Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-06
Evidence Seized From Rum
Runners and Bootieggers
Analysed by Chemists I'm
der Chief

NEW YORK, Sept. 3.-Secrets of
the "hootch" maker who manufac-
lures synthetic whisky or gin are
as an open book to the government
chemists who test the products of
violators OF the Volstead law.
Evidence seized from rum-runners
and bootleggerS is brought to them
for examination. How the chemical
tests are conducted was disclosed
today by r. A. Edison, chief chem
list Of the government laboratory in
the federal building. Thu walls of
his office are lined with shelves fill
ed with bottles of every kind and
description containing every kind of
beverage forbidden by the Volstead
act.
A fringe of stills seized in raids
there is a big pile of them in
corner. In the past year more than
5000 samples of liquor, good, bad
and Indifferent, have been tested
here and the results produced later
in the federal courts.
The first thing to be done by
the chemists when a sample of sus-
pected liquor is brought in is to
test it for alcohol. Usually the pro
half a pint of whisky and a pint
of wine for the chemists to work
on. But occasionally an agent comes
in with a small bottle of liquid
which, he explains, is a drink of
whisky which he bought at a bar
and had to hold in his mouth until
ne could spit it out into a bottle
without being observed by the bar
keeper. And that is tested too.
When tne sample is large enough
the hydrometer IS used to find the
amount of alcohol present. The ny
II or owl L n
strument Of glass with the specific
GRANTEES marked on it. 1t is float
ed in the sample and the markings
read. Alcohol being lighter than
water the hydrometer SINKS farther
in a mixture of alcohol and water
Of alcohol can thus be accurately
determined by reading the mark
ings,
ed by means of the pycnometer. A
measured quantity of the. suspected
compared with that of an equal
few computations the amount of al
coho, can easily be found.
For rapid work on beer and wine
with small percentages OF rh alco ar}
dence is heated and the boiling
point learned. Water boils at 100
degrees centigrade and alcohol at
a much lower temperature. "A mix
ture Of alcohol and water bolls at
a lower temperature than water
and thus the chemists can a1oo FapldlS
After the test for alcohol has
been completed in the case of whis-
ky the color of the sample IS test
ed. Whisky that has been held IN
bond for some time has color or
70 n
whisky barrels being charred n, by
FIRE before the whisky is put in. The
m manufacturing bootlegger making an
artificial whisky of grain alcohoi
and water uses caramel MADE OF
burnt sugar to color his pro!deuc{,
color of the whisky sample is gen.
ufne or artificial. A quantity OF
amyi alcohol slightly acidified with
phosphoric acid is mixed with the
liquid to be tested. Amyl alcohoI
o ordie sSI grain ; alcohol is called by
the chemists, rises to the. top OF
the mixture. If the whisky is genu-
Inc the color will mix with the
amyl alcohol and rise to the top
of the mixture. If the color is due
to caramel it will stay in the bot
ton of the mixture. Test is made
for wood alcohol if there Is any
suspicion of it's presence.
Mr.. Edison said that 80 per cent
of the liquor seized by the PROM
bition agents and brought to the
laboratory to be tested is synthetic
whisky made Of alcohol and water
and a little color or just pam
I'VE can usually tell whether the
stuff is genuine or NOT 9y .i Tvs q =
smelling of it," he explained. me me
synthetic stuff has a distinct smell
Of raw alcohol which is not pres
ent in genuine whisky no matter
how bad it may. be.
Lately we have tested num-
Der of samples of synthetic gin. u
is made of alcohol and water with
a little oil of juniper to give tne
characteristic gin flavor; But the
inc gin and I don't think any one
gets much pleasure from drinking
such stuff. The bootleggers usually
nut in too much Of the oil OF 1unl-
There is some artificial wine
seized by the prohibition agents. II
is usually made from alcohol and
water Favored with fruit juice OF
some kind. The home made VINE
that is submitted for test IS very
poor stuff Usually there has been
Rinsufficient fermentation Of the
grapes after they are pressed and
Sometimes putrefaction has started.
such wine will contain about to
per cent of alcohol. -o
6Most WHISTLES contain 40 to 81
per cent alcohol. Scotch whisky has
Fess alcohol than the other Whistles:
We have found small quantities OF
creosote in some Of the artificial
Scotch whiskies that have been