The Nome nugget., 1921-11-12
.HOOTCH' MAKERS SECRETS
 OPEN BOOK TO
 PROHIBITION OFFICERS
(By Associated Press)

New lork-Secrets of the "hootch" makers who manufactures synthetic whiskey or gin are as an open book to the government chem ists who test the products of vio- | lators of the Folstead law
 Evidence sized from rum-runners and bootleggers is brought to them for examination How the chemical tests are conducted was disclosed by k. A. Edson. chief chemist of the government laboratory in the federal lined with shelves filled with bottles Of every kind and description con taining every kind of beverage for bidden by the Nolstead Act.
 IA string of stills seized in raids decorates the top of the shelves and there is big pile of them ill cor ner. In the past year more than 5000 samples of liquor. good. bad and indifferent, have been tested utlt tht ltSuliS piouuNeU lditi in the federal courts.
 The first thing to be done by the chemists when sample of suspected liquor is brought in is to test it for alcohol. Usually the prohibition agents try to get at least half pint \if whiskey and a pint of wine for the chemists to work on. But oc- casionally an agent comes in with small bottle of liquor which he ex- he bought at bar and had to hold in his mouth until he could spit it out into a bottle without being ob- served by the barkeeper. And that is tested too.
 When the sample ";s- large enough the hydrometer is used to find the amount of alcohol present The hy- drometer is a thermometer like in strument of glass with the specific gravities marked on it. It is foated in the sample and the markings read Alcohol being lighter than water the hydrameter sinks farther in a mix ture of alcohol and water than in plain water The amount of alcohol can thus be accurately determined by reading the markings
 Small samples of booze are tested by means of the hydrometers 4 measured quantity of the suspect ed liquor is weighed and it's weight compared with that of an equal quantity of water. By means of few computations the amount of alcohol can easily be found -
 For rapid work on beer and wine with small percentage of alcchcl the ebu1liometer is used. The evidence is heated and the boiling point learned Water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade an dthe alcohol at a much lower temperature. A mixture of alcohol and water boils at a lawer temperature than water and thus the chemists can rapidly calculate the amount of alcohol.
 After the test for alcohol has been completed nthe case of whiskey the color of the sample is tested Whiskey that has been held in bond for some time has color of its own due to the inside of the whiskey bar rels being charred by fire before the whiskey is put in. The manufactur- ing bootlegger making an artificial whiskey of grain alcohol and water uses caramel made of burnt sugar to color his product
 The March reaction shows if the color of the whiskey sample is gen. uine or artificial. A quantity of amyl l alcohol slightly acidified with phos- ! phovic acid is mixed with the liquid | to be tested. Amyl alcohol being | lighter than ethyl alcohol. as ordi,- 'ary grain alcohol is called by the chemists, raises to tks top of the mixture. If the whiskey is genuine the color will mix with the amyl all