July 10, 1930
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
Construction News Chemical The California Chemical Corp., 111 Sutter St., San Francisco, Calif., will carry out an expansion and improvement program a t its plant at Newark, Calif., to cost approximately $1,000,000, including installation of a new lime plant, equipment for handling raw materials, reservoir with capacity of 150,000,000 gallons, and other work to develop increased capacity. This is the be ginning of an extensive development program at the properties, and it is estimated t h a t a similar sum will be expended next year for extensions in other divisions. The plant is given over to the production of magnesium and potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, lime, and other kindred chemicals. S. H. Barrows is president. Hoffman-La Roche, Inc., Kingsland Road, Nutley, N. J., manufacturer of chemical products, has filed plans for an addition t o its plant, consisting of a five-story unit, 36 X 65 ft., and onestory adjoining structure, 74 X 108 ft., reported to cost over S 100,000, including equipment. Work will be placed under way a t once. A contract for buildings only has been awarded to the John W. Ferguson Co., 152 Market St., Paterson, 1ST. J., without competition. Mathieson Alkali Works, Inc., Niagara Falls, Ν. Υ., has plans nearing completion and will soon take bids for the construction of a new one-story addition t o be used for laboratory service, in cluding the remodeling of an existing unit. The work is esti mated to cost approximately $70,000, including equipmentI t is understood that the company will use a portion of land recently acquired at Buffalo Ave. and Twenty-eighth St., ad joining the present plant, for the expansion. Charles F. Vaughn is manager. William I. Deming, 808 Seventeenth St., Washing ton, D. C , is architect. Officiais of the Shell Oil Co., 200 Bush St., San Francisco, Calif., have organized a new subsidiary under the name of the Shell Chemical Co., to construct and operate a nitrogen fixation plant. A tract of about 600 acres of land a t a place known as Nichols, near Pittsburg, Contra Costa County, has been ac quired as a plant site, and plans for initial units will be placed under way at an early date. The works will consist of a group of units to be equipped for the production of ammonia, nitrogen products, and commercial fertilizers, estimated to cost approxi mately $1,000,000, including machinery. I t is understood that the plant will have a rating of about 80 tons of ammonia a day, with a corresponding output of other specialties. I t is proposed t o give employment t o about 300 operatives. The engineering department of the parent organization will be in charge. The Commercial Solvents Corp., 230 Park Ave., New York, is arranging an expansion and improvement program at its plant a t Peoria, Ill., including the construction of a new unit for the production of acetic acid, to be equipped for an initial output approximating 10 tons per day. The work is estimated to cost approximately $500,000, including machinery. The company has also approved plans for further development of the plant of its subsidiary organization, the Commercial Pigments Corp., Baltimore, Md., and will proceed with work at an early date. The United Engineers & Constructors, Inc., 112 North Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa., has been engaged to design and erect the lastnoted plant, which will be used for an increased output of paint pigments. A group of new buildings will be erected, including enlargement of the present power house, the entire project to cost over $400,OO0, including equipment. The Peroxide Mfg. of Specialty Co., 1409 Third St., San Fran cisco, Calif., is said t o be planning the early rebuilding of the portion of its plant recently destroyed by fire, with loss reported in excess of $75,000, including equipment. The Prest~0-Lite Co., 30 Bast Forty-second St., New York, manufacturer of acetylene gas, etc., a subsidiary of the Union Carbide & Carbon Co., same address, has concluded arrange ments for the purchase of a tract of about 7 acres of land at East wood, Syracuse, N. Y\, as a site for a new plant, for which plans will soon be drawn. Initial units are reported to cost more than $100,000, including equipment, and will give employment to approximately 150 men. The company's engineering department is in charge. Pulp and Paper The Michigan Paper Co., Plainwell, Mich., specializing in the production of coated paper stocks, cover stocks, etc., has author ized a n expansion and betterment program a t its mill, to cost approximately S350,000. The work will include the electrifica tion of the plant, replacing steam operation, with the construction of a one-story power plant unit, 50 X 108 ft., the superstructure soon to be placed under way. I t is proposed to develop in-
CHEMISTRY
13
creased capacity at the mill. C. F. Hershfield is company engineer. George W. Gilkey is president and general manager. The Northwest Paper Co., Cloquet, Minn., has approved plans for :an addition to its mill used for the production of bleached krafrt and other paper stocks, t o be one-story, 125 X 725 ft. The unit will be equipped primarily for expansion in the machine division, beater room, and finishing department, with a capacity of albout 70 tons a day. This work will be carried out in connec tion: with a general expansion program at the plant, which will repr-esent an investment of more than S 1,200,000. The company is reported to be considering the construction of a new conversion mill at Longview, Wash., where a tract of land has been selected adjoining the local plant of the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Co., esti mated to cost upward of $250,000. The Jacobson Engineering Co.„ Plymouth Bldg., Minneapolis, Minn., is engineer for the comipany. H. S. Hornby is president. The Bogalusa Paper Co., Bogalusa, La., has authorized the construction of an addition to its local plant, to be used as a machine room for corrugated paperboard production. It will be one-story and basement, 45 X 335 ft., reported to cost over $100,000, including machinery. A contract for building only has been let to a local contractor, H. J. Cowgill, Bogalusa. R. H. Ivaffcman is vice president and general manager. Becker, Smith âf Page, Inc., Water and Snyder Aves., Philadelphia, Pa., manufacturer of wall papers, has asked bids on general contract for additions to its plant, consisting of one-, two-, and four-story units, reinforced concrete,. estimated to cost approximately S100,000, including equipment. It is proposed to begin actual construction within a few weeks. The Ballinger Co., Twelfth and Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, is architect and engineer. Miscellaneous Tlie Philadelphia Quartz Co., 121 South Third St., Philadelphia, Pa.,, manufacturer of silicate of soda, etc., has completed plans for "the construction of an addition to the plant of its subsidiary organization known as the Philadelphia Quartz Co. of California, Sixth and Grayson Sts., Berkeley, Calif., estimated to cost approximately $80,000, including equipment. Work will be placed under way at once. Contract for building only has been awairded to W. E. Lyon, 354 Hobart St., Oakland, Calif. The Salem China Co., Salem, Ohio, manufacturer of general ware, has approved an expansion and improvement program at its rpottery, consisting of a new one-story addition, 50 X 150 ft., witrh installation of tunnel kiln and other production equipment. Thet project is scheduled for completion in October, and is estimated to cost approximately S 100,000. Frank H. Sebring, Jr., is president and general manager. The Quaker Petroleum Co., Fourteenth and Nicholas Sts., Omaha, Nebr., has plans for a new oil-compounding, storage, and distributing plant, including barreling and packing division, at Twentieth and Hickory Sts., consisting of several one-story units, to cost approximately $150,000, including equipment. The project will be carried out in the name of the Midwest Investment & Holding Co., a subsidiary organization. Penick & Ford, Ltd., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has filed plans and will proceed at once with the construction of a two- and threestory addition to its local starch-manufacturing plant, reported to cost approximately $100,000, including equipment. The twostory portion will be given over to dry starch production, and will cost about one-half of the gross fund noted. The J. M. Burguieres Co., Ltd., 827 Union St., New Orleans, La. is said to be planning the early rebuilding of its cane-sugar mill, near Franklin, La., recently partially destroyed by fire with loss reported in excess of $200,000, including equipment. A New Protective Colloid Galagum is the name given to a mixture of modified polysaccharides recently introduced. It is a white powder, tasteless and odorless, and acid in reaction. I t can also be obtained in a neutral modification. Galagum, when boiled in water, forms colloidal solutions of different viscosities, depending on concentration. A 1 per cent solution forms a sirupy solution; a 5 per cent solvation forms a paste or jelly. Neutral Galagum is edible and is used in making bakers' and flavoring emulsions. In the cosmetic industry viscous aqueous soluitions are much used in lotions and hair preparations. These are produced by dissolving 1 to 4 parts of Galagum in 100 parts of boiling water. In the baking industries it has been found that neutral Galagum replaces part of the eggs ordinarily used. In the manufacture of ice cream neutral Galagum decreases the amount of gelatin required. Certain cheeses which are made with various protective colloids to give them smoothness and body may likewise be made witfh neutral Galagum. Technically, Galagum possesses interesting properties in that it m a y be used for giving a heavier body to water paints, sizes, glue, and many other aqueous solutions.
