Evening star., 1927-04-05

It is reported that the number OF
deaths from alcohol is increasing, as
compared with those in 1920. The
anti-prohibitionists therefore are cry
ing out that the Government is re-
sponsible through its alleged mixture
of poison" in the denatured and re-
natured alcoholic beverage sold by
bootleggers.
According to the protest OF the
'wets," all the blame falls on the Gov.
ernment for making it so difficult for
the poor, abused bootleggers, who, with
all their expert knowledge of chem.
istry, are unable to get the poison"
out of the stuff which they are now
obliged to use as the base of their
pure" Scotch and "aged" corn.
And beginning April ], like any
other April fool" the Government
under orders from Congress) is max
ing it doubly hard on the bootlegger.
and really spelling his trade by mix
ing that abomination of all abomina-
tions, "aldehol," in perfectly good
renovated booze.
Aldehol smells like burned oil and
tastes like varnish. and it is impossi-
BILE to get it out so that any refined
taste for '1ikker" can enjoy the best
product of the modern bootlegger's S
still.
In regular cookbook style we are
able to give the Government recipe,
and there is no law preventing a
bright housewife from using it in her
husbands private flask, as an appe-
tizer. Here IS the secret:
100 parts, by volume. of ethyl (grain)
alcohol, not less than 160-degree
proof.
parts, by volume, approved metho-
mol wood alcohol, denaturing grade.
0.75 parts, by volume, of the COM
pound, or one similar thereto, known
as aldehol, grade A.
0.5 parts, by volume, approved ben
zine (kerosene).
Any one might foresee the practical
difficulty of the Government in getting
reputable bootleggers to approve" the
benzine. but it must be approved"
according to Congress.
AS for the aldehol, grade A, or com
pounds similar thereto, this is the way
it is made: Take any good kerosene
and oXidize it until it has a specific
gravity not over 0.825 at so degrees
Fahrenheit. The joker consists in the
fact that aldehol will not distill out of
the moonshine comfortably. When
100 &C. Cubic centimeters) are subject
ed to distillation in the same manner
and apparatus specified for determin-
ing the boiling point Of grain alcohol
at which the alcohol steams and
the vapOr flows over the top through
the worm" like a regiment of dough
boys out of the trenches-the aldehol
steams only enough to let one-flfth OF
it distill. until the heat is double that
or boiling waterloo degrees Cent?
grade, 424 degrees Fahrenheit-and it
takes a heat about three times as hot
as boiling water to steam out even 95
per cent of the pesky-smelling, foul
tasting aldehol
There are other peculiar character |
istics of aldehol, such as retarding the |
of the other elements of |
outside of the chemical labora- |
tory.
The report that a strong will can |
enable one to swallow aldehol, pro- |
vided each bottle carries a clothespin |
to stop the nose, is bit of propa- |
ganda for there is left the scorched !
oil taste, which no clothespin, except !
On the epiglottis or Adam s apple, Will |
neutralize Even there. it leaves sui |
eide by hanging less grievOus.
X X r
The above recipe is intended only |
Tor what is known technically as /
completely denatured" alcohol, such |
rs that used in automobiles to keep |
he water from freezing. Traffic in /
hat is free from any license, and If |
here are now more deaths from |
noonshine or denatured alcohol, it is i
attributed to the fact that the moon.
sinners are no longer able to get suf-
1cient quantities of the special de-
1atured stuff used in special indus
ries, for their use as a base in re-
it by redistillation, so they |
all back on the completely de- |
1aturcd" mixture as their genuine
X y \
The second item in the recipe Is
four parts ,of methonol," which
means wood alcohol. Most people let
heir preiudices convince them that
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