The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-10
FOR UNCLE SANS USE.
PROCESS or MAKING SAOkELESS
POWDER HERE.
Raw Material I'm Abundance in the Unitsd
states-Dr. Porch, the Lu-trfaD In
ventor OF Q New Process.

"hian l., the young German emperor,
was an interested spectator and critic.
Among the compliments he paid the
Austrian army on that occasion as TO IT.
efficiency In the field. its equipment. etc.
none was more hearty than his comments
on the smokeless powder used during the
mock engagements and assaults. II was
really smokeless, 4. e.. the air remained
free from vapors and Opaque gases so
that the view OF the different army corps
operating here and there at great dis
tances from each other remained entire
ly unohstructed. and the eyes OF the
monarchs assembled TO witness the in
teresting spectacle could easily follow all
the movements and incidents OF the sham
battles. William |. turned TO one Of the
Austrian generals In command and said:
Your powder is really superior 10 ours"
Dr. Ottakar Porsch now In Chicago,
says the Herald. s the man who per-
fected the method OF manufacturing
acetone tthe main ingredient OF smoke
less POWDER. and made it's production
on a large scale commercially possible.
Dr. Porsch organized and put into good
running order the chemical factories
where acetone is made and he came over
to America on the French steamer la
Gascogne a week ago. coming directly 10
this city and taking in the last fadins
glories OF the Columbian Exposition. He
Will during his stay I'm this country,
which may extend TO six months or
+ longer. introduce the manufacture OF
smokeless powder here. so as to enable
/ Uncle Sam TO make his own and thus
( put the United States again on a footing
of equality, In the military sense. with
the great military powers OF the old
world
/ The main ingredients needed I'm the
! manufacture OF this Austrian smokeless
/ powder are to he met with in abundance
| in this country, but because OF the fact
that nobody in America has so Tar un-
| derstood how 10 work up the raw ma
] terlal into the finished product this
/ government has been obliged to send
! the haf-finished product over 70 Europe
and TO buy il back from the manufactu-
urers there at tenfold price. The ma
tiona government. though. needs Just
this smokeless powder. as is evidenced
by the fact that the war department at
Washington advertises for bids for the
delivery OF 10000 pounds Of smokeless
powder required at the trankfofd
arsenal. Philadelphia.
In France the discovery OF ether OF
gredient in the new French military ex-
plosive, melinite and In that country
they are still experimenting with this
ether of acetone. hoping To perfect H.
But this ether has been found TO be
Microscopic, l. g., II absorbs moisture
from the air and hence is UNIT for the
PURPOSES OF warfare. The acetone nrst
perfected by Or. Porsch has been rid
OF that serious falling. and the smoke
less powder made on the Austrians
plan shows all the advantages OF this
new explosive. T. O.. absence OF smoke.
immense expansive power, ana ease Oh
handling. without being hygroscopic'
That was the reason why the Austrian
government adopted Il, ana why Tue
German government likewise took To
acetone-nearly as good ana serNiceaoiO
as that OF Or. Porsch.
In all those arts OF the United states
where beeches grow in large numbers
| the manufacture OF smokeless powder 10
/ unite feasible and sure TO be hiShly re-
munerative, provided the thing Is uone
| right The wood from these trees ~
merely distilled according TO the ury
process. and one Of the cher pronuo's
OF this process is acetate OF llme Ldrso
quantities OF this acetate OF iiihe az
novv being shipped from this country
free Is at present p marks about |''iV
for 100 kilos GOO pounds In HAMBURG
and from there IL is sent on and SOLD 20
the manufacturers OF Germany an"
Austria They I'm turn subject the ace
tate of lime TO another chemical process.
ont OF which IL energies In the shape Vi
acetone. And this acetone Is to-uay
worth 100 forms or 220 marks .aoout soi,
the 100 kiios 600 pounds hence us marKe'
value has increased tenfold In the pro-
cess OF manufacture. The hnlshen ~
tone again is reshipped back 10 Aher'0a,
and here utilized In the MANUFACTURE Va
smokeless powder T..
Eoctories for the making Of acetone IN
this country would be placed soine""a.
ar an advantage as against those III
Eurone and for the reason that The
chIef raw material. beech wood, eNls's
in the United states I'm much greater
abundance and Is purchasable az a much
lower price than across the water. !"
Wisconsin alone there Is a superhDu"
dance OF perfectly grown ana the tailes.
80 heach trees on lands that can be nad
for few dollars per acre. In some OF
the southern States. notably North 'aro-
lima. there is similar abundance
Or. Otakar Porsch halls from vienna
and IS a man Of forty-three' VIGOROUS,
we'll built and with face that dehV'eS
both the thinker and the man Vi pI"..
oaI Rings He studied first IN the
poIviechnic Academy at Prague ana
later on in Zurich. winding up with
snec,al course I'm the study OF the textlie
industry at Muelhausen, Alsace' iis
specialty was chemistry, Of course aha
his degree Of doctor OF philosophy was
obtained IN Prague. lie devoted some
years OF practical research 20 the pro'esp
OF dry distilation Of wood-a process
with unbounded possibilities Tor the
future so far as the chemist ana manu-
facturer are concerned. Next he besah
10 utilize his special knowledge as 10 'he
textile industry, visiting France Ger
many England. Russia. ana, OF course,
( the whole OF Austria, INTRODUCING 'hsSo
and equipping a number OF iac1O' y,
vvith his improvements la the dyeing anc
entsh,ry ~ cotton and wooden cloths
| He a. about 10 publish an important WORK
treating exhaustiyely on the methods on
dvelng. printing and finishing te@uie
! fabrics. and containing large number
| ~ valuable recipes for dye siuns OF all
shades DIR. Porsch has been member
| Of international juries on chemical pro-
ducts at a number OF important lnhus-
trial expositions such as the one IN
Vienna In 1873 that at Barcelona, Spain,
/ I'm 1895 and the one in Prague In 1871.
| In the latter city he also esnioNed ms
latest invention. acetone, and II was this
which drew the eyes Of the world upon
| him and made him famous. For the pas,
two Years he has been busily engaged
arranging and perfecting manufactures
! sor the making Of his acetone IN Aus
tria. acting for various syndicates OF
large capitalists. He was delayed oy
this task so as 10 prevent him from car