The San Francisco call., 1910-07-15

ELECTRICITY STOPS
FUMES OF SMELTER
Smoke and NOXiOus Acids Com
trOIled in Chimneys by
Simple Machine
F. Ii. COttreII Explains Device
and Its Use Before Chem
icaI Association

How palatial residences might be
maintained in the shadow of a garbage
incinerator without the nuisance Of
noxious fumes, how the finest linens
might fly from a clothes line next door
TO smelter without coming 10 grief
from smoke, and how luxuriant gardens
might thrive near the biggest chemical
plant in the world was explained yes
terday morning by some of the coun-
try's foremost scientists at the session
Of the industrial section of the Ameri-
can chemical association in the st.
Francis hotel
The topic under discussion was Smell
ter Smoke Papers were presented by
Charles Baskerville and W c. Ebaugh.
and F. G. Cottrel delivered an address
On the electrical precipitation of sus-
pended matter
FIGHT WITH FACTORY SMOKE
CottrelI began with the history of
the hght against smoke in the big cities
Of the world and exhibited lantern
slides 10 show the first crude apparatus
that was used to mitigate the nuisance.
II was simple electrical device con-
sisting Of a large static machine with
contact points arranged in q smoke
chamber. The purpose was TO cleo
trify the smoke clouds and cause them
10 collect on the walls OF the retaining
chamber. This system was found to be
impractlcabie because Of the growth or
the factories Different types of cleo
trfc machines were tried until one was
built that promises. according to the
pictures COttrelI flashed upon the
Some Of CottreiI's views showed the
stacks Of big factories before end after
the electric current operating the
smoke destroying devices was turned
on In one picture the dense volume of
smoke pouring from the chimneys al
most obscured the rest of the view.
ELECTRICITY PREVENTS NUISANCE
Vow. then" exclaimed Cottrell,
'well turn on the current"
The operator of the stereopticon
shifted the slide and there was a pic
ture OF the same chimney without the
least Vestige OF smoke. although to one
side there was still part Of the great
cloud which left the chimney moment
before. Cottreu explained that the
exposure was made Immediately after
the current had been switched on.
This system consists OF positive and
negative electrodes insta lied in great
smoke chambers. A powerful direct
current. which is found to be better
than an alternating one. is turned on
and the smoke is charged before it has
2 chance 10 rise.
SAVING FOR MANUFACTURERS
Cottrell dealt with the attitude of
manufacturers toward these expensive
smoke destroying plants. saying that
inasmuch as there was not sufficient
legislation to enforce installa tions II
was necessary for the scientific world
10 show that there was an advantage
in doing so. He explained that in
many Of the chemical plants valuable
byproducts went up the chimney in
smoke. To illustrate this he showed
view Of a plant that used the smoke
suppressOr and in which a stream of
sulphuric acid was flowing from a pipe
at the rate of two gallons a minute.
Under ordinary conditions this acid,
which is OF great commercial value,
would pass out of the chimney as gas
and be wasted. besides making plant
life absolutely impossible and endan-
gering animal life in the neighborhood.
STORAGE BATTERIES SAVED
In the physical and inorganic sec
tion. which met in the red room, ". ID.
Bancroft president OF the society.
spoke on two subjects in which great
advance has been made at Cornell uni
versity. SALIVA ging Sulphated Storage
Cells" and determination of the TEN
peratures Of Carborundum Furnaces"
He announced the discovery Of a
method Of restoring the sulphated bat
teries from an efficiency of L per cent
TO an efficiency Of IS per cent by the
use Of sodium sulphate. This method
Of treating storage batteries will be
q boon 20 firms that are handling them
commercially.
Bancroft also explained the use of
optical promoters for determining
temperatures above 1000 degrees Fab
renheit.
The chemists spent their afternoon
and evening in visiting Mount Tamal
pals They viii meet at the University
of California at $50 o'clock this