East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-07-01

DR.. Charles A Champion, chief
chemist Of the United States govern
ment revenue service, writes as fol-
lows Of the manufacture of denatured
alcohol for commercial purposes:
Denatured alcohol is alcohol to
which have been added some sub
stance or substances which make it
unfit for use as a beverage, but not
unfit for industrial purposes. When
thus denatured it may (according to
the law which took effect January l,
1sO7) be used without payment Of a
government revenue tax, and this, Of
course, greatly cheapens its cost to
the consumer.
Denatured alcohol is of two kinds:
completely denatured and especially
denatured. Completely denatured al
cohol is intended to be sold at retail
to the public for the general purposes
of heat, light, power and cleaning, and
can now be purchased as freely as
kerosene. Especially denatured alco-
hol is intended for use in certain lines
Of manufacture where the substances
which produce the completely dena-
tured product would initiate against
its use as a manufacturing agent.
As a Source OF Heat, Light and Power.
Turning now to the other class Of
uses we come to the most important
point upon which the people need in
struction to derive the full benefit of
the new law. The merit Of denatured
alcohol as a source Of heat, light and
power must be brought to the atten-
tion OF each individual before the full
development OF these uses can be
realized. Germany has made the
greatest progress Of any nation In
this respect, and the use Of denatur-
ed alcohol there has increased from
25.OOO.O00 gallons in 1901 to 37OOO.-
900 gallons in 1905.
Here no provision has been made
vet for government promotion beyond
renting the tax, but little has been
done IN the way Of private promo
ton. Pending the operation Of these
agencies 1t might be well for house.
wives TO learn something Of the mer-
its Of alcohol for domestic uses.
For lighting purposes alcohol is
burned in a lamp provided with an
incandescent mantle or Welsbach
burner, Of precisely the same charac-
ter as the burners now so generally
used with Illuminating gas, and with
identical results. Classification is Sc
cured by burning a little alcohol
around the burner to heat it up at
the start. No further attention Is re-
quired, and the beautiful steady.
white light Is maintained as long as
the supply Of alcohol continues. When
burned in this manner alcohol has a
decided advantage as an illuminant
over kerosene burned in any form OF
wick lamp.
Probably nine-tenths Of the COM
pletely denatured alcohol consumed
in Germany is burned for heat pro-
duction in the household. Alcohol
CASTLES quite readily, and, on account
OF its low content Of carbon, the gas
produced burns with a blue flame
without the introduction Of air for
complete combustion, as Is necessary
with the gases produced from gaso-
line. and kerosene, or with ordinary
Illuminating gas. There is, therefore,
an entire absence Of the production
of SCOT, or unconsumed carbon,
II IL Most Satisfactory Fuel in Every
Way.
Alcohol burns without dlsagreeable
odor, and is most cleanly and satis-
factory fuel In every way. It is not
quite equal to the petroleum products
in heat production, and 1t cannot be
expected to compete with them in
price for some time to come; but II
has marked advantage, especially
over gasoline, in It's greater safety. It
does not give off a gas at ordlnar,
temperature, like gasoline; conse-
quently 1t Is much safer to keep about
the house.
II is slightly more infammable
than the best grades Of kerosene, but
the advantage Of alcohol over kero-
sene in case Of fire is that the for.
mer is much more readily extinguish-
ed by me use OF water, with which
II mixes in all proportions, and when
diluted II will not burn. The petro-
leum products, on the other hand,
DO not dissolve IN water. and will even !
burn while floating upOn lts aurfaca