The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-08-27
HAS PATENT TO
CLEAN OIL TANKS
JOS. M. Ness, Chicago Chem
ist, Has Secret Chem
ical Compound.
HE DEMONSTRATES ITS VALUE
Fills Vessels With Water Then Adds
His Patent Cleaners the
Work of One Night.
Especial to THE TIMEsl

Especial to IHE 1IMES)-
East Chicago, Ind, Aug. 27.-After a
weeks experimenting with chemical
compounds and solvents, Chemis Joseph
NJ Ness of the German American Tank
Line company has reduced the task of
cleaning soiled tank cars to mini
mum expense and period of labor.
Eliminates Danger.
Heretofore, oil companies using tank
cars for coal tar products have been
obliged to use gasoline, benezine or
some other gaseous solvent to clean
away the sedimentary caking. Labor
ers using waste cloths soaked in gaso
line have been often overcome and ia
tally i'll from the gas generated by
combining the solvent with the coal
tar products. Mr.. Ness, who is a
graduate Of a Chicago school of chem
istry and a practician of years of ex-
perience, decided that this danger
should be done away with, and at once
set forth to accomplish the feat.
Works in East Chicago.
| Mr.. Ness Offices are in Chicago and
he arrived in East Chicago to COM
mence operations on Monday. Fifteen
tank cars were lined up on spur
track in the G. A. T. l. yard and all
of these were in an extremely filthy
condition. Mr.. Ness filled these tanks
with water, first securing 200 feet of
fire hose from the city and Chicago and
securing a permit from the city of
East Chicago to operate a fire plug
within the grounds of the German
American company. These cars were
then filled with water, 1000 gallons
to the car, The chemist says that the
| average time consumed in filling the
cars was but fourteen minutes, and
offers a world of praise for the excel
lent pressure maintained by the East
| Chicago water department. You need
have no fear in case of fire." he says,
| ''as the pressure here is equal to- If
not greater, than that of the Chicago
| departments"
Adds Secret Compound.
| After the tanks were filled with wa
ter, a compound. prepared secretly by
Mr.. Ness, and composed of caustic soda.
bi-chromate of potash and other chem
icals, was added to the water. A live
steam pipe was then inserted into each
of fifty pounds was allowed to pass
boiling the compound all night, the
| 1000 gallons of water and filth were
drained away leaving the inside of
the tank absolutely clean.
Absolutely Pure.
| Where the dirtiest kind of oil was
once shipped in this tank" said Mr..
Ness as he showed his preparation to a
TIMES reporter. you can now ship milk,
molasses or any foodstuffs without any
danger of contamination. The inside
| of the tank is as clean as though it
was scraped by a force of twelve men
until the upper taking of the steel
| were loosened."
| One man can attend to ten tank cars
| by the new process, cleansing them
| thoroughly during the night. Hereto
fore, the same work would require a
force of almost a dozen men, working
| steadily with wire brushes and SHOW
| els.
Mr.. Ness will take immediate steps
to have his formula protected by gov
eminent patents. as he believes the
more modern way of cleansing the car
riers will completely revolutionize the
oil shipping traffic
VI. Epstein Is Surprised.
NJ Epstein. president of the German
American Tank Line company came to
East Chicago as soon as he had heard
of the wonderful success attained by
Chemist Ness. He was visibly aston
ished and declared that Ness had sue
ceeded beyond HIS greatest expecta-
tions. Mr.. Epstein will make peridical
trips to the local shops, intending to
make them a dominant feature of the
tank building industry, now open to
competition.