594
THE J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
longer required, although a “general” statement of the nature of the contents must be given. This seems to be the most essentially backward step taken and again permits the fanciful name to possibly determine the selling price of a n insecticide, rather than its true value. TIME OF TAKING SAMPLES CHAIiGED-AN IMPROVEMENT-The part of the section specifying the time of taking of samples has been omitted. This appears t o be one of the good features of the change, as the time of taking of samples was previously within a period of two months annually, which afforded an opportunity for a n annual clean-up of doubtful material on hand for those who might happen to be so inclined. NO VARIATION NOW ALLOWED-Another part Of this Same section was left out, which allowed a 5 per cent variation from the professed standard without being considered a case of misbranding. For high percentages, this was undoubtedly too great an allowance. For instance in the case of bluestone, if the article were guaranteed t o contain IOO per cent copper sulfate and analysis showed i t to contain only 95 per cent, it could not be considered to be mislabeled in the language of the law. This lower grade article could successfully compete with bluestones of grades up t o 100 per cent, in so far as labeling was concerned. On the other hand, the 5 per cent variation seems reasonable for the low percentages. METHODS O F ANALYSIS NOT SPECIFIED-Specification Of the methods of analysis was omitted in the amended law and the way is thus left open for argument and dispute where there is a difference of opinion as t o the proper procedure, or a variation in results by different methods. EXEMPTION O F CERTAIN PREPARATIONS-DrUgS and chemicals listed in the U. S. Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary and medicinal and toilet preparations guaranteed under the Food and Drug laws are exempted from the supervision of the law. This seems quite proper and reasonable as they are already under the control of the Food and Drug Officials. The above changes were all accomplished by the passage of Assembly Bill No. 623 which was referred to the Committee on Medical and Dental Laws. ANOTHER AMENDMENT
Still another bill was passed t o further mutilate the law. Senate Bill No. 670 stands as mute evidence of superfluous effort by its promoters. This was referred t o the Committee on Agriculture, was approved, passed by both houses and signed by the Governor. This bill, as passed, added a new section t o the law as follows; “The following insecticides and fungicides or materials t o be used for insecticidal or fungicidal purposes may be sold by grocers and dealers generally without restriction and without the registration fee, permit or license being required of them, viz.: insect powders, poison fly paper, sticky fly paper, borax, moth balls, gum camphor, spirits of camphor, blue ointment, oil of eucalyptus, castor oil, ant poison, sheep dip, lice killer, sulfur, bluestone.”
I
Vol. 6 , No. 7
This was clearly a n attempt t o create a favored class of dealers who did not care for various reasons t o be bothered by the inspectors and the annual registration. The list of substances which it was sought t o have placed in the immune class includes some articles already supervised by the Food and Drug Laws; others have been found to be free of adulteration. Still others have been found t o be subject t o grave misrepresentation, particularly the lice killers and the sheep dips. The other bill previously referred to abolished the whole system of registration so that the grocers need not have been specially mentioned, nor the articles that they wished t o sell without registration. ATTITUDE OF THE OFFICE
The situation concerning the amendments to the law is summed up by the entomologist in charge as follows: “While apparently removing some of the safeguards, the present law may still sufficiently protect the user. It will be the special task of the Insecticide Laboratory during the next two years to determine whether the users’ interests are sufficiently protected and if not the law can be further amended.” The office sincerely desires t o cooperate with all manufacturers and dealers who are making a n honest effort to provide the consumers of the state with materials of worth and reliability, in any effort to secure the passage of legislation which will be fair both t o seller and buyer. I n order to more fully understand the situation, the entomologist has many times met organizations representing both parties in interest, has had many conversations, written many letters, and has always shown a desire t o adequately protect the interests of both parties. The chemist in charge of the analytical laboratory has visited many factories in the state and corresponded with many manufacturers outside of the state, in a n effort t o study methods of manufacture, feeling that more intelligent work could be done in the examination of the samples that come in for inspection. PUBLICATION VS. PROSECUTION
As expressed by Prof. Woodworth in the first paragraph of his instructions t o inspectors: “The purpose of this office is to prevent rather than t o detect fraudulent practices in the sale of insecticides and fungicides.” and the policy thus expressed has always been adhered to. This is indicated by the fact that no prosecutions have as yet been made, although many cases of misbranding and mislabeling have come to the attention of the office. Dealers and manufacturers in general have shown a desire t o correct violations of the law when their attention has been called t o the facts. It is thought that more good can be accomplished by publicity of facts than through prosecution, which latter is useful only as a last resort against those who persistently and purposely violate the law. INSECTICIDE LABORATORY L - N I V E R S I T Y OF C A L I F O R N I A ,
BERKELEY
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL NEWS
I
By M. L. HAMLIN
CORRECTION Two forms of apparatus were tried-a thermocouple and a The references in this department of THISJOURNAL, 6 (1914), resistance pyrometer. These had to satisfy the following 429-430, to the Journal of Gas Lighting and Water S u p p l y conditions: ( I ) The mass of the element must be negligible should have read Volume 125 instead of Volume 97 as printed. compared with that of surrounding bodies. ( 2 ) The element must have the highest possible melting point. ( 3 ) The instruMEASURING RAPIDLY CHANGING TEMPERATURES ment for measuring the electric current must have the least A method for measuring temperatures as high and as rapidly possible drag. (1)The recording device must exert no retarding changing as those in the cylinder of a n internal combustion effect on the measuring instrument. engine has been partially worked out and tested by A. Petersen, For the resistance pyrometer a wire 0 . 0 2 mm. in diameter of who describes his experiments in the Zeitschrift des Vereines an alloy containing 65 per cent platinum and 35 per cent deutscher Ingenieure, $3 ( ~ g r q ) 602. , iridium was used; this withstood a temperature of 1850’ C.
July, 1914
T H E J O U R N A L O F I l V D l i S T R I A L AiVD ENGI;VEERIAlTGC H E M I S T R Y
The thermocouple consisted of a wire of pure platinum and one of a n alloy of 90 per cent platinum and I O per cent rhodium; this withstood 16joo C The lead wires were in every case of the same material as the wviies of the element t o which they were fused, and were, in the final experiments with a n engine, mounted in suitable insulating material passing through the cylinder head. For the measurement of the current a n Einthoven string galvanometer w-as used and its deflections were recorded photographically on a constantly moving roll of sensitized paper. The thermocouple and resistance pyrometer were standardized by heating in a n electric furnace of platinum whose temperature could be measured, and the galvanometer was adjusted t o constant readings each time it was used, by means of a known and constant current. Since the instruments were to be used in a four-cycle gasoline engine making about 600 r. p. m., the fine wires must be able t o attain and lose a temperature of 1800' in 0.1 second. This was tested by passing the wires, fastened t o the rim of a disc revolving a t a known rate, through Bunsen flames and observing the resultant curves in the recording device. The dimensions described above gave satisfactory results. The series of experiments actually made in a n engine cylinder was merely of a preliminary nature, more for the purpose of studying the instruments than the engine; the results prove the practicability of the method for investigating thermal changes under these and similar conditions. T H E AUSTRALIAN COAL TRADE The Australian coal trade for the quarter ended March 3xst last shows a big increase in exports, kspecially t o foreign countries, Engineering (London), 97 (1914), 714. The exports were 1,365,000 tons, as compared with 1,047,000 tons for the first quarter of 1913. Of these totals there were just under 600,000 tons exported to foreign countries, as compared with 344,000 tons in the March quarter of last year. The biggest increase is in the Far East, a quarter in which Australian trade all round has in recent years made strong advances, A NEW RECORDING DEVICE A recording device for pyrometers and similar instruments, designed on novel lines, has recently been put on the market. It is illustrated in the accompanying cut. When free, theneedle, which carriesafinewire, E, bent downward,
P ,e
swings above a V-shaped slot, D, in the sheet of metal mounted horizontally above the drum. This slot is supplied with ink from well C, and the slot tapering slightly throughout its length, the ink flows freely to the extreme end. The lever G is
595
periodically lifted by a cam, driven by a clock, mounted in the lower part of the recorder case, allowing depressor B to press down upon the needle until the point passes through the film of ink, carrying enough ink to make a dot upon the chart. No more ink than needed t o make the dot, or dash, if a multiple record, is deposited upon the chart. By holding the needle against the chart, a dash of any desired length may be made, depending upon the time of depression of the needle. From one t o five galvanometers, mounted side by side in the recorder case, may use this type of inker, giving simultaneous records a t any desired interval. T H E KONGSBERG SILVER WORKS, NORWAY Eizgineering (London), 97 (1914), 566 reports that the venerable Kongsberg silver works in Norway, which boasts a history extending over some three hundred years, has lately been modernized in almost every respect. The old smelting methods for the poorer ore, whereby much silver was lost, have been abandoned, electric power has superseded water power, and locomotives have displaced horses in the mines which are situated a t two levels. The lower mines were not worked for the greater part of the last century, but prospects there are now very favorable, and this part of the mines is expected t o yield a t least 5000 kg. of silver annually for the next ten years. The upperlevel mines have been worked with varying results, the King's mine having been the mainstay for the last century; it is now 3000 f t . deep, of which 1 2 2 0 f t . are below the level of the sea. After a disappointing section towards the bottom, some rich ore has now been found. The output of silver has been increased of late years, and during the financial year 1911-12 it amounted to 23,060 lbs., a figure which is likely t o be materially exceeded, with the aid of good new findings and the improved plant. __-
PRODUCTION OF ZINC IN EUROPE, 1913 According t o Engineering (London), 97 (1914), 611 the production of zinc in Europe last year amounted t o 671,160 tons, showing a n increase of 20,490 tons, as compared with the output for 1912. Production fell off last year 2455 tons in Belgium, 1 1 2 0 tons in France and Spain, and 1135 tons in Poland; but it increased 1015 tons in Silesia, 10,845 tons in Rhenish Prussia, 1885 tons in Great Britain, 385 tons in Holland, 2070 tons in Austria and Italy, and 9000 tons in Norway. The production of zinc throughout the world last year was estimated a t 990,06j tons. MINING I N CHINA The British Consul a t Changsha is quoted in Engineering (London), 97 (1914), 534, to the effect that mining is the most flourishing industry in Hunan, since not much capital is required t o exploit superficially the rich deposits of that province, and t h a t the new mines started in 1912 include silver, antimony, iron, lead, coal, manganese, cinnabar, tin, sulfur, copper, copperas, gold, zinc, and salt. Prospecting activity is also reported in the Fukien province for tin and iron, and in Kwantung for gold, tin and coal. The most important coal mines in China are those worked by a British company a t Kaiping, in Chihli-that is, by the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, and by what was a rival Chinese company working the neighboring mines a t Lanchow. The competition between these two companies is now removed by a working agreement, and this is expected to assist greatly the development of the resources of the whole coal basin affected. The combined output of the two collieries in 1912 was 1,706,658 tons. The Pekin Syndicate mines in Hunan produced 549,877 tons in 1912, against 417,190 tons in 1911. The Hungshang and Fangstze mines in Shantung turned out 573,696 tons, as compared with 486, j j 3 tons in 191I . hTo figures are a t hand for the important
596
T E E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
coal mines a t Fushan, near Darien, but the present output is said to amount t o s o w tons daily. In order to encourage the mining industry, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Chang Chien, is a t present devoting attention t o the framing of regulations, which if adopted, will place the mining industry of China upon a proper basis, and permit of development with foreign capital, knowledge, and experience. The four chief points which require remodelling, and which are receiving attention, deal ( a ) with the ownership of the mining property, ( b ) the extent of mining areas, (c) the tax to the Government, and ( d ) foreign participation. Mr. Chang Chien proposes that foreign and Chinese capital shall have equal rights. H e expresses the idea (which he hopes t o have embodied in law) t h a t foreigners should be entitled t o buy whatever shares they like on the Stock Exchange, and it is his intention to establish stock exchanges under Government regulations, which will be open t o foreigners, and which will be the medium whereby foreigners may obtain scrip in mining ventures, as and when they please. The control of mining properties will be entirely in the hands of those who secure the mining rights. With a view t o classifying the minerals of China and the areas in which they abound, a Mining Bureau will be established, whose business it will be t o attend t o this work and t o carry on a continuous policy of development on behalf of the Government. Already a beginning has been made of a survey of the mineral deposits of Shansi province, and a similar work will be carried out eventually with regard t o each province. The results will be compiled for public use, and it will be the aim of the Bureau t o assist t h e investing public t o develop properly the rich resources t h a t are now practically untouched.
I n Africa oil has so far not been mined in large quantities. Compared to other countries, the oil production of the British Empire is still small. The total production is a t present estimated at 1,359,000 tons, of which India contributes about one million tons. T h a t aggregate represents 2.06 per cent of the total oil production of the world, to which the United States contributes 63.63 per cent; Russia, 18.2; Mexico, 5.9; Roumania, 3.72; the Dutch Indies, 3.02; and Galicia (Austria), 2.14 per cent. Having thus surveyed the mineral oil wealth, Dr. Perkin turned t o the coal-tar oils, peat-oil, vegetable oils and fizh oils. The vegetable oils, he said, are utilized in the manufacture of varniskes, soap, and food-stuffs, like margarine; t h a t they have not answered as lubricants has been due partly to the defective methods of refining.
COAL STORAGE AND GAS MANUFACTURE I n 1910 the Dusseldorf Gas Works took quantities of coal, consisting of 150 tons each, from a colliery of the Westphalian Coal Syndicate, and stored one part in the open in a heap I I f t . 6 in high, while the other 150 tons were piled nearly ~ o f e e t h i g h in a shed, with normal storage conditipns prevailing as far as possible in other respects. I n July and August last y e a r 4 e., 3 ’ / 2 years later-Io tons of each of these separately stored coals were sent t o the Experimental Institute of the German Association at Karlsruhe, and distilled separately for purposes of comparison, special care being taken t h a t similar conditions prevailed in each case. Dr. Karl Bunte communicated the results of these interesting experiments in a recent number of the Journal f u r Gasbeleuchtung,and the following table is reprinted in the Jour. of Gas Lighting and Water Sup., 126 (1914), 494. STORED I N S H E D COMPOSITION OF C O A L (P5RCENTAGES)
THE OIL RESOURCES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE I n a recent lecture before the Society of Arts, London, Dr. F. W. Perkin discussed the oil resources of the British Empire, Engineering (London), 97 (rgrq), 459. I n Great Britain itself only traces of mineral oil have been located. The occurrence of natural oil in Derbyshire suggested to James Young t h a t the oil, which soon gave out, had been produced by the terrestrial heat from shales, and he had, in 1850, taken out the first patent on a distillation process of shale oil. Shales now yield from 16 t o 40 gallons of oil per ton, the average being 23 gallons, and the oil-shale mined in Scotland rose from 2,690,028 tons in 1907 t o 3,116,800 tons in 1911. Canadian natural oil has for some time had a bad reputation, owing to its sulfur content and bad smell, and when t h a t trouble was overcome, the production began to decline ; the number of barrels of oil produced fell from 788,872 in 1907 t o 243,614 in agrz. Recently more oil has been found in Alberta, on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and Canada promises to become a rich oil field. In New Brunswick 140 men, in December, 1913, were employed in shale-oil works; and natural gas is used on t h e Intercolonial Railway for car-lighting and other purposes. Australia is not a t all rich in oil, but plenty of oil shale occurs, chiefly in New South Wales, where the term “kerosene” is rather inaptly applied t o a variety of torbanite, a cannel or bog-head mineral; the production of oil shale in New South Wales rose from 47,331 tons in 1907 t o 75,000 tons in 1912. Oil shale is also found in Queensland, in Southern Australia, and Tasmania, but the oil finds are not important. The Taranaki oil wells in New Zealand produce 6720 gallons per week. Papua is promising as t o oil. The largest sources of oil in India occur in Burma, and the yield of the various oil wells there rose from 173,400,ooo gallons in 1908 to 245,300,ooo gallons in 1912. Assam has since 1908 given over 3,300,ooo gallons every year, the yield increasing t o 3,747,360 gallons in 1912. Trinidad is, of course, famous for its asphalt lake, but recently oil-boring has likewise been very successful, and 250,ooo barrels were exported in the one year 1911-12.
Vol. 6 , No. 7
Ash. ......................... 10.61 Moisture Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.21 { u p to 1100 c ...... 2.26 Pure carbon substance.. . . . . . . . 86.92 CARBONIZING RESULTS 1185O C. Oven temperature... . . . . . . . . . . Gas production (K.T.P.). . . . . . . 3 3 . 9 cubic meters Coke ........................ 7 1 . 9 kg T a r . . ......................... 3 . 8 ka. Crude liquor., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . 9 kg. Gross calorific value.. . . . . . . . . . 5275 calories NHs per 100 kg. of coal.. . . . . . . 275.7 grams COKE
Quite fine dust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 per cent After a fall of 1 1 feet: Size-Over 45 m a . .. . . . . . . . . 48 per cent Size-Over 30 ma... . . . . . . . . 25.7 per cent Size-Over 5 m m . . . . . . . . . . . 19.3 per cent Size-Under 5 m m . . . . . . . . . . 7 . 0 per cent
STORED I N T H E O P E N
11.11 5.46 1.34 82.09
1180’ C . 3 3 . 9 cubic meters 71.9 kg. 4 . 4 kg. 8 . 4 kg. 5250 calories 269.0 grams 32 per cent 3 4 . 5 per cent 22.9 per cent 3 1 . 3 per cent 11.3percent
While no general conclusions as t o the effect of storage on coal can be arrived a t from these tests, it is interesting t o note that, a t any rate in the case of this particular coal, there is no material change in the gas production and the calorific value of the gas produced. However, the coke obtained from the openstored coal is considerably inferior t o t h a t from the other. The results are practically equal all through, except in the case of the gas liquor, which is explained by the difference in moisture content of the two coals. Further experiments are being made, with the help of another large gas works, on the effect on coal of storage, especially with a view t o comparing stored with freshly mined coal. The results of these researches will be published at a later date.
THE CORROSION OF IRON BY DISSOLVED OXYGEN The question of the corrosion of iron water pipes by dissolved oxygen has been studied experimentally by J. W. Cobb and G. Dougill, Jour. SOC.Chem. Ind., 33 (1914). 403. Such a n investigation seemed t o be necessary, because several cases of such rusting had come t o the notice of one of the authors, when the water was satisfactory according t o the ordinary chemical tests, and there was no reason t o suspect abnormality in the iron. The authors’ conclusions are as follows: (I) T h a t in our experiments a very large proportion of the dissolved oxygen in the water supply used for a simple heating system consisting
J u l y , 1914
T H E JOC'RlV.4
L OF INDL-STRIAL A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
of one pipe was not present in the water or gas leaving, but had been absorbed in the pipe. It was presumably used up in rusting the iron, and a large quantitv of rust was actually formed. (2) T h a t about half the loss of axygen occurred in the first foot length of the pipe-the heater. (3) That the further loss of oxygen occurred in the j feet of pipe beyond the heated length, and could be prevented if the expelled gases were mechanically taken off a t the end of the heated length. (4) That in smallscale experiments with pure iron foil the expulsion of dissolved gas from the water by previous boiling was a n effective means of preventing rusting. (5) That in similar small-scale experiments it appeared that the rusting of iron foil could be almost prevented by treating the cold air-saturated water with the sodium hydroxide and ferrous sulfate necessary t o take up the oxygen dissolved in the water supply. T H E LIGHTING OF RIO D E JANEIRO Rio de Janeiro is said by the Jour. Gas Lighting and Water Sup., 126 (19141, 492, to be one of the most lavishly illuminated cities in the world. In 1912 over $ I , ~ O O , O ~ Owere spent on public illumination both by gas and electricity, 7,918,660 cubic meters (279,655,400 cubic feet) of the former and 11,819,3j2,017 kilowatt hours of the latter being consumed. For private illumination in the same year 16,291,915 cubic meters (j75,365,270 cubic feet) of gas and. 11,653,036 kilowatt hours of the electric current were consumed. T H E UTILIZATION OF SULFITE-CELLULOSE WASTE The question of handling the waste liquors from sulfitecellulose factories may involve not only the possibility of their commercial utilization, but the very existence of the factories themselves. Professor Lassar-Cohn discusses both sides of the problem in an article in Chemiker-Zeitung, 38 (1g14), 657, and gives the solutions arrived at in the case of two factories in Konigsberg, Prussia,'which had been closed by the police for polluting the Pregel River. I n one case the factory waste was turned into irrigating ditches and in the other into the Frischer Haff. Contrary to the fears of the local population, i t did no harm in either case, but rather, in Lassar-Cohn's opinion, acted as an excellent fertilizer in the ditches, and in the Frischer Haff (in which, of course, its dilution was enormous) actually aided the fisheries which increased $IOO,OOO from 1912 t o 1913, While this disposal of the waste was satisfactory in t h a t i t assured the existence of the factories, it brought thein no return. The enormous quantities of waste liquors produced in the manufacture of paper by the sulfite process ( 2 0 0 0 tons of dissolved substance are produced daily in Germany alone) make the problem of finding a commercial use for them an extremely tempting one, and the prize of 100,ooo marks ($25,000) offered by the Verein der Zellstoff und Papier Chemiker for a solution will be negligible compared with the returns which a successful patented process would bring in. Cecause of the dilution of the liquors ( I O per cent t o I I per cent solid substance), recovery by evaporation is expensive, and even when the residue has been recovered for use in briquetting, it has proved too deliquescent t o be practicable. The author is of the opinion t h a t the most promising method would be the precipitation in some way of the soluble resins and the recovery of tannin products, perhaps by condensation with a sugar or similar substance. ~~~
~
CANADIAN COKE OVENS The figures issued for 1913 by the Canadian Department of Mines show a coke production from coke ovens of 1,5r7,133 tons, as against 1,406,028 tons in 1912, Jour. Gas Lighting and Water Sup., 126 (rgrq), 406. Over 68,000 tons of coke were exported last year, and nearly 724,000 tons imported. There were also produced 10,608 tons of sulfate of ammonia, 8,371,600 gallons of tar, and 3353 million cubic feet of gas. When the report closed, there were 1 7 2 0 ovens in operation, and 1325 orens standing.
597
GERMAN AND ENGLISH EXPORTS OF AMMONIUM SULFATE IN 1912 AND I913 German trade in ammonium sulfate for 1912 and 1913 is compared with that of England and the following table of exports published in Chemiker-Zeitung,38 (1914),593. I n both countries the production increased in 1913 and the price fell; the German production will be still larger this year because of the manufacture of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen by the Badischer Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik, estimated a t 30,000 tons annually, but which can be increased in accordance with the demand. EXPORTS (METRICTONS) GERMANY 1912 1913 Belgium. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,723 15,774 Denmark. ............ 92 45 France. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,313 7 , 4 2 8 I t a l y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,816 3,550 Holland. . . . . . . . . . . . . .19,121 18,195 Switzerland.. . . . . . . . . 1,447 1,337 Spain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855 2,550 Ceylon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818 43 Hawaii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,541 Java. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 , 6 2 0 16,023 United States., , , . . , , 902 5,629 Brazil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965 428 TO
GREAT 'BRITAIN TO 1912 1913 Germany. . . . . . 1,815 9,246 Holland. . . . . . . . 2,178 Belgium.. . . . . . . 5,090 31 France.. . . . . . . . . . 7,550 8,825 SDain and Portugal 63,300 55,000 I i a l y . . . . . . . . . .:. 13,320 5 , i30 J a p a n . . .......... 85,300 112,900 United S t a t e s . . . . 38,650 36,470 Java. . , , , , , , , , 32,990 37.436 Other countries 40,000
....
DESTRUCTION OF AN ARTIFICIAL LEATHER FACTORY On Friday morning, May I j t h , shortly before I O o'clock, the plant of the Mexican Crude Rubber Co., located a t Solvay and Mackie Sts., Detroit, Mich., was almost totally destroyed by a series of explosions, accompanied by a swift fire. Of the twenty-seven chemists and operators in the plant at the time, nine were killed instantly, one died later, and six were more or less severely injured. The building [described in connection with the accident, in Engineering News, 71 (1914), 11.541 in which the explosion took place, was fairly isolated from adjacent buildings and was j o X zoo ft. in plan, one story high, with no basement. Structurally, it was a steel frame with curtain walls and floor of cement mortar on ribbed metal lath. Heavy %in. H-sections formed the wall columns. The curtain walls 3 in. thick were carried t o a height of 5 f t . above the floor level; above this, glazed metal window sashes were used to within about 2 ft. of the eave line. I n the rear of the building were storage rooms, a laboratory, cotton picker, presses, etc. A transverse partition wall separated this room from the central section of the factory in which the finished material was produced. I n this finishing room were coaters, rollers, etc. The supply stores of the explosive chemicals and of raw cotton, used in the manufacture of artificial leather, were kept in a small separate brick building about 30 ft. t o the rear of the main buildings, and were brought in as required. The force of the explosion cleaned out practically every wall panel in the rear 125 ft. and the entire middle section of the roof down t o the transverse partition. I n some places the curtain walls were simply blown over onto the ground, while in others, the curtain wall sections were hurled 30 f t . away from the building; the central transverse partition was blown towards the front, The position of this partition and the presence of a hole about 3 ft, in diameter and 6 in. deep, ground into the concrete floor of the rear room indicate t h a t one of the principal explosions occurred a t this point. A large heavy milk can full of collodion cotton is known to have stood here and pieces of sheet metal were driven into adjacent timbers. The steel frame seems t o have suffered little damage; some of the exterior H-columns are buckled a little. The heat from the fire in the forward section of the building was probably intense, for horizontal angles in the rear partition of what was the office were bent and twisted. Since the explosion killed outright everyone in the immediate vicinity, i t will probably never be known definitely what its origin was, but it may well have been caused by the ignition of inflammable vapors by sparks from motor brushes.
