News
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
Edition
Published by rtie^irnQrican Chewieai'Soe/cn/
FEBRUARY 20, 1927
Vol. 5, No. 4
I nd vis trial R i c h m o n d In previous notes reference has been made to certain historic aspects of industrial Richmond and the fact that certain commercial acthities had their beginning on this continent at Richmond or in the immediate vicinity. Sixty years ago Richmond had the aspect of a ruined city, inhabited by 50,()()() people comparatively destitute. The erstwhile capital of the Confederacy ha< become a modern Richmond in which are to be found scores of factories, many of which are the largest of their kind in the South, in the nation, or in the world. In them is invested Sinn.OOO,()()(>. and their annual sales exceed ;?2Ô,()()(),()()(). Richmond is one of the most important tobacco manufacturing centers of this or any other country, and in its factories are afforded opportunities for witnessing the process of manufacturing all tobacco articles. Here we find the largest cigar factory in the world, and in Richmond more than 000,000,000 cigars and 40,000,000,000 cigarettes arc produced annually. Here also is located the world's largest wooclen ware manufacturing plant, the largest blotting paper industry in America, the largest plant in the world producing bottled flavoring extracts, one of the most important book manufacturing establishments south of New York, the oldest and largest mica mills in the world, one of the largest locomotive plants, and Richmond is the home of the largest fertilizer manufacturing company in the vyorld. There is a large drop forging plant, a modern lithographic establishment, an automobile jobbers' supply house, a paper bag factory, and the largest folding paper box business in the South.
There are iron and steel industries, various concerns engaged in the production of food products, while in addition there is a diversified industry of which the following list of products gives some indication: flour, stoves, baking powder, t i n r a n s beverages, brooms, brushes, dairy products, confections, clothing, cord and twine, farming implements, furniture, leather goods,, meat juices, bricks, trunks and suitcases, baseball bats, pencil slats, artificial limbs, peanut products, pharmaceutical preparations, chewing gum, optical lenses, and automobile bodies Shipments destined for Cuba, the Philippines South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Bermuda, the West Indies, Russia, practically all Kuropean countries, China, and t h e Orient are made from Richmond almost daily. Kadi of several manufacturers in the city annually exports products valued at approximately one million dollars, and the city's foreign shipments are valued annually at more than eight million. Advantages which make possible the profitable manufacture of so great a variety of products are evident. The city's location at the head of tide water on the James River affords an abundance of electric power t h a t is made available to manufacturing enterprises as cheap as $0.012.") per kilowatt hour, with a discount of 20 per cent There is a vast field of high-gradi· industrial coal, estimated at 1,102,000,000 tons, lying within fifteen miles of the city, while less than ten hours distant are the extensive coal fields of Virginia and West Virginia. Direct trunk line railways make this coal available in Richmond a t a favorable freight rate. The location of the city within 24 hours of 7ô pereen" of America's population gives it many advantages a s a distributing center for manufactured products, while the river provides direct connection
Jefferson Davis Monument. Designed by W. C. Noland, This Rather I nusual and Imposing Monument Also Is Located on Monument Avenue. The Thirteen Doric Columns Represent the Eleven Seceding States and the 1 wo W hich Sent Delcfcates to the Confederate Congress. E. V. Valentine Modeled the Figure of Da^s and the Allegorical Figures. I lie Figure of Jefferson Davis Was Drawn through the Streets to Its Pedestal by 3000 School Children and Unveiled June 3, 1907. All of the Figures Are of Bronze, the Stone Work Being of Granite
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING
with Hampton Roads, the finest and largest harbor in the world. This makes possible the operation of direct steamship lines to Xew York, while the water carriers protect freight rates to an extent that has proved most advantageous to manufacturing and commercial interests. Those who are industrially minded will find much at Richmond and in it-- environs to attract them to the 73rd meeting of the American Chemical Society, which begins with the council meeting on April 1 1 with the Hotel Jefferson as headquarters. Attention is called to the preliminary program which appeared in our issue of January 20, and to the final meeting program to appear in the Xews Kdition for March 20, which will be held a day or two for that express purpose.
Exhibits at University of Richmond ( )n April lo there is to be a garden party at the University of Richmond for the visitors to the Spring Meeting of the American Chemical Society. During this party opportunity will be afforded the guests to inspect the new chemistry building, which is to be dedicated just a week before. There has been prepared in the new building a very interesting exhibition of products of the leading chemical concerns of the country. This exhibition is not a Virginia Section undertaking b u t has been arranged by the University of Richmond with the approval of the Section. There will be no other exhibition of products at the Spring Meeting but this. The following concerns will be represented in the exhibits: Corning Class Works, Pyrex; Standard Paper Co., Richmond; Tubize Artificial Silk Co., Hopewell; Portsmouth Cotton Oil kef. C o r p ; Tobacco B\ -Products and Chem. Corp.; Karolith Corporation, Casein plastics; Luzerne Rubber Co.; Philadelphia (Juartz Co ; Virginia Smelting Co.; Duriron Co., Inc.; Hanovia Chemical and Mfg. Co.; The Mathesou Co.; Coors Porcelain; American Hard Rubber Co.; Monsanto Chemical Works; Fritzsche Brothers, Inc.; Pfaltz and Bauer; R. Reeve Angel and Co.; Wilbur White Chemical Co.; The Xorton Company; Virginia Cellulose Co.; C. K. Williams and Co.; Hammerniill Paper Co.; Cocoa Products Co.; Procter and Gamble; Shervvin Williams Co.; Miner Laboratories; National Aniline Co.; J. T. Baker Co.; Southern Cotton Oil Trading Co.; Chemical Warfare Service, U. S. A.; Eli Lilly Company; National Carbon Company; Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation; Klectro-Metallurgical Company; Bakelite Corporation; Viscose Corporation; Roessler and Hasslacher Chem. Co.; General Electric; Royster Guano Co.; Barber Asphalt Company; Universal Oil Products Co.; Aluminum Company of America; Merck and Company; Standard Oil Company of N . J.; Virginia Carolina Chemical Co.; E. I. du Pont de Nemours; Koppers Co., Pittsburgh; Medical College of Virginia; General Chemical Co.; Hercules Powder Company; Owens and Minor Co.. Richmond; Reed and Carnrick, Glandular Remedies; Texas Oil Company. There will also be some minor exhibits in addition to these. There is no charge for the space required by each exhibit. The University has borne all expense in getting the exhibits together
CHEMISTRY
News Edition
viewpoint also of more than 2000 representative business men who have enlisted in the Association's campaign to apply arbitration in the settlement of controversies arising out of any and all transactions in each of the various commodities handled in the United States. The policy of the Association is to make the trades self-regulative in the settlement of disputes. Each trade is to establish its own arbitral organization and to have its own panel of arbitrators, who, being familiar with the trade customs and practices, are equipped to give expert judgment. The Association is a voluntary, non-profit-making organization; is ready to reply to questions of law or of fact relating to arbitration; to offer suggestions or give advice on all arbitral matters; to supply forms and detailed information about arbitral tribunals and to aid in the installation of such tribunals.
New Discovery May Explain Food-Poisoning Cases A new food-poisoning organism discovered by a microbiologist of the Bureau of Chemistry may possibly aid in explaining many poisoning cases that could not be attributed to organisms of the common food-poisoning group. Organisms of the latter group— known scientifically as the paratyphoid-enteritidis group— are the only ones hitherto recognized as a cause of intestinal disturbances. The new organism, although it has not been identified as any well-detined species, belongs to another group. In appearance it has much in common with the ordinary lactic types used in the preparation of "starters" for butter and cheese tnu-king. The new organism was iirst believed to be a source of food poisoning when H. A. Linden of the Bureau of Chemistry found it in a sample of imported cheese held responsible for an outbreak at Biddeford, Me., in 1925. Milk cultures of the organism were made and fed to cats in which violent intestinal disturbances were produced within a few hours. The same organism has since been isolated in two other outbreaks, in both of which cheese was the one article of food eaten by all persons affected. Organisms of the old group of food poisoners, so commonly reported to be the cause of food poisoning outbreaks, were not found. In each of these outbreaks the streptococci, the group to which the newly found organisms belong, were recovered and fed in milk cultures to cats with results like the first trials. So far no sickness has been produced in experimental tests except when milk was used as a culture medium. The organism will growr and multiply on meat and other media, however, and this may possibly leave many avenues open for contaminating human food. Dr. Charles Thorn, in charge of microbiological work for the Bureau of Chemistry, regards the discovery of this organism as the most outstanding achievement of t h e year in his held of investigation. He further suggests t h a t while there is no general danger from this source of poisoning it does offer another forceful argument for the pasteurization of milk before using it in manufacturing dairy products.
Arbitration of Industrial Disputes
Dawson Little Red Book
Plans for the adoption and promotion of commercial arbitration by the chemical, pharmaceutical, and drug trades have resulted in the acceptance of an appointment by J. V. Sheffield, president of Innis Speidon & Co., Inc., to be one of t h e eight trades vice chairmen of the American Arbitration Association for the chemical and allied trades. Associated with Mr. Sheffield as vice chairmen for these trades are: S. M. Hermann, President, Apex Chemical Co., Inc.; Louis J . Ellinger, of K a y & Ellinger, Inc.; E. M. Allen, President, Mathieson, Alkali Works, Inc.; William Jay Schieffiin, chairman of Board, Schiefflin & Co.; J. Edward Young, Jr., Thurston & Braidich; H. I. Peffer, Treasurer of American Solvents & Chemical Co.; Irving Hochstadter, Stillman & Van Sicklen, Inc. This Committee of vice chairmen has general supervision over all arbitral matters in these trades. They a r e important members of a group of 500 vice chairmen representing every branch of trade and industry in the United States. These trade leaders are the active workers bringing the national, state, and local trade associations into closer relationship with the American Arbitra tion Association in the development and improvement of arbitration. Even where our industry is comparatively peaceful and free from trade disputes, the most influential men in it are advocating that it endorse and adopt arbitration in furtherance of a national trade policy to eliminate strife and put peace and amity into American business. A national trade policy must, obviously, include ail trades and industries. The chemical and allied trades, like the great electrical industry, have few disputes within t h e trade, y e t these leaders are urging the adoption of arbitration as a trade practice j u s t as Owen D. Young and other leaders in t h e electrical industry urged, and approved its adoption in their industry. This is the
The U>2b -1927 edition of the t i t t l e Red Book has recently been issued by Wm. Dawson & Sons, Ltd., London. This book contains over live thousand subscription rates of journals issued all over the world.
Golfers, A t t e n t i o n An innovation is announced for the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society to be held at Richmond, Va., April 11 to 16, 1927. There is t o be a golf tournament on the afternoon of Thursday, April 14, at the Hermitage Club. I t will be medal play, with a suitable trophy for the winner. The course at the Hermitage Club will be in excellent condition in April and those of our members who have been given to declaiming on dieir skill as golfers will be expected to bring their clubs and do their stuff. In order t h a t the host section may have some idea of the number who desire to play, you are asked to clip the following coupon and mail it as early as possible to William Clift, the general chairman, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Va. It is not necessary to take an affidavit after indicating your handicap, since scientists are supposed to be truthful.
Name Home Club . Handicap .
