The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-08-13
WITHOUT SULPHUR KING OF CHEMICALS
Guns IN FRANCE WOULD Be SILENT

Bureau of Mines, has shown that a
vast saving can be effected by using
the Thiogen process at the Western
smelters, producing metallic sulphur
there, and then shipping this sulphur
east in open gondola cars where it
may be converted into three times its
bulk in sulphuric acid. The matter,
as DIR. Manning points out, is one of
economic procedure, as the freight
charges, even supposing sulphuric acid
could be- acceptably shipped, would
amount to quite one-third the trans
portation charge for the acid.
Just now the bulk of sulphur comes
from the two great mines in Louisiana
and Texas, where approximately g.
900 tons day is being mined. There
is also a small deposit in Wyoming,
but this is not regarded as a vital
factor. In all about 100000 tons of
sulphur month is being mined In
the United States, and the government
and industrial uses account for a lit
tie more than this in the same time.
The deficit is being supplied from
the reserve stocks on the dumps at
the mines.
Mr.. Wells, who was quoted lit
tie above, went before the Senate
Commission and testified that the gov
eminent is about to open two great
plants for the manufacture of eXplo-
sives, and that these would require
As, 900 tons of sulphur a month
GAS you will readily see," said Mr..
Wells, this will leave a condition
where we will be eating into our re-
serve stocks at the rate of nearly
$4,000 tons month, and this is of
course situation that must not be
allowed to<c61tinue."
OF course, the government has a
plan, and that Is the establishment
Of two enormous reclamation plants
that will use the Thiogen process to
get the sulphur back at the rates of
at least a thousand tons day. The
difficulty is that the Bureau of Mines
has not the cash, and the present sit
uatton seems to require that the gov
eminent appropriate at least two mil
lion dollars for the purpose of pro-
tecting the forces in France from a
shortage of explosives.
Whether or not the various indus
tries affected by the shortage of sui
phur will recognize the serious char
shoulders to the wheel in the effort
to accelerate the government action
remains to be seen, but as several of
the men now dependent upon sulphur
for the continuance of their business
have perceived, delay spells disaster.
Philip T. Dodge, President of the In
ternational Paper Co., which produc-
es $4,000 tons Of print paper a day,
has stated that if the sulphur supply
for any reason should be cut off,
newspapers all over the United States
would come to an end coincidentally.
Peter F. Bradley, President of the
! American Agricultural Chemical Co.,
the greatest makers of fertilizer in
the world, admits that if sulpfslr
should fail, fertilizer could not be
made, and there would be a serious
reaction on thee rops for next spring.
When 1t is considered that rubber
goods are absolutely dependent upon
sulphur for vulcanizing; that there
are a host Of medical supplies that
could not be produced without sulphur
or some Of its derivatives, that the
storage battery industry which has
grown to enormous proportions in the
United States cannot exist without
sulphuric acid, and that essentially
food, ammunition, metal and trans
portation would feel the effect of a
shortage that would prove SO serious
that one hesitates to permit imag gina
ton to dwell on 1t.
There Is now indication that some
of the manufacturers who would be
among the first to feel the pinch
should it be permitted to arrive, are
getting together with a view to calling
the attention Of the government to
the need for immediate measures for
relief That these conditions are not
based on inconclusive evidence, is
| seen by reference to the reports of the
Senate Committee on Mines and Min
ing held at Washington, May Sd and
May 22d, of this year. The experts
there brought forward definite facts
| that point to a most alarming state of
| affairs.