Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-09-04
SECRETS OF HOOTCH MAKERS ARE
WELL KNOWN TO FEDERAL AGENTS

thetic vhisksy or gin are as an open
book TO the government chemists who
test the products of yiolaiors 81 the
Nolstcad law.
Evidence seized from rum runners
and bootlesgcrs II brought 20 them f0T
examination. How the chemical tests
ARE conducted was disclosed today by
II. A. Edison. chief chemist q the gov.
ernment laboratory In the federal
building. The walls o. HIS office arv
lined with shelves filled with bottles %
every kind and description containing
every Kind OF beverage forbiddtn hy tho
Nolstead Act.
A fringe Ol stills seized IN raids deco
rate the top OF the shelves and theie h
a big pile of ihem In a corner. In IN.
past year more than 5000 samples 20
liquor. cool had and Indifferent. have
been tested here and the results pro.
duccd later In the federal courts
Tn first thing TO be done by the chem.
lists when n sample Of suspected lrguor
Is brought In is to test !; for alcohoi.
Usually the prohibition agents try a.
get nc least half pint q whlskcy and
a pin Of wine fot the chemists To work
on. But occasionally an agent comes IN
with a small bottle 90 liquid which he
explains. Il n drink Of whlskey which
he bought a; bar and had 20 hold IN
his mouth until he could spit Il cat into
bottle without being observed by the
harkceper. And that IL tested too.
When the sample r. large enough tho
lsaI a. a.. ~ fffH
at aiooho, present. The hydlrometsr b.
n thcrmomeier-ilke instrument q glass
with the specific gravitics marked GA q.
IL is fioacsi I'm the sample and the mark.
ing read. Alcohol bolng lighter than
water the hydrometrr sinks further IN
n mixture az alcuhol and water than In
plain water. The amount u aicohol
can thus be arcuratcly determined by
reading THE markings
Susaii samples e booze are tested hy
means Il the ponmmeter. A measured
quantity az the suspected liquid h
weighed and its weight compared with
that q m equal quantity Of water. ~
means of few computations the
amount Of alcohol can easily be found
Fur upid cork ON beer and wine
with small percentages of alcohol the
ebullicuaeter n uncd- The evidence b.
heated and the boiling point learnd.
War bciis at 100 degrees Cen,igrade
and alcohol NJ a much lower tempera-
ture. 4 mixture OF alcohol and water
bolls et q lower temperature thar,
water and thus tho chemists can rap
Idly calculate the amount Of alcohol.
After she test Cor alcohol has been
completed IN the case az whlsksy the
color az the sample Il tested. Whlskey
that has been held nbond for sorne
time has . color Of It's own due % the
inside Of the whiskey barrels being
ekarred by fire before the whlskey T.
put In. The manufacturing bootlcggcr
making an artificial whisloy u grain
alcohol and water uses caramel made Of
burnt sugar TO color his product
The Marsh reaction shows N the
color Of the whiskcy sample Is genuine
or artificial A quantity 81 amyl al
cohol slightly acidifled with phosphoric
acid In mixed with the liquid 10 BE-
tested. Amyl alcohol being lighter than
ethyl alcohol. as orginary grain alcohol
Is called by the ohemis's. rises 20 the
top of the mixture. II the whiskey IL
genuine the color win mix with the anvil
alcohol and rise 20 the top q the mix.
turc. II the color j. due 20 caramel 4,
win stay In the bottom IL the mixture.
Test u made for wood alcohol II there
is any suspicion o. It's presence.
Mr.. Edson said that 30 per cent q the
liquor seized by the prohibition agents
and brought 20 the laboratory 90 be
tested d synthetic whiskey made 81 al
cohol and water and a little color o.
Just plain ''hootch."
I'VE can usually tell whether the
stuff In genuine or no; BY just smelling
Of IT," he explained. THE synthetic
stuff has q distinct smell Of raw alec.
holt which Is not present In genuine
whiskey no matter how had 4, may be.
Lately We have tested a number ~
samples Of synthetic Gin. II Is made
of alcohol and water with a little oil Of
juniper 20 give the characteristic gin
flavor. But the Juniper flavor IL ranker
than genuine gin and don't think any
one gets much pleasure from drinking
such stuff. The bootleggcrs usual put
IN too much Of the oil Of juniper.
There In some artificial wine seized
by the prohibition agents. II Is usu'
ally made from alcohol and water fiav-
ored with fruit Juice Of some kind. Ths
homemade wine that IL submitted foI
test II very poor stuff. Usually Their
has bsen insufficient fermentation q
the grapes after they are pressed ard
sometimes putrefaction has started
Such vine viii contain about 20 pei
cent alcohol.
''Afosf WHISTLES contain 20 % 20 rci
cent alcohol. Scotch whiskey has les'
alcohol than the other WHISTLES. W
IN some Of the artificial scotch whis
kies that have been seized The cree
sose 10 put IN TO initiate the pat
snoke flavor IL the genuine article
Tho making % homemade crap
Juice 10 dangerous from the s,sndnmn
81 the voistead Act unless precauiion
ere taken 10 prevent Fermentation an
the consequent PRODUCTION a alc'hol
The best way IL 10 sterelize the grape
by pouring hot water over them or bl
boiling the Juice. There Is a Wild YEA
FeSht vi tn' Stays ah' i0Aitink u
the air ~ grape-plcking time and IL !
the viid yeast that starts the fermen
taticn.-
The government chemists have evci
tested Chinese wine az ngkapy g. q.
termins for the government II Il wa
suitable for human consgmption.
large quantity q the wine consigned 2
Chinese merchants here was held IN 4
the customs officials On the Ffoun