The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-05-24
BOGUS BAKING POWDER TESTS.

| Rather ingenious but not less fraudu-
| lent are the pretended tests OF baking
| powder being made in many of our
| kitchens by agents who are trying to
| further the sale of a Chicago article.
| These so-called tests consist IN mixing
separately, with water, a sample of the
| baking powder found in the house and
| of that carried by the agent. From that
| found in the house, If a pure article, the
| bubbles of gas will rise and brust on top
! like those from a glass of champagne.
| The Chicago baking powder which they
| carry, when mixed with water, viii show
| an extra froth upon the top of the mix
/ ture which is claimed as evidence of sup
| eriority. On the contrary. however, 1t is
| not only the exhibition of trick, but is
| absolute proof that the baking powder
! which so acts is adulterated. The chem
| lists have ascertained that the adulterant
| used is a chemical added for the express
| purpose of producing this action and de-
| ceiying housekeepers as to the true value
| of the baking powder. This Is not only
| a dishonest trick. but dirty one, for the
! chemical is the product of the filthy re-
| fuse Of the slaughter house, and if this
| baking powder is used in the preparation
of food passes into the biscuit or cake
without change. OF course, any state
| ments made in reference to other baking
| powders, by parties caught IN practising
| such tricks as these for the purpose of
| deceiving the public, will be entitled to
no credit.
1t is probably wisest in the interest of
| our families, and to prevent our food
| from being contaminated by tramps of
| this kind, to turn all persons who wish
| or attempt to tamper with it uncerlmonl-
| ously from the door, and to use those ar
ticles only which experience has proved
| satisfactory, or the official tests have es-
tablished as pure and wholesome.
The echo MAKER" AT SEA.-Anoth-
| er device, which may be called the echo
maker, that of Mr.. De la Tore, has
been examined by a board of naval Off
GERS. of which Commander cambridge
| HOf, United States navy, was the head,
| and report was made to the navy depart
ment Of a somewhat favorable nature.
It may consist of haring funnel screw
| ed on the muzzle of q rife. 1t is opera
| ted by firing the rifle III the direction of
| the supposed obstacle, such as rock,
an iceberg, another ship, or cliff. If
| the obstacle is there, the beam of sound
| projected through the funnel strikes the
obstacle and rebounds; and as the echo
is more or less perfect in proportion as
| the obstacle is more or less parallel to
! the ship from which the gun is fired,
and as it is near or remote, the position
| Of the obstacle may thus be inferred.
The board reported that De la Torres
method was firing blank cartridge from
rife in the presence of objects as small
as a spar buoy and as large as a fort,
and catching the return sound or echo.
He claims that sharp sound projects at
or nearly at an object, and only when SO
directed, will in every case return some
of the sound sent. so that theoretically
there will always be an echo, and the
difference in the time between the sound
sent ard the echo will indicate the re-
moteness Of the object. The board
found that a return sound could be heard
from the side of q font half mile of,
from passing steamers a quarter mile off
if broadside to, from bluffs and sails OF
vessels about the same distance, and
from spar buoys 200 yards away.-Ar-
mold Burgess Johnson in Popular Science
Monthly.