Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-10-22
GIVES OIL FORMULA
Rittman's New Process Proves
to Be a Success.
United States Government Offers For
mula for Making BenzoI and Toll
uoI to Everybody-6asis for
Explosives and Dyes.

shingtOn.-Secretary Lane can
celled a contract made by the depart
ment of the interior with the Aetna
Explosive company Of New York. Uni.
der which the company had agreed to
expend 100000 in the development
of the process discovered by DR.. Wal
ter F. Rittman for the manufacture
of benzol and toluol from petroleum.
Doctor Rittman is the new chemical
engineer of the United States bureau
of mines whose discoveries have re-
Gently been widely advertised by the
department of the interior as likely
to revolutionize industries using pc
troleum and its products.
The action was taken by Secretary
Lane on receiving information from
A. ]. Moxham. president of the Aetna
Explosives company, that the results
obtained from the production under
the Rittman process had been SO sat
isfactOry that his company would
start their plant on a commercially
operative basis.
The cancellation of the contract"
Secretary Lane said. lis in accordance
with the original understanding with
the company to the effect that the
government would withdraw from the
contract as soon as benzol and tOluoi
were produced by means of the Ritz
man process in commercial quantities.
Il am greatly gratified at the sue
cess which has been made in the me-
chanical development of the process
and feel assured that 1t has an i'm
portant and successful industrial fu-
ture, not alone as a source of two OF
the most valuable constituents of high
explosives. but also as an efficient
means of supplying dyestuff bases.
The mechanical improvements
which can reasonably be expected to
follow from continuous operation and
more general use are certain to give
even better results than those SO far
obtained.
1T should be a matter of national
satisfaction to know that should the
need ever arise the country can de-
pend upon this process, which Is the
result of the labors of government
scientist, to furnish it with quantities
of the raw materials for the manufac-
ture Of the most efficient explosives.
lack of which has been one Of the
greatest handicaps of the warning
European powers.
ssnF M 1oCo iv,,rnrxonoo hN-owop S.
the peaceful industrial uses to which
these same products can be put, now
that it has been proved that they can
be produced on q commercial scale.
and am hopeful that the established
possibilities of the process will give
a decided stimulus to important chem
ical Industries.
The success which has attended
the development Of this government
controlled process In cooperation with
private capital has demonstrated the
wisdom of the arrangement. as other
wise the process would probably be in
the laboratory stage and its CONNER
cial possibilities would have continued
to be a matter of conjecture. 1t is to
be hoped that similar beneficial Co
operation between the government
and business interests can be had in
future for the good of an entire in
dustry.
The department of the interior is
ready to issue permits or licenses to
any person or firm that can furnish
assurances of good faith and that is
DESTROYS Of employing the process.
THE Aetna Explosives company has
also agreed to develop the Rittman
gasoline process. and I expect to be
able to make announcement as to the
success of this other process in large
scale operations within a short time"