The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-09

present century. For cornstalks tc-day az
quoted at $40 ton. which is the Price Rsl1
for them by company that IL inI ~
them up In one factory at owens ooro. N.Y.
and another factory at Rockland. H.. ana
which expects within few years 20 rave
other factories IN all the great corn Deits
This company was organized by man
who discovered that cellulose could De man
Now cellulose is being used for lining for
our oattleships ard cruisers, 10 serve % an
automatic leak stopper whenever tnese ,es-
sells may be penetrated by an enemys shot
below the water line. The rush OF water fol-
lowing the passage OF a shell or sond snot
would cause the cellulose packing behind tns
armor TO swell until IL had choked the leak
completely and effectually. The vaiue OF Gel
lulose has been known for some years, ana
China and japan at the naval battle or the
Yalu, when the Chinese cruisers; wnich
Lacked IT. We're SUNK: an mo ne ItukimsS wsch
We're protected by IT, remained anoat, al
though several times perforated below the
water line That cellulose was made out OF
cocoa fiber, and il took a Yankee TO discov-
er that a better and cheaper article could
be made out OF the pith of cornstaiks- IL -
hard to get cocoa fiber. and IL isn't hard TO
get cornstalks. and there you have the Sc
cret of this Yankees success: and the farm
m nls w IN IS n9w ton San cor Te 500 ooo year re
member) will one day be building monu-
ment TO hirn-unless. indeed. the market for
celiulose should pass away suddenly. which
isn't at all likely.
This friend of the farmer Is Mark w.
Marsden, and he halls from Philadelphia.
His company has been paying ~ ton for
all the cornstalks the farmers or those Sec
tions can furnish to him. Mr.. Marsden has q
to supply the ninth
some now building and Others yet TO be
built. Among the former are the Kearsarge
and the Kentucky. Mr.. Marsden's process
is protected by patents. and the government
pays him $500 ton for all the celiuiose he
can turn out.
Uhathar he hoe a GOOD thf,1 In <tf, <,x>-
tract may be judged by these facts: He
gets $50 pounds of cellulose out OF ton OF
fifteen tons of stalks to make a ton of Gel
lulose Then he has a by-product OF four
teen short tons of ground cornstalks. ana
this is sweetened with molasses and pressed
into bricks and sold as condenseO foodstun
for cattle. and tests made upon s0Sernnent
stations show it is as nutritive the best
mill feed. The process OF treating the corn
stalks is almost automatic. The stun Is FED
into the machinery by hand. and thereafter
served out In its separate parts by mach
fnery alone. Now, the stalks cost him s. q
ton put on the ground, or $50 for enough
stalks to produce ton OF cellulose. Tor
which he receives $500. He also has his
fourteen tons of mill feed. for which he re-
for running expenses. he is only earning
about 500 per cent. Out of this. OF course.
is to be deducted the interest on the capital
hundred tons daily capacity. At this rate
he should be able In short order TO build
Sh se cosn D.ts In e
Not only Uncle Sam. but the maritime na-
items OF the world are interested IN MT.
Marsden and his manufactures. The Rus
sian government has ordered 900 tons CT
cellulose from him, and the English, 1tai-
ian, German and Spanish governments are
investigating the claims OF his concern
Mr. Marsden has discovered another use
for the pith of the cornstalk that fnsures 70
come He finds that IL supplies q better
base for the manufacture OF smokeless pow
der and dynamite than anything yet tried
He has Just organized another company 10
handle and dispose Of his output OK smoke
less powder.
The light pith, or cellulose. comes out OF
Mr.. Marsden's machinery in the shape OF
dust, the mass being whitish and resem-
bling bran. The coarse cellulose Is treated
chemically to prevent decomposition ana
render It noncombusuble. and then COM
pressed into cubic form. weighing about
six and q half pounds to the cubic foot.
ready for shipment. Cellulose Is light In It's
uncompressed state. weighing only nine
teen ounces ito the cubic foot, but can pe
compressed into an amazingly small bulk
on account Of its cellular structure II -
capable of marvellous absorption OF water.
and consequently of great expansion. An
ounce of celulose will absorb nfteen times
it's own weight in water, and q compressed
block an inch thick II laid on water VIII
swell to six times its original thickness.
1t is the dust OF cellulose that Is useo for
making powder and dynamite. BY reason
of its powers OF absorption and retention or
nitroglycerin II il declared to be immense
ly superior to Sea island cotton. which mere
tofore has been the chief base for high ex-
plosives.