Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-03-06

substance which the pavement builders
use SO lavishly ON the bouleyards. Be-
sides numerous substances which have
become household and commercial nec-
essities, dozens of drugs are manufact-
ured from it-so many, in fact. that the
ordinary drug store could not do a
days business without having many
inquiries for them in some form or
other.
In manufacturing these various pro-
ducts the tar is taken directly from the
gas works and allowed to stand for
some time III a pond until the tar
water, consisting largely Of ammonia,
has risen to the top. The tar is then
drained away and pumped into large
upright cylinder or still of iron and
heated to moderate temperature.
More water is forced out and drained
away. and then the heat is gradually
raised.
The first product is number of
highly-combustibl and poisonous
gases which are allowed to escape.
Between the temperatures of 105 and
110 degrees the products distilled are
called the first runnings," which in
clude benzine and benzol, the uses of
which are we'll known. On raising the
temperature to 210 degrees numerous
light oils or benzols are distilled off,
and beyond this temperature the car
bolic oil appears, and it is removed
for the purpose of making the we'll
known carbolic acid. When the heat
gets up to 240 degrees creosote oil is
given off, aud it has been found val
liable substance in picking timber and
for various uses in the arts. Above
270 degrees anthracine oil appears, and
this product by separate process is
converted into anthraciGo and numer-
GUS other compounds. Naphthalene is
distilled off more or less during the
whole process and can be collected in
the form of crystals and utilized. The
residue at the end of the distillation
is thick, black liquid, which, upon
drying, hardens and becomes as brittle
as glass. It is then known as "hard
pitch" and upon melting it again,
with possibly the addition of the creo-
sote and anthracine oils, from which
all the valuable parts have been re-
moved, it is used extensively in max
ing asphalt pavements. In such form
it is familiar to the average citizen. By
dissolving this hard pitch in certain
tar oils various varnishes are made.
and by burning it until all the volatile
parts have disappeared it becomes a
high quality of coke much used in the
better class of Woodworking. Lamp
black may also be made by sujecting
the tar to partial combustion ON hot
iron plates and conveying the smoke
into cool chimneys, where it deposits
its carbon.
Among the drugs which are the re-
suits of the distillation of tar are anti
pyrine, which became popular during
the epidemic of grip" that swept
over the country few years ago and
antifebrin, which is made from acetic
acid and aniline oil. Acetanilid is
used by some physicians in preference
| to antipyrine for the reason that small
er doses of it accomplish the same pur-
pose as larger doses of the other drug.
Phenacetine and saccharin are two other
products of tar. Saccharin is $50 times
sweeter than sugar, SO that single
grain of it will sweeten cup of coffee
without the slightest difficulty. 1t is
used principally in treating gout and
diabetes.
Another product, sulphonal, is used
in treating mental diseases. Its real
scientific name is diethylsulphondi-
methylmethan, and the patient may
consider that he has fully recovered his
brain power when he can pronounce it
correctly and fluently. The action OF
sulphonal in common with a number OF
other tar drugs is hypnotic, causing a
quiet, restful sleep in cases of insomnia
cansed by worry or fatigue. or even
dementia and acute alcoholism. From
fifteen to twenty grains are usually
given as a dose. Besides those named
there are scores of other drugs produced
by the distillation of tar, all of them
well known to the medical profession.
Salophen is a compound of carbolic
acid with number Of other ingredi-
ents. It is said to be valuable rem
edy in the treatment of articular rheu-
matism. The dose is from fifteen to
twenty grains three or four times a
day.
The very latest in the long line OF
coal-tar products is gallanol. 1t is pre-
pared by boiling tannin with aniline.
1t is introduced as substitute for py-
rogallic acid, having the advantage OF
being non toxic and non-irritant. In
the treatment of skin diseases it has
been used with marked success. Caz-
eneuve, the introducer of the drug re-
ports that one Of its principal uses is in
the treatment of psoriasis by painting
the spots with gallonal suspended in
chloroform and covering them with a
solution of guttapercha in chloroform.
The making Of dyes and colors from
tar products has become an important
industry in the last few years. ANY
color or shade can be exactly reproduced
] at,I