The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-12-30
sAwDusT, lNToxIcATyoN AND
SOME OTHER MYaTERaEn

DR.. Harvey G.. Wiley. chief OF the
bureau of chemistry of the departmeot
Of agriculture, is writing 4 series. g.
popular articles on denatured alcollel,
which has not yet grown popular 8
spite of h great things expected q n.
1t has not been easy enough to unak
or cheap enough when made, to -
widely used 'insteadsof gasoline for ~
tomObiles or for cooking Instead q
coal.
DR.. Wiley does. not explain how 6 =.
to become cheap enough, but q Ch8eoeo
company claims that It ran be MADE r.
any quantity n Of the best qu0lfy
from sawdust. It has been made a.
p~ertnentally from sawdust very slten.
and money has been sunk In. trytn9 g,
get some way Of making &c ,e6seD;
enough to be worth while. e 3 ~;
claimed that at a cost OF only 9 Co..
q gallon under q new process, M ~.
into operation, 1t can be made ~ ~
thousand gallons, with 22h gallons GfoD,
each ton Of sawduet. !.
This is said not to be common awDo6,
alcohol,." but alcohol equal to lhesAea!
distilled from corn. As the DrooeaosA1
secret, what the public IL moat tn0o9..
ested in knowing will he known en0vl
when alcohol can be delivereds to or0cFs
by the train load at about 10 cent? =;
gallon from h immense heaps OF Mv-..
dust piled around the. mills which ~.
now ripping up h woods. It ae6mnal
from what is said of treating the co.,
dust first with acid," that this me4haA..
gets alcohol out Of sawdnst In tie anoo.
way sugar or candy 10 got oAf ~ err
Sugar, starch n alcohol are nande q.
the same things Chiefly carbon; ~
it is only a question of treating then ~
turn n into the other. In making -.
alcohol out Of sawdust, the Coo6v
fiber" is put through a. change f1fo
sugar on its way to the final clta1ao
into alcohol.
II the process were not secret. ANY,.
one who studies such things could ex-
plain in a minute or so just how n q.
done. The reason Ia still unknown RI
this case. 'ass 1t 9is i%nsnearly everJtHtng:
else we are now learning. We kHo1
how alcohol intoxicates, but not ~.
The sawdust heaps and wood pslea se
the country might supply enough alea-
hol to make the entire populatioady-k.
and also to cook the foods fun q eeaseS.
and sugar, on which most peopae I've
Why We keep sober on the same &c.
In starch and sugar that intoxfeH1o
when they change into another for@
no one will know until it Is foul,d 80
by someone who will be made faanasS
by his discovery.
The same mystery which beloss. =
alcohol reaches into e%verythinG. ~
must nave oxygen in the air. fn srRer
to live. One part more Of. Oxygen aiI-
ed to air makes 1t as intoxicating -
alcohol. The great use OF chemistYy
to show things that are real as FAR =
We are concerned, no matter mat -
think about them. They are .Nna1-.
ttes," and that is all we know e1oof
them beyond what we can zee. ~.
taste, smell or hear.
II they are Compatible with -
qualities. U usual rate Of "vfbraaieW~
goes on and we keep our usual "a e
chemical combinations. II they are.ne
compatible. we begin to die AZ soon ~
they begin combining with d boInea.
The oxygen that stimulates in one -
bination kills in another. We I'VE .
carbon In some combinations. n go
ers, we "go crazy on IL. 10
we say matter has, these ..qualifsas
But this means only that uchsfi11
follow. whether we think they - ~
not. When we study chemistry % Hasn.
what is and is not compatible, Ne msN
not learn to explain final mysteries. ~
we may learn how little opinions -
have to do with qualities.