Evening star., 1915-11-26
H. A. Frasch, New York Chem
ist, Confers With Officials
at Bureau of Mines.
DISCOVERS SUBSTANCE
HE CALLS "PETRACIN"
Director Manning Interested in His
Statements, But Process Must
Be Tried Out.

n. MdIlHlnR, director OF the bureau Oh
mines. and other government officials.
relative to a process he has discovered
for the manufacture of dyes and tolors
from crude material obtainable in great
quantities in the United States.
Mr.. Frasch informed the government
officials that he discovered a substance
which he calls 'petracin," twenty-fi five
years ago. which he has manufactured
from the "sludge" which is the result of
petroleum refining. From this "pe-
tracin" he has made many dyes and col
ors. he informed the officials, and he
brought to Washington samples of
woolen yarns, silk, satin. leather, mer-
cerized cotton and plain cotton, dyed
with his product.
For twenty-five years, Mr.. Frasch
said. his discovery lay dormant, and it
was not until the outbreak of the Euro
pean war, and the consequent shutting
off from the United States of the sup
plies of dyes and colors which the man
ufacturers of this country OBTAINED al
most wholly before the war from Ger
many that he thought of making use of
the discovery. For the past year, he
said, he had been perfecting the proc
ess. and now, he declares. the discov-
cry VIII place users of dyes and colors
in the United States in a position of
economic independence, SO far as the
supply of German dyes and colors is
concerned. Mr.. Frasch also declares
that paints and stains can be manufac-
tured as the result of his discovery,
and it Is possible that medicines may be
manufactured by means of his process
after 1t has been further developed.
Not Hyphenated American.
Mr.. Frasch is a German-American, n,
as he describes himself-"without a
hyphen.' He became a citizen of the
United States in 1878, and has not been
in Germany in many years A brother
OF his was chemist connected with
the Standard Oil Company, who died
about year ago, noted for discovering
the method of getting sulphur out of
the ground in Louisiana, by forcing
water into the wells and pumping the
sulphur out with the water in solution.
His name was Herman Fra sch, and he
died a multi-millionaire. He also in
vented for the Standard Oil Company
a process for the publication of petro-
leum.
Mr.. Frasch did not seek an audience
with the bureau of mines officials. but
when the attention of Secretary Lanes
assistants in the Department of the
Interior was drawn to the presence in
tHS SllS Vi r fdSCU the request was
made that he call at the bureau of
mines, where he left samples of his
colors, and was furnished with infor-
nation as to where large quantities of
the "sludge' necessary to make petra
Gin" may be obtained in the United
States among oil refneries not con-
nected with the Standard Oil Company
Mr.. Manning expressed himself as
being interested in Mr.. Frasch's state
ments, although it was said that his
process is but one of a number which
have been brought to the attention of
the bureau, and it's merits are neces-
sarily unknown to the bureau until
tried out.
1t is said at the bureau that there
is tremendous interest in the manu-
and that some of the big manufactu--
Ing esta blishments. such as cotton
mills, which use the dyes in coIorine
their goods. are suffering since the war
cut or the German supply for the want
of dyes. The Department of the In
terror. through the bureau of mines
has been busy developing the so-called
Rittman process for the making of
gasoline and toluol from heavy oils.
and toluol is one of the principal bases
in the manufacture of dyes. Secretary
Lane at the outbreak of the war called
a conference of textile manufa cturers
and other users of dyes to see what
the government could do to help them
get the colors they need, and the De-
partment of Commerce, seeing that the
foreign dye interest has been crippled,
has been doing everything that it can
80 that the mills and other dye users
will not suffer.
Trying to Develop Proper Ovens.
Both departments are trying to de-
velop the use of the byproduct coke
oven, instead of the wasteful beehive
type of oven which is seen throughout
The country. as the byproduct coke
oven saves the coal tars and other by
products of the coal which are useful
n the manufacture of dyes, high eX-
olosives, etc.
The German dyes have been made
rom coal tars. and the processes such
Frasch are said at the Department of
he Interior to be along entirely new
lines, as in them petroleum products
instead of coal tar products are used.
Director Manning of the bureau of
mines is pleased at the amount of in
.erest which is being shown in the at
Tempt to create dyestuff industry in
Of all the processes mentioned re-
Gently the country will be able to OBJ
ain one which will be commercially
feasible and remove the United States
from the dependence on
Germany which has heretofore existed.
THE United States Mr.. Frasch said
oday, produces much more petroleum
han Germany does coal tar, so the sup
,ly in this country. from which to
make 'petracin,' is all that may be
,eeded. The principal reason why
did not make dyes in guam