The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-01-26
Dry Plan to Save
Breweries is FaIlacy
Expert RidicuIes Theory of
Industrial Alcohol

Recently the Times discussed the
economic possibilities Of the scheme
attributed to Dir. Henry Ford, for
utilizing brewery and distillery plants
In case of prohibition IN the manufac-
ture of industrial alcohol, that Is, al
cohol to be used as fuel for internal
combustion engines. Some features
of the cost of manufacture were men
toned at that time and it was pointed
out that there is no known raw ma
terial for the manufacture of alcohol,
which at this time will permit it to
Now Mr.. 7. NJ. Gilmore, speaking
with authority as an expert, indorses
the arguments then advanced.
He writes:
referring to your editorial in the
Times Of the twenty-second, under
the caption of industrial Alcohol |
would like to say that I was inter-
viewed some time ago in Detroit by
representative Of the News, of that
city, accompanied by the chemist Of
the Ford motor plant, IN regard to
statement attributed to Elr. Henry
Ford that the brewories of Michigan
could easily be converted into alcohol
plants, and that the product OF these
plants could be used In automobiles
and tractors in competition with gaso-
line.
"The representative asked me if
this could be done, and | explained,
as / would like to explain to your
readers, that a brewery or ordinary
distillery could be converted into an
alcohol plant just as a printing house
could be into a lithographing estab
lishment. Of course, it would be
necessary to tear out and junk the
machinery and appliances IN a brew
cry and ordinary distillery, hereby
leaving q building m which apparatus
for making alcohol could be Installed
l suggested, however, that the build
ing would probably not be exactly
suitable for an alcohol plant, and that
really it would be better to build from
the ground up if such an enterprise
is to be started.
'I asked Mr.. Ford's chemist il he
thought alcohol could be made IN
Michigan to compete with gasoline,
and he said yes; and | asked him at
what price he could make alcohol per
wine gallon. He said it was offered
to him at twenty-eighE cents, and /
told him that it could not be made for
forty cents per gallon. | wired to the
party named by Mr.. Ford's chemist
and he replied that his offer of alcohol
was at fifty-two and one-half cents
per gallon.
efforts are being made to mislead
the people into the belief that state
wide prohibition or national prohlbl-
ton would not destroy the distilling
and brewing interests of the country,
and l think it is important that the
facts should be made known.
"The extraordinary demand for al
cohol, due to the great European war,
has made it possible for a limited
amount of alcohol to be manufactured
in Kentucky in few Of our larger
plants, but under normal conditions
this would not be a possibility. The
raw material obtainable in Kentucky
or in any of the Western or Central
Western States compels a price for
alcohol that is prohibitive. The cheap
est raw material available is what is
known as blackstrap, refuse from
molasses, and secured from the West
Indies.
"The largest and most modern dis
tillery in the world, located at Balti-
more, is securing this blackstrap from
the West Indies in tank steamers and
manufacturing it into alcohol, and the
actual cost of manufacture is, | UNI
derstand, about forty cents per gal
Ion" From the Louisville Times.
Publication authorized by the
Indiana Bretcers association.