Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02
. OLD days are coming. Last
Summer 1t seemed that it
could never get cold

Summer 1t seemed that 1t
could never get cold
enough again. Washing
ton has had touch of weather
around the freezing point already,
and a lower drop in the tempera-
ture may be expected at any time.
Not only does ore have to think
of heating the home, but the au-
tomobile as well, for the car is
ones home from time to time.
And like homes it has to be taken
care of whether you are in it or
not. The reasons are the same.
Frozen pipes can cause damage
whether they are in the house or
In the car.
Heat Versus Freezing.
OF course, heating the house is
done primarily to keep the in
mates warm. This Is not true
with the automobile. And keep
ing the automobile warm involves
a very different idea. ParadoXical
as it may sound, the automobile
is not heated. but it is kept from
freezing. In this case the freez-
ing prevention is confined to the
radiator of the car and adjacent
parts.
AS one knows this prevention as
In the home is not caused by in
jecting heat, but by the use of
compositions of denatured alco-
hold and glycerin. Each compost
ton has its merit according to
ones preference, but the main
thing is that something must be
used in days and nights when the
thermometer falls below 80 de-
grees-or else trouble may be an
ticipated. This applies to all
water-cooled engines.
II q car is run from heated
garage to another garage of high
temperature, such precaution is
unnecessary. The motor while
running will keep the radiator
from freezing. But few people
with all their chauffeurS run from
garage to garage. Hours are
usually spent outside of their
home or Office, waiting, and in
real cold weather it does not take
long for the water in the car to
freeze.
Now that the DOGGY of carbon
monoxide poisoning from auto
mobile exhausts has diminished
in stature after a vigorous cam
paign by public health authori-
ties, a new menace arises to con-
front the motorist, according to a
report of the Bureau of Industrial
Research, New York City, which
has been approved by the Bureau
Of Mines here.
Wood alcohol, varying in
strength from IS to 100 per cent,
is being placed on the market as
a radiator anti-freeZe. Outlawed
from general use since 1906 when
tax-free denatured alcohol was
legalized, this deadly poison, under
the name of methanol, is being
marketed through garages, stores
and service stations for use in the
Nations automobiles.
Equally Poisonous.
Equally poisonous if absorbed
into the system through the
mouth, the skin or the lungs,
wood alcohol is not eliminated
from the body easily, because the
body has no ready-made mech
anism for this function. Six
months after it has entered the
system it may cause sudden blind
ness, paralysis or death.
One teaspoonful of methanol
(wood alcohol causes blindness.
The equivalent of a teaspoonful
absorbed through the skin or in
hailed can cause exactly the same
effect. An ounce, even though 1T
may have accumulated in the
system over a long period, can,
and frequently does, cause death.
Following are some Of the pre-
cautions to observe in buying al
cohol of any description. Make
sure your dealer is reputable.
Make sure that he knows whether
he is selling denatured alcohol, or
wood alcohol. The poison content
of the second is Is times that OF
the first. If you buy wood alco-
hol, avoid religiously any phySi-
cal contact with 1t A few drops
on your skin may produce lasting
harmful results.
If you put wood alcohol (meth-
anoD in your automobile radiator,
take all the precautions that you
would against carbon monoxide
poisoning, in addition to several
others necessary. Don't run the
motor behind closed doors. Don't
breathe the air in your garage
after the car has stood all night
in It. Unlike carbon monoxide
gas, the fumes of wood alcohol
are generated as long as the rad
iator is warm. Don't pour meth
anol In the radiator yourself. Let
somebody do it who is paid to
take such hazards.
From the automotive insurance
bureau comes the following re-
port, referring to proper ingredi-
entS for the radiator and a warn
Ing against wood alcohol usage.
When 1t comes to the selection
Of an anti-freeze, the owner can
take his own choice. The most
popular anti-freeze, because of it's
eaSinesS to handle, has been de-
natured alcohol. A small amount
of wood alcohol or methanol has
been used locally and this year is
being put on the market on a
large scale. In addition, there are
solutions such as ethylene glycol
sold under trade names and vari-
Gus glycerin compositions each
having its own particular advan-
tageS.
Radiator Alcohol Table.
Assuming that 1873 proof de-
natured alcohol is used, enough