The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-14
ALCOHOL EXPERTS
TO WIN Big PRIZES
Russia Offers $371,60O in All
for New Commercial Ways
to Use Spirits.
TO PROTECT DISTILLERS
Special Correspondence 10 THn srS.

LONDON. Nov, what Is probably
the biggest prize competition ever or
ganized IL being held by the Russian
Government to save the great distiilery
industry Of the empire from utter ruin
holic drinks
Twenty-four prizes. Of a total value
Of $371 $50 In all-thc lowest Of them
sa.6io and the highest 3a.e50-are Of
fered 10 the world for new ways of
utilizing alcohol as a source Of power.
light and heat and in the manufacture
OF other products, and also for the dis
covery Of methods of making alcohol
absolutely undrinkable while allowing its
unrestricted use.
Thu prizes that Russia offers are as
follows:
For new processes for transforming
alcohol into other products. such as vim
cgar. chloroform. ether. &c.
New processes for the manufacture
Ct pharmaceutical perfumery and other
products.
New processes with the aid Of alcohol
Of making smokeless powder and artih-
cisl silk.
Inventions and improvements In the
use Of alcohol for Internal combustion
motors.
Inventions and improvements in the
use of alcohol ~ fuel.
Use of alcohol for lighting purposes.
Discovery or Improvement OF sub
stances for denaturing alcohol.
winners to Own Inventions.
Competing memoirs have to be sent
to Petrograd Nv. .. Quai Toutchkoff %
before January 1. 1916, and the prizes
will be awarded not later thar July 1
following. The prize winners will re-
tain the ownership Of their inventions.
which they are allowed to protect by
patents and to work IL they like.
Sir Boverton Redwood. adviser On oil
supplies to the Government. two years
ago called attention to the urgent neces-
sity of developing the industrial uses OF
alcohol. Interviewed by a representa-
tive Of the Weekly Dispatch. he spoke
viii great enthusiasm {. the valuable
results to the British Empire which
should follow the enterprise Of the Rus
sian Government.
The conversion Of the sugar and
other similar compounds formed In
plants into alcohol is the one satisfac-
tory means available to us of storing
up the suns heat" he said. "and II all
the uses practicable were made of alco-
hol in the ways indicated by the Rus
sian Government many millions OF acres
q waste or und~erproductive land would
be brought into prott.
Although the Russian Governments
object appears primarily to save the dis
filling industry, The increased industrial
application of alcohol hou do much
10 encourage the development of the
magnificent resources OF that vast en-
Dire. But the offer OF nearly 1915 900
In prizes may well prove to be of the
greatest service to us and our oversee
dominions as well.
II think there ought to be a very
fair chance of some of these prizes being
awarded to British scientists. A num-
Der of our countrymen nave devoted
much attention 10 the problems OF the
industrial uses Of alcohol. But they
have never had the inducements. other
than those of pure love OF science, which
German scientists have enjoyed. The
Kaiser personally took a great interest
IN the subject. and much Of the encour-
agement to inventors and experimenters
came direct from him. The competition
'is described as international and appar-
entity Is not restricted. SO that it is at
least possible that some of the prizes
may he won by Germans or Austrians.
Subject Well known to Germans.
Very great use indeed is being made
Of alcohol in the enemy countries at
the present time, and II Is possible that
their scientific knowledge or this sub
5ect rs in advance OF the rest OF the
worlds.
zone difficulty that has always stood
IN the way of the effective considera-
ton of the substitution of alcohol for
mineral spirit has been the need Of pro-
curing the necessary alteration In the
fiscal conditions under which alcohol Is
o~btainable for use in this country. II
we can get to the point Of demonstrate
ing that alcohol is a practically avail
able substitute for motor spirit we are
still face to face with the necessity Of
coming to some arrangement with the
Government which will admit of the
employment as a fuel Of something which
At the present time is productive Of a
very large amount OF revenue.
'As to technical difficulties. have
10 doubt that they can he overcome,
The petrol engine has been evolved for
the consumption Of petrol, and naturally
alcohol in such an engine In not a fair
substitute. But In an engine designed
especially for its consumption II will
do as much work as an equal quantity
of petrol. There Is the objection that
II corrodes the metal of the petrol en-
CINE with which II comes In contact.
But this can be disposed of by slight
changes in the consumption OF The
metal.
Among the results which we hoped
for from the experiments We had started
was the use OF alcohol fuel for existing
types of engines with "A minimum OF
modification.
Alcohol can be manufactured from
O number OF products. In this country
We could proftahly grow sugar beet
for the purpose. Germany mas millions
OF acres of poor land under potatoes
for srhri production. In warmer coun-
tries there is a very large choice Of
plants that yield alcohol. from maize
and the sugar cane to such troublesome
weeds as the prickly pear, which covers
vast tracts of land in America and
Australia"