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T H E J O l - R S d L OF I X D C T S T R l d L A S D ESGI,VEERISG C H E M I S T R Y
YoL 7 , No.
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bicarbonate, using I O lbs. pep bushel of sawdust. The bicarbonate liberates carbon dioxide when heated, and this gas smothers the flames. Sawdust is more suitable in cases of fires in electric plants, as it is easier to handle, and spreads more readily than does sand.
1,600,000 to 2,000,000 tons over 1914. This would be sufficient to satisfy all the regular consumers of oil and t o leave a margin for those that desired to convert their coal-burning furnaces t o oil burners. The transport facilities, howeyer, would be equal to only I,OOO,OOOor I,IOO,OOO tons.-A.
SOFT SODA GLASS SUITABLE FOR X-RAY BULBS The Glass Research Committee of the Institute of Chemistry find that a glass such as that made from Formula No. I O (see THISJOURSAL, 7 , 544) recently published by them and recommended for X-ray bulbs, does not give a green phosphorescent glow if it is made from approximately pure materials. The slight glow given is blue. In T-iew of the fact that a green phosphorescence appears to be preferred by users of X-ray tubes, i t seemed desirable to determine the conditions for obtaining this effect. It has been traced to the presence of manganese, and such a glass as Formula I O will give this green glow if manganese dioxide is added t o the batch mixture in the quantities frequently used t o correct the color due to iron.-A.
WASTE PRODUCTS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEREST The J. SOC.Chem. Ind. 8 (1915) states that middle grade shoddies, containing 5-10 per cent nitrogen, have long been used for fruit and hop farming, especially on the lighter soils. Experiments a t Rcthamsted in England have also shown t h a t they are also good for ordinary farm crops, and on heavy soils. The main effect is produced in the first year, but the residual value persists for another year or two. Shoddy is one of the cheapest nitrogenous manures on the market; i t sells a t $ 1 to Sr.24 per unit of nitrogen a t the Yorkshire mills; in the South, transport charges increase the price to SI .67 to $I .90. “Processed” shoddies, which have been treated with sulfuric acid or freed from oil, are of no more value than the untreated material. Untreated leather waste has no manurial value, but experiments with scrap that has been roasted or treated with sulfuric acid have given promising results. Cntanned leather and scrap derived from the glove-making industry have been proved to possess marked fertilizing value.--A.
OIL IN RUSSIA According to the Petroleum W o r l d , 176 (1915), the Russian Government is moving to a State control of the oil industry, not by direct nationalization, but by conferring upon Ministers the power to requisition stocks of fuel oil or other products. A decree has been issued giving the Minister of Ways and Communications additional powers for supervising and controlling the supply of fuel to the army and navy, the Ministry of Ways and Communications, and the private undertakings engaged in work required by the interests of the defence of State. The decree authorizes the Minister: I-To demand information from all State or privately owned undertakings concerning the quantities of fuel stored, expected for delivery, and actually required, also all contracts relating t o future deliveries. 2-TO inspect all the storages and stocks of fuel in the Empire. 3-To distribute a t his discretion the fuel provided for the State requirements, among various State departments or private undertakings as may be deemed necessary. Prince Shahovskhy, the new Minister of Trade and Commerce, recently presided a t a conference between the Government and representatives of the oil industry a t which the commandering of oil supplies was discussed. The Chairman of the oil representatives, Mr. Gukassov, said that the excess of production in Russia in 1915 would b e
MAGNESITE DEPOSITS I N BRITISH COLUMBIA According to the British Clay W o r k e r , 1915, 279, a sample lot of magnesite bricks made from Atlin magnesite has been tested and as a result it is said that the bricks are of high quality and equal to the quality supplied by American manufacturers to the Trail and Granby smelters and to the iron and steel works in Eastern Canada and the United States. The .itlin magnesite deposits are extensive and the material is remarkably pure. The working up of these deposits offers an opportunity for an important industry, as hitherto most supplies of the raw material have been imported from Greece to the United States and manufactured there. The suggestion is made that the raw material could be shipped over the IThite Pass and Yukon Railway and by steamer from Skagway to Vancouver, where it could be manufactured to supply the requirements of Canadian and United States smelters requiring this highly refractory material. The product, if manufactured there, could be supplied a t from a third to half the price now charged by Cnited States manufacturers, so that the industry is not only one of local value but may form the basis of an important espcrt industry.-A.
OBITUARIES THOMAS BLISS STILLMAN Thomas B , Stillman, late Professor of Engineering Chemistry a t the Stevens Institute of Technology, died a t his home in Jersey City, IT.J , , on August IO, 1915, from heart disease, after an illness of about four weeks. Dr. Stillman was born a t Plainfield, N. J., on May 24, 18j2, and was a son of the late Dr. Charles H. and Mary Elizabeth Stillman. His early training was obtained in Plainfield, and after attending Alfred University, Alfred, N . Y . , for a short time, he entered Rutgers College, h’ew Brunswick, N. J , , and was graduated in June, 1873,receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science, and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. His graduating thesis on “The Composition of the Ashes of Plants” was awarded a thesis prize, and was published in the “Report of the State Geologist of hTew Jersey, 1873,” He then entered a postgraduate course in chemistry a t the New Jersey State Scientific School, and a t the same time was connected with the New
Jersey State Geologic Survey, with practical work a t the zinc mines of Sussex County. I n 1874, Dr. Stillman was appointed private assistant to the late Professor Albert R. Leeds, of Stevens Institute of Technology, remaining in this position until October, 1876. I n the latter year he received the degree of Master in Science from Rutgers College, and in Norember of the same pear he entered the chemical laboratory of Dr. R. Fresenius of Wiesbaden, Germany, as a student of analytical chemical research. Whilc i n this laboratory he laid the solid foundations for his future very successful and splendid analytical and engineering chemical work, and as a recognition of some investigations upon the salts of uranium carried out in this laboratory, Dr. Stillman was elected a foreign corresponding member of the Edinburgh Society of Arts and Sciences. I n 1879 he opened an office in New York City for the practice of analytical chemistry. I n connection with his professional
