The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-08-29

ton is left to the discretion of the
board OF commissioners of inland
revenue; and, more than all, the law
Is to be so amended as to practically
give bounty of at least cents a
gallon on all methylated spirits here
after made in Great Britain.
Il had the pleasure of visiting at
Manchester, England, two large hat
factories where denatured alcohol was
being used in the manufacture of hats.
At one factory the proprietor told me
that he bought his spirit in Liverpool
and paid one shilling and sixpence for
the English imperial gallon. This
would be about 80 to 32 cents for our
gallon. A cask of spirit with faucet
attached so that any one could have
access to it lay near the door of the
recovery oven room and close to the
walk where all of the workmen and
women passed. going to and from their
work. When l called his attention to
the fact that the spirit was greatly ex-
posed he said that any one would have
to be pretty low down to drink the
stuff and assured me that they had no
trouble whatever in that respect. They
bought their spirit on printed requisi-
ton forms and were under bonds for
Its proper use. A government inspec-
tor came into the factory whenever
he chose to do so.
"The mixture which was there used
consisted of 9 per cent. methyl alcohol,
10 per cent. methyl alcohol with per
cent. of benzine added. Under the pro-
visions of the new law the 10 per cent
of wood spirit will be reduced to
per cent. The benzine is not required
to be added, except where recovery
and rehabilitation is practiced.
We had no trouble in buying COM
pletely denatured alcohol at any drug
store as freely as we could buy any
other article kept for sale. l can see
no reason why the same freedom of
use cannot be consistently accorded to
the United States.
1.-The question of cooperative redis-
tillation, of course, is somewhat more
involved and will require a careful
working out of a system, but l have
not the slightest doubt but that the
skill of the hatters themselves will be
able to evolve such plan SO that we
may be put on an equality so far as
this material is concerned with the
other manufacturers of the world.
Il am confident that the spirit can
be produced and furnished to our
manufacturers in the United States
cheaper than in any other country,
notwithstanding the large bounties
which are being paid by the nations
of Europe
$50 far as could see the practically
unrestricted use of denatured alcohol
in England was based on the good
character and standing of the manu-
facturer, supplemented by bond for
it's proper use, and in addition to that,
chemical control of the spirit by the
government.
1.-The processes of denaturing were
examined into very carefully in all
three countries. In each of them spe-
cial exhibits were made by expert
methylators at the request of the gov
ernemnt officials, and in each case we
were accompanied to the establish
ments where the work was carried on
by the representatives of the various
governments.
Perhaps a statement of the method
in one case will answer for all others.
At one extensive establishment near
London we found the process to be
about as follows:
IA separate building was used for
the purpose of methylating spirit. 1t
was building of about twenty by
thirty feet in size, four stories high,
and strongly built. On the ground
floor were four large iron tanks hold
ing about $500 gallons each. On the
next floor we found twenty-one casks
of spirit which had just been brought
under seal from the bonded warehouse.
On the third floor we're the wood alco-
hol tanks, and on the fourth floor cans
full of methylating materials. CO.
ing to the fourth floor the covers to
the wood alcohol tanks were removed
(these tank covers were flush with
that floor) and the contents gagged
and tested. The quantity to be put In
the tanks on the first floor was run
off through pipes connecting with the
first floor tanks and the upper tanks
relockeL Then going to the second
floor each cask of the grain spirit was
gagged and tested and the tank COW
ers, which were flush with that floor
were removed and the casks Of the
grain spirit were run on into the mix
ture in the tanks below. The mixture
was then stirred with long handled
wooden paddles and the tank covers
replaced, and the material was ready
for sale free of tax. The abatement
of tax in that case amounted to about
$4,000. The mixture was 10 per cent
wood alcohol and 30 per cent. ethyl
alcohol made from mOlasses and was
what is known as the ordinary methy.
lating spirit used only for manufactur.
ing purposes and used under bond