The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-04


VIZ planters of this coun-
try have become greatly exercised as to
how to dispose of their molasses. They
cannot sell it, for any profit in sight would
be eaten up by the cost of transportation,
to say nothing of the expense of barreling.
Heretofore the stuff has been dumped into
the river or swamps. In the latter case
the molas3es sours and makes life nauseous
to those living within a radius of four or
fves mile, whites in dumping it into the
river or streamsit becomes a nuisance to
people living on the banks. If the old
prices of rum still be maintained it might be
worth while to turn molasses into alcohol
but the planters find that the erection of a
distillery to turn out fine rum would en-
tail such an outlay as to make competition
with the worlds markets i'm possible. IN
many parts of the country molassesis used
as food for cattle, and very good food it
is when mixed with other fodder.
1t has been suggested that molasses
might be shipped FOR this purpose to CEN
trail distributing points where stock are
raised in large mum bers-Texas. for in
stance, by means of tank cars. 1t is quite
possible that such an experiment might be
tried successfully. At present. the only
way the planters see out of their difficulty
is to burn the molasses. What they are
looking for is an invention that will intro
duce the material into the furnace in such
a way as to insure its complete consump-
ton, without cumming the carrier. A mod
ification of this plan is to spray the mo-
lasses on the begasse as it goes along with
the carrier to the furnace. A practical en-
gineer has made another suggestion, which
may be worth following up. In expert
menting with the different materials to be
used in the construction OF furnaces, he
one tried asbestos, freclay, and solution
consisting of common red clay molasses
and salt water. After time he found
| both the asbestos and the fireclay peeling
off from the intense heat, but the clay
mixed with molasses was as intact as the
day it was first plastered in. In making
this solution he used half a gallon of mo-
lasses to bushel of clay, with salt water
sufficient to soften the mass.
EUTHANAsIA FOR MURpERERs. The re-
cent revival of the belief in the fallibility
of electrocution as death penalty has
naturally been followed by a string of sug-
gestions for method of sending criminals
out of the world painlessly. Professor B.
f. Thomas holds that there are many
agencies better for the purpose than cleo
tricity, aconite, prussic acid, or almost any
one of dozen chemicals, not one of which
would entail moment of pain. He con-
siders however, that the preference should
be given to carbonic acid gas. Under its
influence the criminal would sleep his life
peacefully away, absolutely without pain,
and without any of the agonized fore
knowledge of the hour and minute of his
execution. Professor Thomas argues that
as it is generally recognized that simple re-
moval from society is the only object
aimed at by the capital punishment laws
of civilized nations, the most humane
methods should be selected. In two cases
which came within his own experience,
where persons had been nearly suffocated
/ by the fumes of carbonic acid gas,
he founu that no pain whatever had been
| felt prior to the lapse of consciousness.
| There had been slight feeling of lassi-
| tude and some dizziness, and then came
an absolute blank without the smallest
| suggestion of fear or pain. Professor
| Thompson proposes that an effort'be made
| to secure the passage of some law which
will kill the criminal without physical or
mental agony, method that shall be
| quick, painless and certain, and which will
| necessarily be more in accordance with the
| laws of humanity. II carbonic acid gas
were selected, a cell could be fitted up at
the penitentiary with pipe connection
| for the introduction of gas from the place
of its generation near by, with proper
covering for the doors and windows, SO
| that the gas could not escape during the
execution. The law should Tx the day of
execution between two specified days, leav-
| ing the exact hour to the selection OF
| the warden. The criminal should be