The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-02-23
VALUE OF LITTLE ECONOMIES

rev persons who are not themselves
actively engaged in trade and manufac-
ttre realize how important a role the
praGuce OF small economies plays in the
Workings OF the big Industrial enter
prises OF the present day. 10 the giant
United States Steel Corporation. for in
stance. with Its profits, as recently an
ncinced. Of SOO,UO0 day. 1t might APP
pear that such trihing matters as the
saving OF stray screws and waste iron
aust would hardly appear worth while
As matter Of fact, however such saw
lngs are very well worth while, and Il
Is largely to the care with which pro-
vision is made against possible waste
that the large profits are due.
So keen has competition become in all
the branches OF production that 1t very
often requires nothing more than TIE
mere difference between economical and
and what might be thought the, most
unimportant or details 10 make one en-
terprtse success and another a failure.
Look after the pennies and the dollars
will look after themselves is a maxim
which applies with as great force to The
big. corporations as it does to private
individuals.
A few years ago sawdust used to be
thrown away. 1t was dumped from the
big lumber mills of Maine and Michi-
gan into the river streams and allowed
to settle in great banks. which not only
cbstructed navigation, but proved detri-
mental to fish life. Explosions caused by
the generation of gas in the wet saw
dust were frequent and caused many ac-
cidents.
So great a nuisance did the sawdust in
the rivers finally become that city and
town corporations were obliged to take
action against the owners of the mills.
Laws were passed making 1t compulsory
to dispose of sawdut in some other way,
and for a time the mill owners resorted
to the expedient OF burning the waste
product.
This disposition of the sawdust occa-
stoned an extra expense and other means
were sought by which it could be got
ridw OF. The attention which the matter
thus attracted resulted in the discovery
that sawdust had uses never dreamed of,
and that instead of being thrown into
the river or burned it might be made a
means of further profit to the owners.
Now sawdust is made into a great
many articles OF considerable CONNER
cial value. Compress d wooden ware.
panels. and pavement blocks are among
the more familiar OF these products, and
the industry is steadily increasing. BY
a process of dry distillatton, too, gas,
obtained from the sawdust. These in
turn are made into still other products.
From the tar there is obtained oenzole,
paraffin, napthalene and hydrocarbons.
which ars used in the manufacture OF an
lime dyes Carbonc acid and creosote are
also obtained.
From the artircial wood i number of
valuable articles besides the pals, pan
els, and blocks mentioned are likewise
obtained. From the plastic mass which
results from sitting out the coarser par
ticles and mixing the remainder with
various filters and agglutinants, there
are manufactured slabs for parquet
ioors. bas-reliefs. art castings and din
ner plates.
The newest use to which sawdust has
been put is as feed for cattle. For this
purpose il Is declared to be far superior
to straw, and 1t is probable that in
few years sawdust will be almost as val