The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-08-21
MAKING EXPLOSIVES OF COTTON
Amount of Cotton Consumed Not
KnOwn-Trcatmcnt Necessary.

Washington, Aug. 1.-THE Euro
pean war has created an Unsuitable
demand for ammunition. New estab-
lishments are being erected for the
of explosives, and the
possibility of increased profits is in
ducing firms engaged in other indus
tries to enter this field. This state
Of affairs. of course. has an import
ant effect on the price of cotton,
which is largely used as material
in the manufacture Of explosives.
Director Rogers, of the bureau Of
census. is carrying on an extensive
in his endeavor to OBJ
tain statistics of all establishments
using cotton as a material. Consum-
ers of cotton naturally desire to know
the total quantity used in all lines of
industry, and they can aid in the com
pilation Of accurate statistics by fur
nishing the census bureau at Wash
ington with the names and addresses
of establishments which have begun
the use Of cotton as q raw material
since the commencement of the Eu-
rOpean war. Mr.. Rogers says that
great many letters are. being received
requesting information as to the guam
tity Of cotton and linters used in the
manufacture Of explosives. Some
express the fear that the bureau is
not aware of the extent to which these
materials are now being used for this
purpose The director desires to
state that the census bureau is aware
Of the greatly increased demand for
cotton and linters. and has been en-
deavoring to collect complete statis-
tics concerning the total quantity used
by all consumers of cotton, in COM
pliance with the law which requires
monthly reports on this subject
Unfortunately it is impossible to
supply statistics as to the amount Of
cotton used in the manufacture of ex-
plOsives alone. The act of congress
authorizing the collection of cotton
statistics directs the census bureau
ito collect and publish statistics con-
cerning the quantity Of raw cot
ton consumed in manufacturing estab-
lishments Of every character :"
While some manufacturers of explo-
sives purchase the raw cotton and
subject it to the necessary processes
of publication in their own establish
nents many Of them buy it from 9TH
er establishments which purify and
treat the fiber SO as to render it suit
able for use in the manufacture of ex-
plosives. Many of these establish
ments prepare cotton not only for
manufacturers of explosives but also
for manufacturers of wholly different
products, and it is not feasible for
the census bureau to obtain separate
statistics Of the amount Of purified
cotton turned out by such esta ablish-
ments for use in the manufacture Of
explosives.
There has been a great increase in
recent years in the production of lint
ers and hull fiber. Linters are OBJ
tanned at the oil mills by reginning
the cottonseed, the object being to
remove the short fibers so that the fine
particles of the kernel will not be
carNed off with the hulls, making
possible greater yield of oil and
meal. The total quantity OF linters
obtained from the crop of 1899 was
114,544 bales Of 500 pounds each; but
fifteen years later the output of this
by-product Of the cottOnseed-oil in
dustry had increased by more than
600 per cent, the number of bales
turned out from the crop of 1914 be-
ing S56,9Oe.
Hull fiber is obtained by treat
nent of the hulls which breaks up
their structure and makes available
the short fibers which have not been
removed in the delinting process.
Several establishments have been en-
gagged in the production of hull fiber
for number Of years, and addition
al ones are taking up this line of
manufacture.
The publication of statistics of cot
ton production and consumption has
called public attention to the desir-
ability Of similar data concerning nu-
merous other and totally different
commodities. The census bureau is
receiving numerous requests for such
data concerning various articles the
production Of which has been stim-
ulated by the European war or by
economic conditions due in a meas