The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-03-13
GERMANS APPRBCIATING
THE Value OF ALCOHOL
Manifold Uses For Business
and Domestic Purposes.
SOME SUPERIOR ADVANTAGES
Vast Field Of Product and Great Cheap
ness-How 1t Is Adapted to Cooking
and Heating-Of Great Efficiency as
Applied to Motor Vehicles.

Consul General at Berlin, writing under
date Of February y, gives an interesting
account of the manufacture and technical
uses Of alcohol in Germany. It is largely
a description Of the exposition of the
alcohol industry which opened in Berlin
on February and closed on February 16.
For several controlling reasons he
says, this whole subject has reached
in Germany a stage Of development which
gives to the present exposition sUgges-
tive meaning for agricultural and indus
| trial economists in other countries. Ger
many has no natural gas wells or native
petroleum supply. When. some years ago,
the question Of adopting motor carriages
for military purposes was under discus
sion. il was remarked by the officials Of
| the War Department that kerosene and
| gasoline engines could only be operated
with one or other OF the products Of
| petroleum. which is lot produced in Ger
many, and the supply Of which might, in
case Of war. be wholly cut on.
Vast Field of Production.
But the broad, sandy plains OF north
ern and central Germany-in fact every
/
duce in ordinary years cheap and abund-
ant crops Of potatoes. from which is
easily manufactured, by processes so sim
pie as to be within the capacity Of every
1 farmer, a vast quantity of raw alcohol
| The crude molasses left as a refuse
J product Of the raw beet-sugar manufac-
| ture contains from 40 to 80 per cent Of
sugar which cannot be crystallized, and
this can also be utilized as a material for
4 the production Of alcohol Under these
/ conditions 'spiritus.' as u is known in this
| country. became one OF the standard and
I important products Of agriculture, and
every effort has been made by the i'm
perial and state governments to promote
! and extend its use for domestic and in
| dustrial purposes.
! Inventors and scientists have been
/ busy with improvements in the processes
and machinery OF disttlleries. New and
/ highly perfected motors, lamps, and cook
( ing and heating apparatus have been de-
vised and put IN use, until crude alcohol
| is becoming one Of the most widely uti-
( LIKED products OF German industry.
Used Over 100000 Gallons.
Official statistics show that during the
year 1901 there was consumed in this
country for technical purposes no less |
than 100000 Iiters go 624,OO gaIlons)
/ OF denaturized alcohol on which no tax
was paid. As concrete result Of these
! conditions. and the pre-emirence Of the 3
Germans in every form Of applied chem
istry. the present exposition is typical,
I and fairly represents the highest results
/ yet attained In the production and utiliZa-
/ tiOn Of alcohol. AS such it supplements
and largely amplifes IN scope tho special
| exposition Of spirit engines AMI motor
| carriages which was held at Paris from
| August &c until November Of last year.
Some Of It's Advantages
Theoretically. alcohol has only three /
| hfths Of the thermal value Of petroleum, |
/ but it has been found that for motor
| purposes IS per cent OF the theoretic |
energy OF alcohol can be utilized against
/ maximum OF i per cent in case Of |
petroleum and its products. This advan-
! tage in favor Of alcohol is still further
increased by an admixtUre Of &c per cent !
/ Of benzOl.
Another important advantage OF alcO-
| hOl. which applies specially to its use in !
motor carriages and IN engines for oper-
ating creameries and small manufactur-
| ing plants in premises adjacent TO dwell !
| ings, is its absolute cleanliness and free /
| dom from the mephitic doors which rem
der hydrocaFbon engines so offensive 10 |
| many people.
AT it's present price OF l5 marks per !
hectOliter (abOIt 1919 cents per GALLON,
! IL completes economically with steam and |
| all other forms of motive energy in en-
gines OF less than twenty horsepower Cor |
/ thTeshing. pumping. and all other kinds |
( Of farm work. so that large percentage
/ Of the spirit produced IN agricultural re-
I gions remote from coal fields is consumed |
/ in the district where il is grown The |
| motor for farm use is tightly enclosed |
and absolutely free from danger Of fire.
For Cooking and Heating.
Next in order OF Importance are the |
| uses Of alcohol as fuel for cooking heat |
| ing. and a vast range OF scientific and do
nestle purposes. Accordingly. the present J
| exhibition includes a great variety Of |
| alcohol stoves for warming and cook
| ing-a large kitchen in operation and ac-
| cessible 10 visitors supplies the restau-
/ rant which is an Indispensable adjunct Of !
! a German exposition There are spirit !
! lamps OF all the most improved types for
! household purposes. as well as for use |
| in chemistry and other scientific pro-
! cesses.
zone OF the neatest OF the many new
/ devices shown is a spirit fatiroD hand
/ sOmely nickel plated and polished and |
| provided with a small reservoir. which |
| being filled with alcohol and lighted. heats /
| the iron for two hours work at a cost
| Of less than cents The cleanliness and
| economy Of these fixtures. especially in
| summer to hOusekeepers beyond the
| reach Of a city gas supply is obvious and |
| the sale annex Of the exposition for do
| nestle supplies has been actively patron |
! lied throughout the week.
For Lighting Purposes.
Not less attractive is the department
devoted TO lamps and lighting apparatus |
This is all the product Of the past five
OF six years, and dates from the com |
Darative recent discovery that alcohol |
vaPor burned in a lamp hooded with a /
mantle produced en- incandeEcent light Of /
intense power. In this special field al /
cohOl leaves petroleum behind and ap- /
proaches the iliUminative power Of cleo |
tricity.
The department Of chemical prepare |
tiOns includes. among many other special |
ties, sOlidihed alcohol brown trans |
lucent mass-which is generally used IN /
small cubes as a convenient form for |
transportation. II lights readily can be /
carried in the pocket. and may be en- |
plOyed as a detergent for cleaning textile |
fabrics and most other technical uses Of |
alcohol. There is also a large display
by several leading makers of vinegar /
from alcohol and acetic acid This in 4
dustry Is mainly the growth Of the period |
since 1887, and its extent may be esti- /
mated from the fact that there Is con- 1
rfTmpd Ia This r0unfrv anuuaTIrr for