The Indianapolis journal., 1903-09-27
SOME BY-PRODUCTs OF ART AND
NATURE.

NAIlhEs
A gentleman of this city has obtained a
patent for manufacturing brick out Of the
refuse planings Of plate glass, and is now
erecting a plant for the manufacture of
glass brick. This is only one of a great
number of instances of the utilization of
material which was formerly considered
worthless. In fact, marked feature of
modern industry is the tendency to utilize
materials that were formerly treated as
waste or refuse matter. Millions upon mil
lions Of dollars worth of material was
thrown away in the different processes of
manufacture before 1t was discovered that
everything has it's use. The modern in
crease Of wealth is largely due to the dis
that were formerly and for long time re-
garded as worthless. The parts of hogs and
cattle which were formerly thrown away
are now utilized to an extent that contrib
utes materially TO the net profits of the
slaughtering business. 1t is law of ma
ture that everything has its use. A cele-
brated British scientist says:
Chemistry, like a prudent housewife,
economies every scrap. The clippings OF
parings of horses hoofs from the smithy
or the cast-of woolen garments of the
poorest inhabitants of sister isle. and
soon afterwards, in the form of dyes of
the brightest blue, grace the dresses of
courtly DANES. The bones of dead ami
mails yield the chief continent of lucifer
matches. The dregs OF port wine, carefully
rejected by the port wine drinker in decant-
in the mordniIg as Seidlitz powders to re-
move the effects of his debauch. The offal
gas reappear carefully preserved in the
lady's smelling bottle, or are used by her
to flavor blanc manages for her friends.
This economy OF the chemistry OF art Is
only an imitation of what We observe in
the chemistry of nature. Animals live ana
die; their dead bodies passing into putrid-
ity. escape into the atmosphere, whence
plants again mold them into forms of or
ganic life; and these plants, actually con-
sisting of past generation of ancestors,
form our present food.
Thus nature, by her economic processes,
furnishes raw material for chemistry to
convert into new forms without having lost
a single atom of matter since the creation
OF the world. Another writer says:
The choicest perfumes that are placed upon
the market are no doubt obtained from oils
and ethers extracted from flowers; but
there are many others which are artifcially
made, many out OF bad smelling elements:
The fusel oil obtained in the distillation of
whisky has an odor that is peculiarly dis
agreeable, yet II is used, after treatment
with proper acids and oxidizing agents. i'm
making the oil or apples and the oil of
pears. The oil of grapes and the oil OF
cognac are little more than fusel oil diluted.
OIL or pineapple is best made by the action
rancid butter with alcohol and sulphuric
acid. One of the most popular perfumes
has for one of its essential ingredients ma
terial which is obtained from the DRAWINGS
of hnn Ipfa lxac n taif f,aI.
less cost from one OF the products OF
gas tar. out of which is also obtained the
oil of bitter almonds, so largely consumed
in the manufacture of perfumed soap and
confectionery.
The methods of utilizing the refuse of
cities are so perfected that every conceiv-
able thing from old tin cans TO bones and
kitchen garbage has value. Formerly, and
for long time the furnace Stag produced
In the iron and steel industries was not
only thrown away. but removed at large
expense. Now 1t is made into artificial
stone for paving and building purposes.
Similar economies have been introduced in
the lumber business. Sawdust, for genera
tions regarded as worthless. is now nodded
into a material more valuable than wood
for ornamental purposes. Wood alcohol
and wood pulp are manufactured on a large
scale. According to the United States CEN
sus Of 1900, the amount of sawdust used in
the clay and pottery industry of the coun-
try cost N9.6s7. Up to about thirty years
ago the preparation of pork and beef prod
ucts meant simply curing and picking the
meat. ali the other parts of the animal. ex-
cept the hide being thrown away. Now the
by-products of slaughter houses include gel
attn, glue fertilizers. hair. curled hair.
bristles. blood. neats-foot oil. bones. horns,
hoofs. soap stock. glycerin. brewers isin-
glass. albLmen and some others. From the
glands and membranes are made pepsin.