The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-06-17
Some Chemical Curiosities.

Some Chemical Curiosities.
The Washington correspondent OF
the Charleston Meps and Courier gives
the following account of two important
discoveries which parties claim to have
made. If the drunkless whiskey should
prove success it will greatly help the
prohibition cause, but it will be terrible
on poor mems pockets, for there is no
telling how much a man would drink if
there were no danger of getting drunk:
"Findipg myself in the company of
! chemist of national reputation one day
this week, I took occasion to ask him
some questions which had noted down
for his especial benefit. First, as to the
reality of the discovery hefealded some
time ago Of a sweetening agency 2S2
times more powerful than sugar.
"'There is no huhbug about it, said
this gentleman. we have not made any
of the new substance in our laboratory,
simply because we have not had the time
to do so. But the reports in German and
French scientific periodicals as to what
this new product Of coal tar Will do and
rections as to its manufacture are very.
explicit and minute. There is no doubt
whatever as to its wonderful power.
One ounce of the substance has exactly
the same sweetening effect upon barrel
| of water as fifteen pounds Of sugar, and,
| although the price is about two hundred
| times more than that of sugar, weight for
| weight, there is reason to suppose that it
will be made very much cheaper as soon
as there is regular commercial demand
for it. Probably it will be most largely
used in making some kind of substitute
for augar, as in its present highly con.
centrated form it could not be used for
ordinary purposes without great waste, as
the quantity sufficient to sweeten a cup
| of coffee would be scarcely visible to the
naked eye. The notion of q man being
able to take home with him the equiva.
lent of barrel of sugar in his vest
pocket seems so extravagant that it is
not surprising the public suspected a
hoax
"Another chemical curiosity about
which the world may hear more hereafter
is Notwithstanding whiskey. Some Of
my readers may know that the French
Government recently offered a-prize of
ten thousand francs to any one who
should discover method of removing
from brandy or wine the principle which
intoEicates, without at the same time re-.
moving the principle which strengthens
and exhilarates. An American; and a
New Yorker, believes that be has dis
covered what is wanted, and although he
keepn the process secret for the present,
he is very liberal in distributing samples
Of what he calls his harmless whiskey to
serious inquirers. A few days ago he
gave little reception at which the guests
were requested to test the new kind of
whisEey. The tame whiskey, from which
all danger had been eliminated, was
placed in decanter side by side with
another decanter of ordinary stuff, and
the guests took first glass of one and
then q glass of the other in order to de-
termine if possible whether the liquor
which had had its fangs removed, so to
speak, had lost any Of its qualities 80 far
as tasle and pleasantness to the palate
we concerned. Strange to say there was
so much indecision shown by the guests
upon Ghis point, and 80 many little glass
es of whiskey were consumed, that the
whole disappeared before any settled YER
dict was reached. Another strange fact
was that the more tests the visitors made
the le.s decided they seemed as to any
difference between the two, and finally it
was resolved that another reception, con-
Quoted. upon somewhat different plan,
must be held before conclusion was
arrived at. Next week the inventor in.
tends 70 invite all his friends one after
noon, and allow them to drink as much
of the harmless whiskey as they can
hold. When they are full, using the
word ia its physical sense, they will be
asked 20 walk a chalk line and to pro.
nounce many words found to be by e1-
perience of peculiar difficulty towards
the small hours of the morning. The
slightest sign of unsteadiness, or of men.
tai clolldines, will count against the in
ventor's claim. Those who survive this
experiment will be invited to come again
next day and repeat the operation with
pure and uuaduiterated Kentucky fire.
water, and the condition of the company
at. the close of the session will be care
fully examined and noted by experts
Invitations to these receptions are at
premium, and 1 hope next week to be
able to tell what happened. sco1ert
may remark that whiskey which does mol
intoxicate cannot be wbiskey at all, in
asmuct as it fails of its chief purpose
but science has nothing to say to scofers
The Methodists for Prohibition.