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T H E J O U R N A L OF 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
Champlain. 119 pp,. 33 tables, 13 pl., 5 fig., maps. Index. So. 1905. (Dept. Int., Geol. Sum., w. s. and i. p. 121.) PARKER, HORATIO N. and others. The Potomac River Basin. 364 pp., s pi., tables, maps. l,,dex. 8 0 . 1907, (Dept, Int., Geol, w. s. and i. p. 192.) Contents (in part): Stream pollution-wood pulp, by Horatio N. Parker, p. 201; Effects of some industrial wastes (paper and pulp mill) on fishes, by M . C. Marsh, p . 340. PHELPS,EARLE BERNARD.The Prevention of Stream Pollution by Strawboard Waste. 29 P P . , 2 fig.. 2 PI., tables. 8’. 1906. (Dept. I n t . , Geol. Sum., w. s. and i. p. 189.) PHELPS, EARLEBERNARD.The Pollution of Streams by Sulfite Pulp Waste: A Study of Possible Remedies. 36 pp., tables. 80. 1909. (Dept. Int., Geol. Sum., w. s. p. 226.) SACKE~T, ROBERTLEMUELand ISAIAHBOWMAN.The Disposal of Strawboard and Oil-well Wastes. 52 pp.. 4 pl., tables, maps. Index. So. 1905. (Dept. Int., Geol. Surv., w. s. and i. p. 11s.) STATE DEPARTMENT FOREIGNCOMMERCE, BUREAUOF. Paper in Foreign Countries; Uses of Wood Pulp. 533 PP., tables. Index. 8’. 1900. (Dept. State, Bur. For. Com., spl. cons. rpt., Val. X I X . ) SILCOX, GEORGE W. Report on the Art of Printing and on Manufactures of Paper at the International Exhibition Held at Vienna, 1873. With appendix. 30 pp. Index. 80. 1875. (Dept. State, u. s. Com. Vienna Int. Exh. 1873. rpts., sect. 0, Val. 11.) Contents (in part): Chapter IV, Manufacture of Paper; appendix, Manufacture of Paper Barrels. TREASURY DEPARTMENT TREASURY DECISIONS.NO. 31772 (Treas. Dept., CZYC. 48, 1911). Reciprocity between the United States and Canada. July 26, 1911; No. 31783. Wood Pulp-Printing Paper. July 29, 1911: No. 31890, Wood Pulp-Paper, September 29, 191 1: No. 32238, Wood Pulp-Printing Paper, February 12, 1912; No. 32757, Wood Pulp-Paper and Paper Board, August 10, 1912. Leaflets. These decisions together with the Tariff Act of 1909 (see Congress-Public L a w s T a r i f f - H . R . 1438)
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constitute the customs regulations (in effect November, 1911). pertaining to the importation of pulp-wood, wood pulp and paper.
“he author would appreciate having his attention called to any omissions O r errors in the above list. HENRYE. SURFACE. FORESTPRODUCTS LABORATORY MADISON, WISCONSIN FEBRUARY 1 . 1913
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY-NEW DESCRIPTIVE DIRECTORY OF THE DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTS AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERS It is desired t o issue a new descriptive directory of the Division of Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers in December, 1913. I n order to do this the members of the division are requested to notify the secretary of changes of address, occupation, etc., and to contribute one dollar each toward the expenses of the division. I t is absolutely necessary that the list of members should be corrected and brought up-to-date and it is hoped that each member will attend to this immediately. Any other member of the Society wishing t o enroll in the Division should send his name, address, occupation (title and business connection) and lines in which he is most interested to the Secretaw. .. together with one dollar as a contribution toward the expenses of the division, S. H. SALISBURY, JR., Secretary
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LEHIGH UNIVERSITY, SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PA.
OBITlJARIE3
WILLIAM PcMURTRIE I n September, 1872, I left my home in Indiana for the purpose of taking a post-graduate course a t Harvard University. Never having been in the National Capitol, I took occasion to visit Washington en route. At that time Dr. R. T. Brown, one of the old-fashioned scientists who had been professor of chemistry in the medical college which I attended, was chemist of the Department of Agriculture. I visited the Department for the purpose of paying him a friendly call. On entering the laboratory, I found one assistant a t work: a young man with jet-black hair and pleasing appearance, seated on a high stool, before a desk, attending to some of the details of an analysis. On inquiring of him for my friend, Dr. Brown, I was told t h a t he was not in, and the young man introduced himself as William McMurtrie, assistant. This was my first meeting with Dr. McMurtrie, and the beginning of a friendship which continued unabated until the time of his death. The impression made upon me by Dr. McMurtrie a t that time is indelible. The picture which I have just described is as vividly before me now as it was forty-one years ago. Dr. McMurtrie’s career in the Department of Agriculture was signalized by the usual activity which he always displayed in every position t h a t he filled. Within the next two years from the time of which I speak, Dr. Brown retired from the position of the chief chemist of the Department of Agriculture and Dr. McMurtrie took his place. He was at that time, though only twenty-one years of age, well trained in chemistry, as training was regarded in those days. I t is stated that even in his boyhood he displayed a remarkable liking for chemistry. At the age of fourteen he attended some lectures given to young people by the minister of the neighborhood and gladly paid the fee of five cents which was necessary to cover the costs of the materials for each of the lectures. When he entered Lafayette College there was no special course of chemistry, so he took mining engineering because in that he could have the best chemical training which the college afforded.
The story of how he was selected for the succession to Dr. Brown reveals one of the characteristics of his whole life, namely, unselfishness. Judge Watts wTas a t the time Commissioner of Agriculture. When Dr. Brown retired, a number of applications for this position came in. Commissioner Watts called young McMurtrie into his office and asked him what he thought of the qualifications of the applicants. He said that he did not think any one of them was properly qualified for the position. Commissioner Watts then asked him if he thought he could do the work and would like the position. H e replied that the idea of succeeding Dr. Brown had never entered his mind, but he thought he could do better than any of the men who were being considered. The Commissioner replied: i‘ You have not made any application.” It was not long, however, before the application was made out and he continued to hold the position of Chief Chemist until 187 j . The story of his retirement from this position is most interesting. During the term of President Hayes, hlr. Le Duc was Commissioner of Agriculture. He evidently had some political debts to pay, for among other things he wanted Dr. McMurtrie’s place for Dr. Collier. Commissioner Le Duc had a very fine opinion of Dr. McMurtrie’s ability and services and frankly told him,the predicament he was in and asked if he could give him something else, would he be willing to step aside. With his well-known devotion t o others Dr. McMurtrie readily consented. He retired from the position of Chief Chemist of the Department and went t o Paris in 18j8 as a representative of the Department of Agriculture. In addition t o discharging his special duties as representative of the Department he made a thorough and extensive study of the beet industry and of the wine industry of France. His report on the sugar industry laid the foundation of the scientific beet sugar industry of this country and is one of the most valuable contributions Dr. McMurtrie made to science. After his return from Europe, he continued his relations with the Department and carried on a very elaborate investigation
July, 1913
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T H E JOUR.Y.IL OF I - Y D L - S T R I A L A.VD E-YGIa\7EERIA\-G C H E M I S T R Y
on the subject of fibers, especially of wool and cotton. He continued these investigations after he accepted the position of Professor of Chemistry in the University of Illinois. It was my good fortune to know something of the details of his fine work. It was a work of monumental proportions and carried out with all the devotion t o detail which Dr. McMurtrie brought t o the study of every problem. His microscopical and physical study of fibers occupied much of his time and t h a t of several assistants, whom he employed for a number of years. For some reason the valuable manuscripts which he prepared for the Department of Agriculture have never been published in full. It would be a great tribute t o his memory as well as of great value t o science if these unpublished manuscripts could be made public. Dr. McMurtrie discharged his pedagogical duties with distinction and a t the same time kept up his laboratory studies. An investigation into an alleged case of poisoning by baking powder led to his coming into contact with the officials of the Royal Baking Powder Company; in 1888, he resigned his chair of chemistry in the University of Illinois, and became consulting chemist of t h a t company. H e continued his connection with t h a t company first as chemist, then as manager and later as vice-president, until the time of his death. My most intimate association with Dr. McMurtrie in a n official way, was in t h e reorganization of the American Chemical Society. We were members of the committee which formed the p r e s e n t constitution a n d made possible the useful activity of the society. I n the early nineties, the American Chemical Society numbered scarcely more than two or t h r e e hundred members. The journal was a matter of no consequence and the meetings were confined to New York City. The committee on reorganization realized that the only avenue of prosperity lay in the direction of popularizing and localizing the activities of the society. D R . WILLIAM The plan of forming local sections appealed t o the committee as the only solution of this difficult problem. To this plan Dr. McMurtrie devoted his services with his customary zeal and enthusiasm. The wisdom of the reorganization is apparent a t the present time. There are 42 local sections scattered throughout the country and a total membership of around 6.000. Dr. McMurtrie’s services in this line were recognized by his fellow chemists, in his election as president of the society in 1896-8, the duties of which position he discharged with great credit to himself and benefit t o the society.
Dr. McMurtrie’s later years were devoted t o executive rather than laboratory work, and for this reason the number of his contributions t o scientific literature in later life was not numerous. I n spite of this, however, his love of his chosen profession
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never waned. In the three years prior to his death, in which he was an invalid, he manifested a most lively interest in all things relating to the prosperity of the American Chemical Society and the advancement of chemistry, Not only was he an extensive reader of chemical literature during these three years of invalidism, but he carried on a most extensive correspondence with his old friends and new ones in matters relating t o chemistry. He will be known professionally t o the succeeding generations by his contributions to agricultural chemistry, most especially his work in laying broad and deep the foundations of the sugar beet industry of this country. His great work on fibers is known to only a few of his intimate friends. In his connection with a great manufacturing company, he, doubtless, was restricted to some extent in his publications by the code of ethics governing such positions. While this code is to be regretted from a scientific point of view, it is probably the only one which could exist in the present c o n d i t i o n of commercial operations. In his relations to his fellow workers, Dr. McMurtrie was the ideal persona grata. His wit, his humor and his geniality illuminated every function he attended. He died peacefully on the 24th of May, 1913, as the victim of apoplexy, his arteries having hardened altogether t o o early, largely perhaps by reason of devotion t o his profession. F r i e n d , counsellor, COlaborer, vale. HARVEYW. WILEY BIOGRAPHICAL DATA WILLIAM MCMURTRIE
Born March IO, 1851, near Belvidere, New Jersey. Degree, M.E., Lafayette College, 1871. Degree, M.S., Lafayette College, 1874. Degree, Ph.D., Lafayette College, 1876. Married-Washington, D. C., to Helen Douglas. His wife and son Douglas C., survive him. Died-May 24, 1913, result .McMLRTRIE of apoplexy. Buried-Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D C. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SCIENTIFIC WRITINGS BY WILLIAM McMURTRIE Chemical Memoranda. Cnated States Departmelit Agrzculture Monthly Reports, 1873-1876. Address. United States Department Agriculture, Division 17th of Chemistry, Bulletan 62, Wash, 1900, pp. 7 0 - 7 2 . Annual Convention. -4ssociation of Official Agricultural Chemists. On the Mineral Nutrition of the Vine for the Production of Wine. United States Department Agriculture, Report No. 2 2 , pp. 18+187. Report on the Culture of Sumac in Sicily and its Preparation for Market in Europe and the United States. United States
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Department Agriculture, Special Report No. 26, Vol. 11, 1879-80, Wash., 1880. Report on the Culture of the Sugar Beet and the Manufacture of Sugar therefrom in France and the United States. United States Department Agriculture, Special Rebort No. 2 8 , Vol. 11, 1879-80, Wash., 1880. Report on the Examination of Raw Silks. United States Department Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Bulletin 3, pp. 56-71, Wash., 1883. Report upon an Examination of Wools and Other Animal Fibers. Washington, 1886, 613 pp., 34 charts, 38 pl. Quarto. United States Department Agriculture. Also in United States 49th Congress, 1st Session, House Miscellaneous Document 392. Serial No. 2426, Wash., 1886. Reports upon Statistics of Grape Culture and Wine Production in the United States for 1880. United States Department Agriculture, Special Refiort No. 36, Wash., 1881. Report of the Chief of the Division of Chemistry. United States Commissioner of Agriculture, Annual Report, 1873, pp. 170-183; 1874, pp. 147-15j; 1875, pp. 141-151; 1876, pp. 46-61; 1877, PP. 65-89. Bat Guano. United States Department Agriculture. Monthly Report, 1876, p. 192. Wool-Its Structure and Strength. Thirteenth Report of the Board of Trustees o j the Unzversity o j Illinois, pp. 223-54. Springfield, Ill., 1887. Wools and Other Animal Fibers. I n United States World’s Columbian Commission, Wash., 1901. World’s Columbian Exposition, 1901, Vol. 2, pp. 1.519-1690. Some Records of the Year’s Progress in Applied Chemistry.
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Journal o j the American Chemical Society, Easton, 1898, Vol. 2 0 , pp. 967-987. Some Records of Progress in Applied Chemistry. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Easton, 1899, Vol. 21, pp. 1145-1 175. The Condition, Prospects, and Future Educational Demands of the Chemical Industries. Presidential Address at the Chicago meeting of the American Chemical Society. Portrait. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Easton, 1901, Vol. 2 3 , pp. 71-89. The Education of Technical Chemists. Chemical Engineer, Philadelphia, 1905, Vol. 2 , pp. 142-143. Abstract in Review of American Chemical Research, Easton, 1905, Vol. 1 1 , p. 600. ,Address at the Dedication of the Walker Laboratory of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Science, N. S.,New York, 1907, Vol. 26, pp. 329-334. Rev. in Chemical Abstracts, Easton, 1907, VOl. I , p. 3042. Address Delivered a t the Inauguration of William A. Noyes as Head of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the Chemical Laboratory a t the University of Illinois, October 18, 1907. Science, New York, 1907, N. S., Vol. 26, pp. 694-699. The Chemists’ Club. Science, New York, 1911, N. S.,Vol. 34, PP. 5-7. Disposal of Sewage with Recovery of Elements of Plant Food for Use in Agriculture. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Easton, Vol 5, p. I 56. NOTE: The above is as complete a list as could be obtained at this writing.-DOUGLAS C. MCMURTRIB
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE
THE SAMPLING OF RUBBER GOODS Investigations have been made a t various times to show the great importance of sampling such material as coal, sugar, alloys of various kinds, etc., and a great deal has been written on this subject, showing that the value of the chemical analysis made depends largely on the care expended in sampling. With regard to the sampling of rubber goods very litt!e has been said, and if we may judge by the experience of this Bureau, little attention has been paid to this important subject. Yet it must receive the most careful consideration from all who are interested in the chemical analysis of rubber, if we are to expect analyses made in different laboratories to reach even fair agreement. Inasmuch as rubber compounding is merely mechanical mixing of solid material of varying natures, it is obvious that a fair average sample can be obtained only by taking pieces from different parts of the finished material. As a rule, the matter of sampling is left to a corps of inspectors, to whom rubber is only one of many materials to be handled. Too much must not be expected of them. I n such cases, i t is always the manufacturers who have most a t stake, and it would seem t h a t they are the ones who should insist that the sampling be done properly. For example, some months ago, this Bureau had occasion to test a sample of suction hose. A small strip was taken from the end of one length, and another sample, one foot in length, was sent by the manufacturer, with the guarantee that it was made of the same material, and vulcanized under the same conditions. The analysis of the inspector’s sample showed it to be much inferior to the one submitted by the manufacturer. The material was rejected, and considerable annoyance and expense was caused, until the manufacturer proved that the hose was capped 1 Published by permission of the Director of the Bureau of Standards. Paper presented at the Milwaukee meeting of the American Chemical Society, March, 1913.
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with a somewhat inferior compound. If the manufacturer, who knew all the conditions, had made this statement a t the time the sample was taken, much delay and expense in re-testing would have been saved. Furthermore, samples should not be subjected to any treatment whatever before they are sent to the testing laboratory. Recently, we received a sample of insulated wire, which, on examination, proved to contain a variety of materials. Part of it was a piece of wire just as it came from the reel, some of it the rubber stripped from the wire, and the largest part material that had been stripped from the wire and worked through a mill, “to give a n average sample” as the inspector explained. The rubber on the wire showed a free sulfur content of 0.79 per cent, whereas the specifications allowed only 0.j o per cent. The other material, however, showed a free sulfur content as low as 0.42 per cent. Analysis of samples of this nature is a waste of time and money, since there can be no assurance that the results obtained bear any relation to the material which the contractor is offering. Still another sample has been received recently, consisting of rubber which had been ground to pass through a No. 20 sieve. This was sent in a paper envelope, not sealed. The absurdity of the analysis of such material is apparent to all who have given any time and thought to the question of the chemical analysis of rubber. Suffice i t to say that practically all analytical methods require t+ analysis to be started within 24 hours after the grinding of the sample. Care of the sample after taking is equally important. A testing laboratory can analyze a sample only as it is received, and it is to the manufacturer’s interests that this sample be received in a satisfactory condition. This subject should come under the jurisdiction of the rubber section of the American Chemical Society and we would recommend that some action be taken. This Bureau is now insisting
