Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-09
SIrRo.GtycERINR.
a Description oTGts MRnunsetarr--- tIuNs th.
paAwproas ENptoslv- u Handled.

a Description ortiz Manunsetarc---IIswt the
DaAEeroas ENRtssiVe u Handled,
ABot-T une hundred yards beyond
the west shaft Of tho HoOsac Tunnel Is
e. bo seen a board fencs surrounding
about ten acres OF ground, with the an
nouueempnt' "Ni,ro-glyeerino Works
Dangerous; no visitors admitted" a
drive leading between two rows OF
buildings brings the visitor 10 the
acid house. well ventilated building,
13O feet long. Hero are eleven stills
each seven feet long and two feet IN
se diameter, Under these light slow tire
burns, which is carefully attended to,
for the temporalure must be Kept mod
ssB crate ia each Of these stills is placed
charge of nitrate OF soda and OF sub
s1a phuric acid. a stouowRre pipe con.
ducts the gases, at . temperature OF
about lSO degrees Fahrenheit, from
each still into stpn0 receiver or con
. donscr. or rather a series OF tour con
denxers connected by stoneware pipes,
ranged ON a platform three feet above
the ground. Into three OF these sui-
phuric acid Is poured. aud the fourth Is
empty. The nitrous vapOr passes from
still 10 tho first condenser, whore a
portion OF II. forming. as Il coudenses,
- nitric acid. is taken up by the sulphuric
acid; the remainder passes ON tn the
second, third and fourth condonsers,
though very small portion is left 10
pass into the last, which only requires
70 BE empued onco a mouth.
Il takes about twenty-iqur hours for
The still to complete the conversion OF
It's contents Into nitric acid, at the end
OF which time the resultant miXturo,
swa. about six hundred pounds, Is run otl
Into cAih0ys, twelve OF Thesis being hiled
from three stills, About one hundred
carboys are generally kept in stock rs
the acid does not spoil when kept
closed. These carboys are thou emp
tied into soap-stone tank having a
capacity of eighteen carhoys. and an
iron pipe, connected with the main
leading from hehloWers, in the engine
house. Is inserted into the aeid, causing
current Of air TO AgiIato It, so as 10
remove the nitrous fumes, mix II thor
oughly aud bring II all To uniform
strength. Formerly this was effected
by removing the acid into glass vessel
containing about forty gallons, and II
required boiling for hours. The mode
now practiced occupies only i've min
utes, aud the risk OF fracture Of glas;
vessel in. a sand bath is avoided. The
acid Is then carried into converting
room, about one hundred feet long anC
welllighted, where Il Is divided among
one hundred and sixteen stone pitchers
n arranged ia nine wooden troughs placed
in the center and AZ the end Of tb'
room, and these troughs are now iille'
with ice-cold water or ice and salt, ~
as To rise 90 within fonr inches Of tht
top OF the Jar On shelves above th'
troughs are arranged glass jars, one q
each stono pitcher. Into each OF thos
stone Jars chemically pure glycerine 1
poured and this, by means OF siphon
49,. with u rubber tube attached about tw'
feet long, falls, drop by drop. into th
corresponding pitcher Of mixed sal
4a phuric aud nitric acids. lmmOdiate
below the shelf ON which the glyoerin
jar stands Is u two aud ono'fourth inc
-g iron pipe, which brings current q
.l cold air from the receivers connocte
with tho two blowers above mentioned
tHea This current Of AIR Is distributed TO eae
.G,8 jar while the acid and glycerino ar
mixed hy rubber pipo, to which
attached glass tube sixteen niche
y long aud with one.fourth-neh bore
During the nour aud halt or tw
hours that the glycerine takes TO run
into the pitchers the greatest care an
closest attention Is requisite. The thro
men whose duty tits to attend To "a
sluixing process have each row otpitcl
ers ia watch, walking tho whole tim
up and down beside them, with the
inometer ia hand, and, as the nitrol
iumes rise from the forming nitf'