East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-06-12
MOLASSES MAY Be USED
TO RUN AUTOMOBILES

Thirsty souls and economists who
have been wondering what will become |
or all the moiasses which formerly
went into the manufacture OF rum. re-
marks a writer In the current numbef
OF American Motorlst, will be interest
ed to learn that automobiles. trucks,
and tractors may be operated not with
rum, nor even with moiasses. but with
alcohol made from the latter. Con-
tinuing. the writer sets forth:
american Motorists not long ego
called attention to the possibilities Of
fered by the use OF alcohol as fuel for
internal combustion engines. A few
years ago the United States Geologi-
cal Survey. through its chronological
branch. made n series of elaborate
tests OF the relative value Of gasoline
and alcohol as power producers. The
most important result OF the investl-
cations are contained In the evidence
that well designed internal combustion
motors using alcohol or gasoline VIII
consume about an equal volume OF
fuel per unit OF power. The average
OF the minimum consumption values
give like figure of $40 or pint per
hour per break horsepower from gaso-
line as well as for alcohol. In this
comparison 1t Is OF decided Interest
that the thermal value Of alcohol Is
only clio that OF gasoiine-a fact
which explains the persistence OF the
cxperimenters better than anything
else.
Heretofore the obstacles in the way
OF a universal adoption of alcohol as
motor fuel lay in the difficulty OF
finding a raw material that could be
secured sufficiently cheap to render
the making OF alcohol for fuel uses
profitable
And now come prohibition, molas-
ses. and alcohol in quantities prac-
ticaliy as unlimited as the former sup
| plies of that delectable dainty of tho
grog shop-rum.
.In Britain where gasoline Is much
| more expensive than it is here. the
question of finding a substitute fuel
has recently received renewed atten-
tion. A committee has been appointed
which. after exhaustive tests of the
subject, is convinced that exhaustive
tests of the subject. is convinced that
alcohol as motor fuel has great pos
sibilities and that the by-products Of
the sugar industry and many other
substances yielding sugar, starch or
celluios will be utilized in this fashion.
According to the British commit
tee, appointed to investigate the merits
of power alcohol. the fundamental
attraction OF alcohol lies in the fact
that its chief sources are found In the
vegetable world. In consequence the
raw materials for the manufacture OF
power alcohol are being continuously
renewed without encroachment on the
food supply.
"Rather interesting experiments
were made with alcohol derived from
the flowers of the Mahua trees grow
ing in the East indies. 1t is said that
the sun dried flowers of this tree con-
tain something like so per cent of fer
mentable sugar and that they can be
collected and delivered TO the factory
in the zone OF growth at $3.50 per ton
One ton of these leaves produces 80
| gallons of alcohol.
"Our late antagonists. the Germans,
long before the war. had developed
system of Industrial alcohol manufac-
ture under which every farmer could
produce his own motor fuel. The cir
cumstances that our own oil resources
are go abundant may delay similar de-
velopment in the United States. There
is no doubt, however. that alcohol for
motor fuel purposes looms more inn
portant and more promising than
ever