The result Is ammoniacal alum,