Evening star., 1902-03-22
WEALTH FROM WASTE
Many Wonders Accomplished
by Applied Science.
PROFIT IN TIN CANS
FORTUNES THAT ARE EXTRACT
ED FROM CITY ASH HEAPS.
Even Old Hoop Skirts Are Of Value,
While Sawdust is in Great
Demand.
PROFIT IN TIN CANS

Written foe The Evening Star by Prof. Caldwell
| Johnson.
| In no direction, perhaps. have modern in
| venttve genius and scientific research been
| of more practical service to mankind and
| added more largely to the wealth of the
| world than in the processes devised for
converting material formerly consigned to
the dust heap the garbage barrel into
| valuable commodities of various kinds. BY
/ such means much that once passed for
| worthless trash has been elevated to
| foremost place among the things quoted In
| the market reports and listed on the cN-
| changes of the world. Thus, as If by the
! wave Of magic wand the despised tin can
| and the cast-off shoe have been rescued
| from an ignominious fate and lifted up to
| new careers of honor and usefulness. SO
| far have modern industrial needs and de-
| mands pushed these processes that 1t is
| just now seriously proposed in German
scientific journal to utilize the energy which
goes to waste through resistance and fric-
| ton in the mechanical world. The steam
| engine converts but a small per cent of the
energy Of the coal burned in operating 1t
/ into work In the Shafting of factories
! frequently 30 per cent Of power is lost in
| frict lon, while an immense amount of power
| is taken up by useless resistance in electric
wires. 1t Is now believed that this lost
| power may be taken and usefully employed
| In other mechanical operations.
| AS an illustration of the large and posi-
| tive benefits to the industrial world arising
| from modern processes of utilization moth
| ing could be more striking than the figures
of the United States census report on cot
ton seed manufacture in 1900. 1t was only
! a few years ago that cotton seed was re-
( garded as a by-product of little or no COM
| mercal value. Now according to this re-
4 It,rt tob tiSh lfC In rhn
| United States in 1900 engaged in the eX-
| traction Of cotton seed oil, using 2,4793S6
| tons of cotton seed. the cost of which
! $2S Go, GIG an average cost of s11.55 per
| ton. The total value of the products was
| $f2 Al | S.f5. From valuation which but a
! few decades ago might fifty have been eX-
| pressed by cipher this advance to mar
| ket of over forty millions is indeed a fact
to be truly classed among the marvels of
| the world.
Made From Rubbish.
| Some Of the most delicately scented per-
| fumery comes out Of waste rubbish. Use
| has been found for the refuse of tanneries
and curriers' shops. Much of the material
! formerly wasted in these trades is now used
| for making the soleS of boots and shoes.
| The leather cuttings and scrapings are
| cleaned dampened, compressed and dried
| the refuse in this process being in turn
| manufactured into what is known as
| into great variety of useful things-into
pals, cups and even into car wheels and
building materials.
The saying that an enterprise has "all
! ended in smoke" does not have the signii-
| canoe that 1t did before a way was found
| to materialiZe that airy product into SUBJ
stances as tangible as oils, acids, spirits and
| tar. A single blast furnace in a western
| state, which captures the smoke of its
| charcoal pits and conveys it into stills. has
| been able to realize enough from this source
|
| penses
The utilization of sewage is most i'm
| portant question. but apart from the chem
| ical and agricultural uses to which ii is
now put there is yet to be solved the prob
| lem of utilizing the waste with which every
| river to less or greater degree is polluted
| This is one Of the things that they seem to
manage better in France, for in a most in
teresting article which appeared a few
months ago in the London Leisure Hour 1t
was pointed out how the floating debris OF
| the Seine has for years been a source Of
| profitable manufacture in obtaining from IT
greases and other products Of commercial
value.
Uses Of Stag.
What substance, for example. would seem
| to be more completely useless than the
refuse of mines and furnaces, or Stag, as 1t
is called? But Stag is now treated in a
| variety - ways and converted into num-
| Der Of useful things, such as paving blocks,
Stag glass. Stag shingles and Stag sand.
| Stag brick Is one Of its chief uses at
present. and for this there Is a considera-
bic demand. Mortar for building purposes
Is another method Of utilization simply
achieved by grinding the Stag sand with
about per cent of Slaked lime; artificial
stone, nodded into chimney pieces, window
heads and sills, wall coping and other or
namental work for builders; and the last
use which has been found for it is in max
ing Stag wool silicate cotton, as it is
ca. led, from it's resemblance to cotton wool.
This is snow white in color, and is chiefly
used for covering boilers steam pipes,
and being a non-conductor of heat, it is
admirably adapted for these uses. Coal
Stag has been for years another trouble
some waste. Now, however. this is being
used for building purposes The builders in
first to use the waste which surrounds eV-
cry coal mine. They wished to find cheap,
durable and healthy material for the con-
Struction of suburban houses and coal
Stag mixed with saked lime, treated as
concrete. was adopted. The mass hard
ened rapidly, and even after few days
the walls were firm enough to support the
joist Trainings. The strength and fire-re-
SiSting properties of this new composition
have been well tested, and one case is men,
toned where nitro-benzine factory was
burned down. the great heat even melting
the machinery, and yet the walls built of
coal Stag bricks were uncOnSumed-their |
surfaces having a glazed appearance-and
they sustained without repair the ceiling |
and roof of the restored building.
An establishment that works up brass
and iron in about equal proportions for |
more than a year mixed the drillingS, turn
ings and filings of both metals indscrimi-
nately and dumped them out of doors as |