The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-04-09
WHOLE NO. 1907.

VALUABLE RUBBIsH.- Turning from Na.ure's
process to those OF Man, we ind that be is
doing his best, however clumsily, 70 follow the
thrifty example she sets him. For many and
many year no doubt the pine tree shed i;s
pointed, needle like leaves in the S.lesan for
ests, and there they were left TO decay and urn
into mold at their leisure, until NJ Paneewltz
started mandatory for converting hem INTO
forest-wool, which, besides being efcacous in
cases of rheumatism when applied in rs woody
state, can also be curled, felted or woven.
blankets and wearing apparel. The history Of
asmakng best shows the value of rubbish
To begin with: the coal which yields m y; gas
is termed - camel" coal, aud is now worth
from twenty-five TO thirty shillings as
ton or more; whereas fifty years ago. before
the introduction OF gas. it was looked upon as
almost worthless. In dstilling coal for gas,
liquor is produced, which for a lorg time was
so great an inconvenience 70 the gas companies
that they actually paid for permission TO drain
il into the common sewers as the simplest way
of getting rid Of it. This gas liquor contains
salts OF ammonia, together with naptha aud
tar; and the tar is now made by repeated dstl!-
lation TO yield pitch, benzole, creosote, carboic
acid, the substance known as paraffine, aad
anime. 1t seems strange now that these vaua-
BILE products should ever have been thrown
away as useless. Still stranger ls il 70 learn
that we derive from one OF these waste sub
stances the whole series OF beautiful colors
called anlline dyes. NapthalIne is another resd-
uary product, by novel application of which
1t Is said that the Ight-giying properties OF gas
may be enhanced fourfold at very i,lflng
cost. But the uses to which the waste honor
OF the sasworks may be put are not yet ex-
hausted; for not only is it turned TO account
ITSELF but combined with the siatey shales
found among the coal which were also at one
time source Of perpetual annoyance, IT yields
alum-used in manufacture OF paper and pre-
paration OF leather; copperas, or green vitro!,
| (sulphate of lron,) used IN dyelng, tanning and
the manufacture Of Ink and Prussian blue, and
sllphuric acld. Rags are now recognized as
such valuable commodity that in some coun-
tries theu export is forbidden by the govern
ment. Nevertheless, from one source or anoth-
er, the paper makers OF England alone import
annually some eighteen thousand or twenty
thousand tons of linen and cotton rags, and
collect large quantities at home. These rags
are OF very varying degrees OF cleanliness, as
may be imagined. Some OF the English ones
require no bleaching at all, while those Of Italy
bear away the palm for dirt. Old sails are
made into the paper used for bank-notes, so It
ls SAID, and old ropes re-appear as brown paper /;
but many other things besides fax, hemp and
cotton are now used in the manufacture, and
paper is made and re-made over again. Not
a scrap OF paper need be wasted-for there are
plenty OF persons ready 10 buy it; and il not
good enough for remanutacture as paper, II ca
always be converted into psplermachs, no mat
ter what its color or quality. Cuttings OF paper
severed by book-binders, paste board makers,
envelope CATERS, pocket book makers and pa
per-hapgers are readily bought up-and 20 TO
are tons-weight OF old leGgers and account
books-by the papler-mache manufacturer,
together with old letters and any other paper
rubbish, giving pie lgc that all shall be promp-
tly consigned TO destruction in his large vat
and out Of this heterogeneous assemblase he
produces substance 20 hard and firm and
durable that il has been suggested as suitable
for making soldiers huts. s1d even ships.