A quick, if not always very exact, method consists in determining the

point at which the liquor boils. The boiling point of absolute alcohol

being once determined, it is obvious that the more it is diluted with

water the nearer will the boiling point of the mixture approach that of

water; moreover, it has been proved that the presence of saccharine and

other solid matters has but an almost inappreciable effect upon this

point. Field's alcoholometer, since improved by Ure, is based upon this

principle. It is shown in Fig. 53, and consists, roughly speaking, of a

cylindrical vessel _A_, to contain the spirit; this vessel is heated from

beneath by a spirit lamp, which fits into the case _B_. A delicate

thermometer _C_, the bulb of which is introduced into the spirit, is

attached to a scale divided into 100 divisions, of which each represents

one degree over-or under-proof. This method is liable to several small

sources of error, but when a great many determinations have to be made,

and speed is an object rather than extreme accuracy, this instrument

becomes exceedingly useful. It does not answer well with spirits _above_

proof, because the variation in their boiling points are so slight as not

to be easily observed with accuracy. But for liquors under-proof, and

especially for wines, beer, and other fermented liquors, it gives results

closely approximating to those obtained by distillation, and quite

accurate enough for all ordinary purposes. Strong liquors should

therefore be tested with twice their bulk, and commercial spirits with an

equal bulk, of water, the result obtained being multiplied by two or

three, as the case may be.

Another very expeditious, but somewhat rough, method was invented by

Geisler. It consists in measuring the tension of the vapor of the spirit,

by causing it to raise a column of mercury in a closed tube. The very

simple apparatus is shown in Fig. 54. _A_ is a small glass bulb, fitted

with a narrow tube and stop-cock. This vessel is completely filled with

the spirit, and is then screwed upon a long, narrow tube _B_, bent at one

end and containing mercury. This tube is attached to a graduated scale

showing the percentage of absolute alcohol above or below proof. To make

the test the cock is opened, and the bulb, together with the lower part

of the tube, is immersed in boiling water, which gradually raises the

spirit to its boiling-point. When this is reached, the vapor forces the

mercury up the tube, and, when stationary, the degree on the scale to

which it has ascended gives directly the percentage of alcohol.

[Illustration: FIG. 54.--Geisler's Apparatus.]

Another method, which is not to be relied on for very weak liquors, but

which answers well for cordials, wines, and strong ales, is that known as

Brande's method. The liquor is poured into a long, narrow glass tube,

graduated centesimally, until it is half-filled. About 12 or 15 per cent.

of subacetate of lead, or finely powdered litharge, is then added, and

the whole is shaken until all the color is destroyed. Powdered anhydrous

carbonate of potash is next added until it sinks undissolved in the tube,

even after prolonged agitation. The tube is then allowed to rest, when

the alcohol is observed to float upon the surface of the water in a

well-defined layer. The quantity read off on the scale of the tube and

doubled, gives the percentage by volume of alcohol in the original

liquid. The whole operation may be performed in about five minutes, and

furnishes reliable approximative results. In many cases it is necessary

to add the lead salt for the purpose of decolorizing the liquid.

For the investigation of the amount of sugar in, or the concentration of

the mash, or beer, a specially scaled hydrometer is used which is termed

a saccharometer. Sugar possesses a higher degree of specific gravity than

water, and hence it follows that the greater the amount of sugar in the

mash the higher will be the specific gravity. The less the hydrometer

sinks into the fluid the greater the amount of sugar present.

Saccharometers are provided with thermometers whereby the reading may be

corrected to a standard temperature, usually 59∞ F. The saccharometer is

correct for solutions containing sugar alone but it is only approximately

correct for mash liquor which contains a variety of other matters in

variable quantities.

It is a prime necessity that the distiller should be able to determine if

the mash has been completely saccharified by the malt. For this purpose a

solution of iodine is used. Iodine gives to starch a blue color. If the

starch however, has been completely changed into sugar there will either

be no discoloration or the filtered mash liquid which is at first a

yellowish red becomes blue, then violet, and at last red.

=Determination of the Purity of Alcohols.= While the knowledge of the

amount of alcohol contained in a liquid is of great practical utility,

this does not give any idea of the impurities present.

An alcohol of 100 degrees or an absolute alcohol, may contain numerous

impurities which may greatly affect its quality. It is therefore

necessary in addition to analyze the purity of the alcohol.

In commercial practice there are certain simple processes which will give

a basis by which to determine the impurities left after distillation and

rectification. These processes are largely empirical. They are based on

the perception of the senses and are consequently of an entirely relative

degree of precision. Nevertheless, when made by a practical expert, the

operation may give very useful preliminary indications.

This test is made in a glass of special shape broad at the bottom and

narrowing at the top in order to concentrate the aroma of the product.

Ordinary brandies are tested undiluted. Commercial alcohols, of about 95

degrees must be diluted with water to a maximum of 30 degrees. Otherwise

the burning tang of the alcohol would preclude any delicacy of perception

and allow impurities to pass unnoticed.

The operation is begun by examination by sense of smell. The glass is

half filled with the liquid diluted with one half of pure water. The

glass is covered with one hand and shaken violently for a few seconds.

Immediately upon uncovering it, the quality of the alcoholic vapors may

be ascertained by their odor.

For the examination by sense of taste, the operator rinses his mouth for

a moment with the liquid itself. The taste of ethyl alcohol is fairly

transient;--it disappears quickly allowing the taste of the accompanying

foreign matter to be perceived almost immediately afterward. With a

little practice this test enables one to distinguish by their flavor the

primal origin of alcohols and to judge of their purity. Some

professionals succeed by training in arriving at high degree of skill in

the art of tasting alcohol as it should be done.

In order to determine the purity of alcohol there are besides chemical

tests used by the trade. These tests, which consist in characterizing and

measuring separately the impurities which alcohol may contain, such as

acids, ethers, aldehydes, bases, etc., belong exclusively to analytical

chemistry; they are extremely delicate and complicated. We will not

venture to touch upon them here.

One of the simplest tests for purity is that of Barbet. This is based

upon the time taken to discolor a solution of permanganate of potash

under the action of the tested alcohol. It is not only very rapid but in

general more practical than other tests. It allows the aggregate of the

impurities contained in an alcohol to be ascertained in a single

operation.

The permanganate solution used is very weak (0. gr. 200 of salt), and of

a violet-red color. The technique of the proceeding is as follows: 50

cubic centimeters of the alcohol to be tested are placed in a glass

vessel the temperature of which is maintained at 64.40∞F. 2 cubic

centimeters of the permanganate solution are abruptly added and the time

noted to within a second. Discoloration is awaited and as soon as it

takes place the time is again noted. The total discoloration of the

permanganate is not very marked and passes through intermediate stages;

therefore it is preferable not to await complete discoloration but to

stop at a pale salmon tint, which tint may be comparatively fixed by a

sample of colored liquid (say a solution of fuchsine and chromate of

potash).

The comparative times of discoloration obtained by M. Barbet with various

commercial alcohols, are as follows:

Pure alcohol 43 min. 30 sec.

Extra fine alcohol 5 " 30 "

Semi fine alcohol 5 " 10 "

Medium flavor alcohol (first running) 5 " 5 "

Mediocre alcohol 5 " 11 "

Medium flavor alcohol (last running) 2 " 12 "

CHAPTER XII.

DISTILLING PLANTS: THEIR GENERAL ARRANGEMENT AND EQUIPMENT.

When we look at the manufactories of to-day with their complicated

machinery, their extensive equipment, their great boilers, and engines

and their hundreds of employees, we are liable to forget that good work

was turned out by our ancestors, with equipment of extreme simplicity and

that to-day while there are, for instance, thousands of wood-working

mills, complete in every detail and covering under a multitude of roofs

every variety of complicated and perfected wood-working machinery, yet

there are many more thousands of small plants, comprising a portable

boiler, fed with refuse, a small engine and a few saws which are making

money for the owners and doing the work of the world.

The reader therefore, must be warned against any feeling of

discouragement because of the cost and complicated perfection of

elaborate distilling plants. Where the business is to be entered into on

a large scale, to take the products from a considerable section of

country and turn them into alcohol to compete in the great markets, the

best of apparatus and equipment is not too good, but the person

contemplating the mere manufacture of alcohol on a small scale, to serve

only a small section, must remember that distillation is really a very

simple matter, for years practiced with a most rudimentary apparatus and

still so practiced in the country districts particularly in the South.

This is well illustrated by the fact that an illicit distiller confined

in one of the North Carolina penitentiaries for transgressing the revenue

laws, was able while in durance, to continue his operations unknown to

the prison authorities, his plant consisting of a few buckets, and a

still whose body was a tin kettle, a few pieces of pipe and a worm which

he had bent himself. This example is not given as encouragement to

illicit or "blockade" distilling but merely to show vividly how simple

the rudimentary apparatus really is.

The simplest regular plants, those of the South for instance, comprise a

building of rough lumber some thirty feet by twelve wide, with a wooden

floor on which the fermenting vats rest and an earthern floor immediately

in front of the still and furnace. This is to permit the fires being

drawn when the charge has been exhausted in the boiler. The still is of

the fire-heated, intermittent variety, such as described on page 35. It

consists of a brick furnace or oven, large enough to burn ordinary cord

wood and supporting a copper boiler of fifteen or twenty gallons

capacity. On top of this is a copper "head" with the usual goose neck,

from which a copper pipe leads to a closed and locked barrel containing

raw spirits, this barrel acting on the principle of the condensing

chamber shown in the still in Fig. 8. From the upper part of this barrel,

which acts as a concentrator, the vapors pass to a copper worm immersed

in a tub of cold water. Here the vapors are condensed and pass by a pipe

to a small room, containing a locked receiving tank. This room is kept

locked and is under the immediate charge of the Government officer in

charge of the still, or, in the case of alcohol intended for de-naturing,

the alcohol would pass to a locked tank from whence it would be taken and

de-natured under the charge of the proper Government officer.

The fermenting vats may be six or more in number so as to allow the mash

in each tank to be at a different stage of fermentation. A hand pump is

used for pumping the contents of any of the tanks into the boiler or the

still. A hand pump is also provided for supplying water to the vats and

condensers.

In connection with the distilling and fermenting building there are small

buildings for storing the grain, malt, etc., for the storage of the

alcohol and for the keeping of the various books, records, and stamps

required by law. Such plants as these are located adjacent to a good

clear spring or even a small brook, and preferably in a position

convenient to the carriage of materials and the transportation of the

whiskey or other liquor produced.

The buildings are of the cheapest construction and arranged in the

manner which compels the least labor in filling the mash vats and turning

the contents into spirits. There are no special mash coolers, no

complicated stirrers. The "beer" as the fermented mash is called is

stirred by a paddle in the hands of a strong negro and the mash is mixed

and fermented by rule of thumb, without the use of any scientific

appliances. Primitive, as it is, however, those small plants in certain

sections of the country make money for their proprietors and serve a

large number of customers. The spirits so produced are low grade, fiery

and rough in taste, but the point is that alcohol may be and is so

produced.

Between these simple beginnings and the elaborate plants of big

distilleries there is a wide range, so wide that it is impossible within

the limits of this book to go into detail. The makers of distilling

apparatus furnish all grades of stills and to those contemplating

erecting a plant it is suggested that their best course is to communicate

with such manufacturers, giving the circumstances of the case, the

particular product to be worked and the capacity desired. The object of

this book is to give an understanding of the processes of distillation

and of this chapter to give a general idea of the arrangement of a number

of typical distilling plants, suitable for various kinds of work.

That the simple, direct-heated pot still such as referred to above, used

for fifteen hundred years and over, is still used is largely due to the

simplicity of its construction and operation, but its capacity is small,

and its operating expense relatively heavy. It is still used for making

liquors, but for industrial purposes it has been entirely superceded by

concentrating and rectifying stills. A simple form of the latter is found

in the still shown in Fig. 11 and in the distilling apparatus of Adam

(Fig. 9).

Originally all stills were heated by direct contact with fire. This was

open to a serious objection, namely, that the mash if thick was liable to

be scorched. Stirring devices were used by Pistorious but these required

constant attention. As a consequence, direct firing gave place to heating

by steam, by which not only was scorching of the wash avoided but much

greater certainty of operation was attained.

The steam may be used to simply heat the boiler, thus taking the place of

the direct heat of the fire, but it is far better in every way to admit

the steam directly to the mash as in the Coffey still, Fig. 18, and all

modern stills. It is possible to apply this principle to all compound

stills, but the best results with greatest economy of fuel are, of

course, gotten from the plate or column stills especially constructed for

steam. In order to get the best results it is necessary that the entry of

steam be regulated so that there may be absolute uniformity of flow. A

convenient form of regulator is that invented by Savalle, and described

on page 70, hut there are a number of other forms on the market each one

having its special advantages.

It will be seen then that while the simple pot still, fire-heated, may be

used, the practical plant for the fermentation of industrial alcohol

should have a modern continuous still and rectifier and a boiler for

generating the necessary steam for it and for the operations of mashing

and fermenting.

THE FERMENTING ROOM.

The fermenting room has three main requirements for successful commercial

distillation. It must allow a uniform temperature to be maintained in the

vats; it must have thorough ventilation without any draftiness, and it

must be absolutely clean. It should have also plenty of light so that it

may be thoroughly inspected. It is true that in the primitive plants all

these requisites were violated, but there is no reason for this. The

first cost is but little added to by building with these requisites in

mind and it is far more profitable in the long run; and it is only by the

elimination of the bacteria which are inimical to proper fermentation

that the fermenting operation can be performed with any certainty.

For the regulation of the temperature reliance may be had on stoves or

heaters, or on special mash heaters and coolers by which the temperature

of the mash in the tubs may itself be controlled without reference to

the temperature of the fermenting room. When, however, no special and

adequate-heating means is provided, the walls should be double with an

air space between and the doors and windows should either be also double

or limited in number.

To ensure good ventilation and plenty of space above the vats wherein to

work or install suitable vatting machinery, the walls should be at least

twelve feet in height. Outlet openings should be formed around the base

of the room leading to the outer air and closed by controllable shutters.

These are to allow the escape of the carbonic acid gas evolved during

fermentation. These should be most carefully constructed, however, to

prevent drafts.

The walls and floor of the fermenting rooms should be so made that they

may be easily washed down and kept clean. Concrete floors are excellent

for this purpose and the walls also may be faced with concrete or cement

covered with a coating composed of a mixture of asphalt and coal tar.

This mixture may be also applied to plaster walls with good results.

The fermenting vats, as before stated, are made of wood for small plants,

and of iron for larger plants, and are usually from three and a half to

four and a half feet in height. After the chief fermenting period, it is

necessary that the temperature of the mash be prevented from rising

beyond 86∞ F. and to that end movable cooling tubes, coils and stirrers

are used. These consist of parallel frames made up of tubes, preferably

of copper, through which cold water is passed and which are moved about

in the vat, either vertically or rotatively. There must be space above

the vats, therefore, for the introduction and removal of these cooling

frames, and for the gearing whereby they are driven.

As previously stated, mashes to-day are mostly prepared by steaming and

disintegrating in a mash cooker of the type shown in Figs. 1 and 41 or in

Henze steamers, from which the mash is blown into the preparatory mash

vat, where it is stirred and brought to the proper temperature for

fermentation. A convenient arrangement of mash cooker, coolers, pump and

vats is shown in Fig. 1. Where Henze steamers are used they are arranged

in batteries, the blow-off pipes being connected to the preparatory mash

vats. These are preferably provided with water cooled stirrers consisting

of a frame of straight and vertical tubes mounted on a tubular arm

projecting from a tubular shaft, and rotated in a horizontal plane within

the closed mash vats, by suitable gears. The rotation of the arm stirs

and automatically mixes the mash while cooling it. Another form of cooler

is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4.

Whatever form of cooling apparatus is used, attention should be paid to

the ease with which the stirrers or tubes can be kept clean, and to the

strength of the apparatus, gears, etc. Concentrated or thick mashes

require that the stirrers be of massive construction, capable of being

rapidly rotated in the liquid.

In preparatory mash vats for use with concentrated mashes, means must

also be provided for clearing the mash. These mash cleaners and husk

removers usually form part of, or are attached to the vat itself and are

driven by gearing from the main shaft carrying power to the mashing room.

A good idea of the general arrangement and correlation of the various

apparatus of a plant may be gathered from the sectional view of a grain

distillery shown in Fig. 55. It will be seen from this that the mashing

apparatus, steamers and mixers are located on the several floors of one

building and in such relation to each other that the several operations

of saccharifying are carried on in a continuous movement of mash towards

the fermenting vats.

[Illustration: FIG. 55.--Continuous Grain Alcohol Distillery--Barbet's

System.]

Adjoining the fermenting vat room is a section of the plant given up to

the manufacture of pure yeast and this and the fermenting rooms are level

with the ground, have solid walls whereby a uniform temperature is

obtained, and plenty of space for proper ventilation of the vats. A

gallery traverses the room about midway the height of the vats so that

convenient access may be had to them. The distilling room is high enough

to allow for the setting of the various columns, separators and

condensers at their proper heights relative to each other, and should

be so arranged as to its several floors or stages that access to the

various pipes and apparatus may be easily had. The steam generator for

the column is located in an adjacent room.

In addition to this there should be a malt house for the preparation of

malt, located conveniently to the saccharifying building; an engine and

boiler room so placed that power may be conveniently transferred to the

mixers, stirrers and pumps and to generate steam for the Henze boilers;

while adjacent to the distilling building should be the storage tanks and

de-naturing department.

[Illustration: FIG. 56.--Grain Distillery. Capacity 2,500 Bushels per

day. (_To face page 198_)]

Another arrangement of apparatus for a grain distillery with a capacity

of 2500 bushels per day is illustrated in Fig. 56. This plant was erected

by the Vulcan Copper Works Co., and includes separate stills for gin,

alcohol, and rye whiskey, as well as a spirit rectifying column.

The milling and grain mixing departments, the yeast room and the

fermenting room are arranged on the several floors of one building, in

the basement of which is located the vacuum cooker and drop tub and

coolers described on page 11 from which the mash is pumped into the

fermenting tubs.

The second section of the building contains the distilling apparatus,

storage tanks, charcoal rectifiers and spirit rectifying apparatus, while

the third section of the building comprises the boiler house and engine

room.

[Illustration: FIG. 57--Small Beet Distillery.]

In Fig. 57 is shown a view of a small plant for the distillation of

beets, the figure giving a good idea of the arrangement of the

diffusion battery in relation to the still and rectifier. The juice from

the diffusion battery is pumped into the overhead tanks from which it

descends into a dephlegmator and from thence into the still, the vapors

from the still passing into the rectifier. The still is a direct,

fire-heated still and adjacent to the still is a water heater from which

the water passes to the hot water reservoir located above and to one side

of the diffusion vats.

[Illustration: FIG. 58.--Large Beet Distillery.]

A large plant for the distillation of beets is shown in the Section Fig.

58. The beets from the beet silos are carried to suitable washing

machines, _A_, see Chapter VII, in which they are thoroughly cleaned of

dirt and gravel. From the washers they are lifted by a conveyor _B_ to a

distributor _C_ by which they are conveyed to the cutters or slicers.

These consist of horizontal apertured plates revolving at a high speed,

and carry knives which plane off slices from the beets. These drop

through the apertures of the plate and are conveyed to the diffusion

batteries, as by a movable chute _D_ oscillated with a jigging motion

through suitable gearing.

The diffusers _F_ should be arranged so that small trucks may be driven

beneath them to receive the spent slices and carry them to the spent beet

silos. _U_ indicates a gauging tank into which the juice runs from the

diffusers. From thence it passes to coolers (not seen) and thence to the

fermentation tanks _G_. _R_ indicates a small engine for driving the

beet slicers and _S_ a battery of pumps whereby the wash may be forced up

into the reservoir _I_ from which the wash descends into the still _K_.

_H_ and _J_ are reservoirs for hot and cold water respectively.

From the distilling column _K_ the phlegm or raw spirit passes to the

phlegm tank _L_ from which it is drawn as desired into the rectifying

column _M_, thence into the coolers and condensers and thence into the

alcohol tanks _N_.

On the other side of the building as indicated by the chimney is the

boiler for generating the motive power for the plant and for supplying

the steam necessary for the distilling and rectifying columns and the hot

water for the diffusion batteries. The boiler should be very capacious

and it would be well to have two, one in reserve.

If possible, advantage should be taken of the natural slope of the ground

so that the trucks bringing beets from the silo to the washer and

carrying the spent beets away may roll downward by their own weight. The

silos for the spent beets should be excavated from the ground and the

trucks be constructed to tip their contents into these pits. The natural

slope of the bottom of these pits should drain away the water and means

be provided whereby carts can load with the spent beets to carry them

away.

The spent liquors should flow off into ponds from which they may be drawn

away to fertilize land.

A very convenient method of carrying beets from the silos to the washing

machine is by means of a narrow canal of rapidly flowing water, flowing

between the silos and entering the washing machines. Beets pitched into

this stream are carried along by the current to the washers and at the

same time undergo a preliminary washing. By laying out a system of

channels throughout the beet yard the labor of handling is reduced to a

minimum. These channels may be covered by boards on which the beets may

be piled. These may be lifted and the beets thereon dumped into the

stream.

A plant for the distillation of potatoes would be arranged very much

after the plan of the grain distillery heretofore described except that

it would have to be provided with apparatus for washing the potatoes and

removing stones and adhering clods of earth. These washers, as put on the

market, comprise a slotted rotating drum, which tumbles the potatoes

about and loosens the dirt. When they escape from the drum they enter a

washing trough where they are stirred about by revolving blades and acted

upon by a swift current of water. The trough should be about two feet

long to properly wash the potatoes. They are then lifted by an elevator

to the mouth of the Henze pulpers (see Fig. 2) or the vacuum cookers see

Fig. 1).

It is of advantage that the washing apparatus be so located that the

potatoes as they are received may be shoveled into it immediately. The

scale for weighing the potatoes as they are brought in should be so

located that the manager may attend to the weighing without having to

leave the distillery. This and other like details may seem of small

moment but it is care in such details which conduces to the success of a

plant. As before stated in describing a beet distillery, advantage should

be taken of the lay of the land in laying out the plant so that the spent

pulp may be easily disposed of, the spent wash carried away, and the

finished product conveniently handled.

[Illustration: FIG. 59.--Molasses Distillery. Capacity 2,500 gallons per

day.]

In Fig. 59, is shown a plant for distilling molasses, designed by the

Vulcan Copper Works, before referred to, and erected for the Rio Tamposo

Sugar Co., of Tamposo, S. L. P., Mexico.

The molasses as before explained at page 164 being too concentrated, is

first pumped into the steam mixing tank on the ground floor of the

distilling building. Here it is diluted and heated, mixed with sulphuric

acid and pumped into the long ranges of cooling pipes, located along the

fermenting room and built on the principle shown in Fig. 4. Here it is

further diluted and yeast is added. From the fermenting tubs the molasses

beer is pumped into the beer heater and thence into such a still as is

shown in Fig. 32.

In addition to this the plant contains a rectifying apparatus for the

high wines produced by the beer still, comprising a spirit still, charged

from a high wine tank, a rectifying column, separator, and tubular

condenser from which the rectified spirit is carried to the storage

tanks.

Cane sugar distilleries are practically arranged the same as the molasses

distillery above described. The cane is crushed between the rolls of cane

crushers on the receiving floor and is then strained to remove the

"begasse." The clarified juice is then pumped up to the mixing tanks. In

these the molasses is mixed with spent wash from other fermentations or

with water, after which it is acidified and flows to the fermenting vats.

The fermenting house should be provided with means for forcing in

filtered air and for ventilating, as molasses wash is very sensitive to

change in temperature and very liable to become contaminated by injurious

ferments. (See Fig. 60).

[Illustration: FIG. 60.--Molasses Fermenting House.]

Above each vat should be a cooling coil capable of being lowered into the

vat and a water spraying pipe, whereby the mash may be diluted when

desired. From the vats, the wash is pumped to the distilling and

rectifying columns. In Jamaica the still shown in Fig. 37, is largely

used, as also the Coffey still, Fig. 18.

It is very often not profitable to distill spirit from molasses or sugar

cane directly at the sugar factories, there being no market on the spot

and transportation of the spirit in casks being very costly and

difficult, not only because of the lack of transporting means but because

the tropical climate tends to warp the empty casks. Transportation of the

molasses in casks to a distillery is likewise open to objections of cost

and the action of the hot sun in fermenting the molasses and bursting the

cask.

Barbet has suggested a way out of the difficulty. This consists in

boiling the molasses in vacuo, and then running it into molds lined with

sheets of paper. These are set by dipping in cold water. When set the

loaves wrapped in their paper coverings are as easily handled as sugar

loaves. There is no dead weight nor any "empties" to be returned as in

the case of casks. The molasses is in a most concentrated form and this

makes for economy in freight. There is no risk of deterioration and the

loaves may be stored in an ordinary warehouse. This method allows the

distillery to be located at centers of transportation or at seaports,

while the sugar factories are on the plantation.

Care should be taken in selecting the site for a distillery that an

abundance of pure water may be supplied. The purer the water the better,

and where water is not pure, purifying apparatus should be provided. The

coolness of the water is a factor which must be taken into consideration.

The greater amount of water will be used for cooling, and it follows then

that the cooler the water the less of it will have to be used.

The horse-power of the engines used in driving the distilling apparatus

varies, of course, with the capacity of the still, the average being

between 6 H.P. and 30 H.P., for plants having fermenting vats of

capacities ranging between two hundred and fifty, and twelve hundred

gallons.

It must not be forgotten that the coal consumption of a plant depends

upon the economy of heating means in the distilling apparatus, the

perfection with which the heat of the vapors is used to heat the wash,

the perfection of the boiler grates and the method of firing. These

latter matters should be obvious to any distiller, but it is in economy

in little things that the successful operation of a plant resides.

Nothing is more surprising than the difference in the coal consumption of

different distilleries. Some use a third more than others. This is caused

by poor coal, by poor firing, by poor boilers, by hard water, or by poor

distilling equipment. With regard to the latter this word of advice may

be given: The greater the number of plates in the distilling column, the

less the coal consumed per gallon of alcohol produced. It must, however,

be taken into account that a large number of plates in a column means a

column of considerable height and that in turn means a correspondingly

tall still house and increased first cost. Hence it is more economical to

use the best forms of traps on the plates and fewer plates, and the best

forms of these traps as pointed out in Chapter III, are those wherein the

largest quantity of vapor in a finely divided state may come into contact

with the greatest number of liquid particles.

In conclusion it may be said that dirt, neglect, carelessness and a too

great desire for economy in first cost are all factors in lowering the

economical productiveness as well in a distillery as in other

manufacturing plants.

CHAPTER XIII.

DE-NATURED ALCOHOL AND DE-NATURING FORMUL∆

The uses of alcohol are very numerous and varied, the principal being, of

course, for the production of all alcoholic liquors such as brandy, gin,

rum, whiskey, liquors, etc.; that distilled from grain is almost entirely

consumed in the manufacture of whiskey, gin, and British brandy. In the

arts, strong alcohol is employed by the perfumers and makers of essences

for dissolving essential oils, soaps, etc., and for extracting the odor

of flowers and plants; by the varnish-makers for dissolving resins; by

photographers in the preparation of collodion; by the pharmaceutists in

the preparation of tinctures and other valuable medicaments; by chemists

in many analytical operations, and in the manufacture of numerous

preparations; by instrument makers in the manufacture of delicate

thermometers; by the anatomist and naturalist as an antiseptic; and in

medicine, both in a concentrated form (rectified spirit), and diluted

(proof spirit, brandy, etc.), as a stimulant, tonic, or irritant, and for

various applications as a remedy. It is largely consumed in the

manufacture of vinegar; and in the form of methylated spirit it is used

in lamps for producing heat. It has, in fact, been employed for a

multitude of purposes which it is almost impossible to enumerate.

The common form of alcohol known as "de-natured spirit" consists of

alcohol to which one tenth of its volume of wood alcohol, or other

de-naturizing agents has been added, for the purpose of rendering the

mixture undrinkable through its offensive odor and taste. Methylated

spirit being sold tax free, may be applied by chemical manufacturers,

varnish makers, and many others, to a variety of uses, to which, from its

greater cost, duty-paid spirit is commercially inapplicable. Its use,

however, in the preparation of tinctures, sweet spirits of nitre, etc.,

has been prohibited by law. It has often been attempted to separate the

wood spirit from the alcohol, and thus to obtain pure alcohol from the

mixture, but always unsuccessfully, as, although the former boils at a

lower temperature than the latter, when boiled they both distil over

together, owing probably to the difference of their vapor densities.

It is Germany which has led the way in the manufacture and use of

"de-natured" alcohol or "spiritus," as it is there known. Germany has no

natural gas or oil wells, and gasoline and kerosene are not produced

there, hence the necessity of using some other form of liquid fuel. This

fuel--in many ways better than any petroleum product--was found in

alcohol. The sandy plains of northern Germany, and indeed any

agricultural district of that empire, produce abundant crops of potatoes

and beets.

From the first, alcohol can be so easily manufactured that the processes

are within the understanding and ability of any farmer. The second is

used in the manufacture of beet sugar,--one of the great German

industries, and the crude molasses, from a refuse product,--still

contains from 40 to 50 per cent. of sugar, from which alcohol can be

made. Under these circumstances and the great demand for liquid fuel for

motor carriages and gas engines, alcohol for "de-naturing" came rapidly

to the front as one of the most important of agricultural products, as

one of the most valuable "crops" which a farmer could raise. Potatoes are

chiefly raised. The potatoes are grown by the farmers and manufactured

into alcohol in individual farm distilleries and in cooperative

distilleries.

While England and France were somewhat behind Germany in fostering this

industry--yet they both were far ahead of the United States in this

matter. De-natured alcohol could be readily gotten in these countries,

for industrial purposes, while the United States continued to charge a

high internal revenue tax on all but wood alcohol. This prevented the use

of alcohol in competition with gasoline or kerosene, and limited its use

in arts and manufactures.

On June 7, 1906, however, Congress passed the "De-naturing Act," as it is

called, which provided in brief that alcohol, which had been mixed with

a certain proportion of de-naturing materials sufficient to prevent its

use as a beverage should not be taxed.

The passage of this Act was alcohol's new day, and is destined to have a

wide influence upon the agricultural pursuits of the country.

In the matter of small engines and motors alone one estimate places the

farm use of these at three hundred thousand with an annual increase of

one hundred thousand. This means an economical displacing of horse and

muscle power in farm work almost beyond comprehension. If now the farmer

can make from surplus or cheaply grown crops the very alcohol which is to

furnish the cheaper fuel for his motors, he is placed in a still more

independent and commanding position in the industrial race.

As an illuminant the untaxed alcohol is bound to introduce some

interesting as well as novel conditions. The general estimate of the

value of alcohol for lighting gives it about double the power of

kerosene, a gallon of alcohol lasting as two gallons of the oil. In

Germany, where the use of alcohol in lamps is most fully developed, a

mantle is used. Thus in a short time it may be expected that an entirely

new industry will spring up to meet the demand for the illuminating lamps

embodying the latest approved form of mantle. The adapting of the

gasoline motors of automobiles to alcohol fuel will in itself create a

vast new manufacturing undertaking. When this is accomplished it is

believed that we shall no more be troubled with the malodorous gasoline

"auto" and "cycle" burners on our public streets and parkways.

De-natured alcohol is simply alcohol which has been so treated, as to

spoil it for use as a beverage or medicine, and prevent its use in any

manner except for industrial purposes.

De-naturing may be accomplished in many ways.

In England a mixture suitable for industrial purposes, but unfit for any

other use, is made by mixing 90 per cent. of ethyl alcohol (alcohol made

from grain, potatoes, beets, etc.), with 10 per cent. of methyl or "wood

alcohol." Under the new law the proportion of wood alcohol is cut to five

per cent.

In Canada "methylated spirits," as it is known, is composed of from 25

per cent. to 50 per cent. of wood alcohol mixed with ethyl alcohol. This

proportion of wood alcohol is far more than is required in any other

country.

In Germany, the de-naturing law passed in 1887 was so framed as to

maintain the high revenue tax on alcohol intended for drinking, but to

exempt from taxation such as should be de-naturized and used for

industrial purposes. De-naturing is accomplished by mixing with the

spirit a small proportion of some foreign substance, which, while not

injuring its efficiency for technical uses, renders it unfit for

consumption as a beverage. The de-naturing substances employed depend

upon the use to which the alcohol is to be subsequently applied. They

include pyridin, picolin, benzol, toluol, and xylol, wood vinegar, and

several other similar products. As a result of this system Germany

produced and used last year 100,000,000 gallons of de-natured spirits, as

compared with 10,302,630 gallons used in 1886, the last year before the

enactment of the present law.

The following are some of the other de-naturants used in Germany:

Camphor, oil of turpentine, sulphuric ether, animal oil, chloroform,

iodoform, ethyl bromide, benzine, castor oil, lye.

* * * * *

In France the standard mixture consists of:

150 liters of Ethyl alcohol,

15 liters of wood alcohol,

1/2 liter of heavy benzine,

1 gram. Malachite green.

An illustration of de-naturing on a large scale is given by the methods

and operations of a large London establishment. On the ground floor are

four large iron tanks holding about 2500 gallons each. On the next floor

are casks of spirit brought under seal from the bonded warehouse. On the

third floor are the wood alcohol tanks, and on the fourth floor cans of

methylating materials. On the fourth floor the covers to the wood alcohol

tanks were removed (these tank covers were flush with that floor) and the

contents gauged and tested. The quantity to be put into the tanks on the

first floor was run off through pipes connecting with the first-floor

tanks and the upper tanks relocked. Then going to the second floor, each

cask of the grain spirit was gauged and tested and the tank covers, which

were flush with the floor, were removed and the casks of the grain spirit

were run into the tanks below. The mixture was then stirred with

long-handled wooden paddles and the tank covers replaced, and the

material was ready for sale free of tax. The mixture was 10 per cent.

wood alcohol and 90 per cent. ethyl alcohol made from molasses, and was

what is known as the ordinary methylating spirit used for manufacturing

purposes only and used under bond. The completely de-natured spirit is

made by adding to the foregoing three-eighths of one per cent. of

benzine.

This benzine prevents re-distillation.

In the United States there are at present two general formulas for

de-natured alcohol in use, either one of which may be used by any

manufacturer, who can use de-natured alcohol.

The first and most common one is made up as follows:

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 10 "

Benzine 1/2 "

Where such a formula as this is required in an aqueous solution the

benzine is of course thrown out, giving the solution a milky appearance.

In this case the other general formula may be used.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 2 "

Pyridine Bases 1/2 "

In addition to these two general formulas for de-natured alcohol a number

of special formulas have been authorized to be used in the manufacture of

certain classes of goods. In order to buy these specially de-natured

alcohols it is necessary, of course, to obtain a permit first from your

Collector of Internal Revenue, a simple permit to use de-natured alcohol

will not suffice. Some of the special formulas are as follows:

For use in the manufacture of sulphonmethane.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Pyridin Bases 1 gallon.

Coal Tar Benzol 1 "

For use in the manufacture of transparent soap.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 5 "

Castor Oil 1 "

36∞ Be. Caustic Soda Solution 1/2 "

For the manufacture of shellac varnishes.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 parts by volume

Methyl " 5 " " "

For the manufacture of smoking and chewing tobacco.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

A mixture made as follows: 1 "

Aqueous Solution containing 40% Nicotine 12 gallons

Acid Yellow Dye 0.4 lb.

Tetrazo Brilliant Blue 12 B Conct. 0.4 lb.

Water to make 100 gallons.

For the manufacture of photo-engravings.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Sulphuric Ether 65 lbs.

Cadmium Iodide 3 "

Ammonium " 3 "

For the manufacture of fulminate of mercury.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 3 "

Pyridine Bases 1/2 "

The next formula may be used for the following purposes:

In the manufacture of photographic dry plates.

In the manufacture of embalming fluid.

In the manufacture of heliotropin.

In the manufacture of resin of podophyllum and similar products.

In the manufacture of lacquers from soluble cotton.

In the manufacture of thermometer and barometer tubes.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 5 "

For use in the manufacture of photographic collodian.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Sulphuric Ether 10 lbs.

Cadmium Iodine 10 "

For use in the manufacture of pastes and varnishes from soluble cotton.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 2 "

Benzol 2 "

For use in the purification of rubber.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Acetone 10 "

Petroleum naptha 2 "

Petroleum naptha must have a specific gravity of not less than ∑650 nor

more than ∑720 at 60∞F.

For use in the manufacture of watches.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 5 "

Cyanide of Potassium 1-1/2 lbs.

Patened Blue B 1/8 oz.

(Acid calcium, magnesium, or sodium salt of the disulpho-acids of

meta-oxytetraethyldiamidotri-phenyl-carbidrids.)

The methyl alcohol must have a specific gravity of not more than ∑810

at 60∞ F.

The de-naturing mixture is best prepared by dissolving the cyanide of

potassium in a small quantity of water, and then adding this solution to

the alcohol, with which the methyl alcohol, containing the dissolved

color, has been previously mixed.

For the manufacture of celluloid, pyralin and similar products.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 parts by volume

Methyl " 5 " " "

Camphor 7 lbs.

Alternative special de-naturant for the manufacture of celluloid, pyralin

and similar products.

Ethyl Alcohol 100 gallons.

Methyl " 2 "

Benzol 2 "

The strongest alcohol of commerce in the United States is usually 95 per

cent. alcohol, and the price varies from $2.30 to $2.50 per gallon,

showing that the greater part of the cost is due to the revenue levied by

the government. The greater part of the 60,000,000 gallons of alcohol

consumed in the United States is used in the manufacture of whiskey and

other beverages. The revenue tax prevents the use of alcohol to any great

extent in the industries of the country. The bill passed by Congress in

1906, designed to promote the use of untaxed alcohol in the arts and as

fuel, took effect January 1, 1907. The first effect of free alcohol

would, it was said, supplant the 12,000,000 gallons of wood alcohol which

are used in the manufacture of paint, varnishes, shellacs, and other

purposes. Another use that is expected of de-natured alcohol is in the

manufacture of certain products, such as dyestuffs and chemicals, which

can not now be manufactured commercially in this country because of the

high cost of alcohol, and which are imported largely from Europe. A very

rapid development of the industry of manufacturing chemicals as a result

of free alcohol is looked for. In the production of alcohol there is

always formed as a by-product a certain amount of fusel oil, which is

very useful in manufacturing lacquers which are used on metallic

substances, fine hardware, gas fixtures, and similar articles. The

industries manufacturing these wares will undoubtedly receive a great

stimulus as a result of cheaper fusel oil caused by the increased

production of alcohol.

=A Safe Fuel.= The use of de-natured alcohol as a fuel has yet to be

fully developed. Although alcohol has only about half the heating power

of kerosene or gasoline, gallon for gallon, yet it has many valuable

properties which may enable it to compete successfully in spite of its

lower fuel value. In the first place it is very much safer. Alcohol has a

tendency to simply heat the surrounding vapors and produce currents of

hot gases which are not usually brought to high enough temperature to

inflame articles at a distance. It can be easily diluted with water, and

when it is diluted to more than one-half it ceases to be inflammable.

Hence it may be readily extinguished; while burning gasoline, by floating

on the water, simply spreads its flame when water is applied to it.

Although alcohol has far less heating capacity than gasoline, the best

experts believe that it will develop a much higher percentage of

efficiency in motors than does gasoline. Since gasoline represents only

about two per cent. of the petroleum which is refined, its supply is

limited and its price must constantly rise in view of the enormous demand

made for it for automobiles and gasoline engines in general. This will

open a new opportunity for de-natured alcohol. Industrial alcohol is now

used in Germany in small portable lamps, which give it all the effects of

a mantel burner heated by gas. The expense for alcohol is only about

two-thirds as much per candle-power as is the cost of kerosene. Even at

25 or 30 cents a gallon, de-natured alcohol can successfully compete with

kerosene as a means of lighting.

Objection has been made to the use of alcohol in automobiles and other

internal-explosive engines, that it resulted in a corrosion of the metal.

This is vigorously denied by the advocate of alcohol fuel and the denial

is backed by proofs of the use of alcohol in German engines for a number

of years without any bad results.

A recent exhibition in Germany gave a good illustration of the broad

field in which de-natured alcohol may be used.

Here were shown alcohol engines of a large number of different makes,

alcohol boat motors as devised for the Russian navy, and motors for

threshing, grinding, wood-cutting, and other agricultural purposes.

The department of lighting apparatus included a large and varied display

of lamps, chandeliers, and street and corridor lights, in which alcohol

vapor is burned like gas in a hooded flame covered by a Welsbach mantle.

Under such conditions alcohol vapor burns with an incandescent flame

which rivals the arc light in brilliancy and requires to be shaded to

adopt it to the endurance of the human eye. There has been each year a

great improvement in the artistic models and finish of lamps and

chandeliers for alcohol lighting. At the beginning they were simple and

of rather ordinary appearance, but now they are up to the best standard

of modern fixtures for gas and electricity, with which alcohol lighting

is now competing with increasing success in that country.

Similarly attractive and interesting was the large display of alcohol

heating stoves, which, for warming corridors, sleeping rooms, and certain

other locations, are highly esteemed. They are made of japanned-iron

plate in decorative forms, with concave copper reflectors, are readily

portable, and, when provided with chimney connections for the escape of

the gases of combustion, furnish a clean, odorless, and convenient

heating apparatus.

Cooking stoves of all sizes, forms, and capacities, from the complete

range, with baking and roasting ovens, broilers, etc., to the simple tea

and coffee lamp, were also displayed in endless variety.

Enough has been said to give an idea of the capabilities and values of

this new form of fuel,--at least, and as far as the United States is

concerned.

With its advent not only will American genius perfect the machinery for

its use, but the American farmer is given a new market for his crops.

Distilleries, big and little, are likely to be set up all over the

country, and the time is not far distant when the farmer will be able to

carry his corn to his local distillery, and either return with the money

in his pocket, or with fuel for farm engines, machinery, and perchance

his automobile.

When our government shall have become as far-sighted as the German

government in this matter, every farmer will be able to manufacture his

own de-natured spirits. The wisdom of the German system established by

the law of 1887 has long ceased to be a question of debate. For every

reichsmark of revenue sacrificed by exempting de-natured spirits from

taxation the empire and its people have profited ten-fold by the stimulus

which has been thereby given to agriculture and the industrial arts.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE FREE ALCOHOL ACT OF 1906, THE AMENDMENT OF 1907 AND INTERNAL REVENUE

REGULATIONS.

PUBLIC--NO. 201.

An Act for the withdrawal from bond, tax free, of domestic alcohol when

rendered unfit for beverage or liquid medicinal uses by mixture with

suitable de-naturing materials.

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United

States of America in Congress assembled_, That from and after January

first, nineteen hundred and seven, domestic alcohol of such degree of

proof as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, and

approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, may be withdrawn from bond

without the payment of internal-revenue tax, for use in the arts and

industries, and for fuel, light, and power, provided said alcohol shall

have been mixed in the presence and under the direction of an authorized

Government officer, after withdrawal from the distillery warehouse, With

methyl alcohol or other de-naturing material or materials, or admixture

of the same, suitable to the use for which the alcohol is withdrawn, but

which destroys its character as a beverage and renders it unfit for

liquid medicinal purposes; such de-naturing to be done upon the

application of any registered distillery in de-naturing bonded warehouses

specially designated or set apart for de-naturing purposes only, and

under conditions prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with

the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.

The character and quantity of the said de-naturing material and the

conditions upon which said alcohol may be withdrawn free of tax shall be

prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who shall, with the

approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, make all necessary regulations

for carrying into effect the provisions of this Act.

Distillers, manufacturers, dealers and all other persons furnishing,

handling or using alcohol withdrawn from bond under the provisions of

this Act shall keep such books and records, execute such bonds and render

such returns as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval

of the Secretary of the Treasury, may by regulation require. Such books

and records shall be open at all times to the inspection of any

internal-revenue officer or agent.

SEC. 2. That any person who withdraws alcohol free of tax under the

provisions of this Act and regulations made in pursuance thereof, and who

removes or conceals same, or is concerned in removing, deposting or

concealing same for the purpose of preventing the same from being

de-natured under governmental supervision, and any person who uses

alcohol withdrawn from bond under the provision of section one of this

Act for manufacturing any beverage or liquid medicinal preparation, or

knowingly sells any beverage or liquid medicinal preparation made in

whole or in part from such alcohol, or knowingly violates any of the

provisions of this Act, or who shall recover or attempt to recover by

redistillation or by any other process or means, any alcohol rendered

unfit for beverage or liquid medicinal purposes under the provisions of

this Act, or who knowingly uses, sells, conceals, or otherwise disposes

of alcohol so recovered or redistilled, shall on conviction of each

offense be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or be imprisoned

not more than five years, or both, and shall, in addition, forfeit to the

United States all personal property used in connection with his business,

together with the buildings and lots or parcels of ground constituting

the premises on which said unlawful acts are performed or permitted to be

performed: _Provided_, That manufacturers employing processes in which

alcohol, used free of tax under the provisions of this Act, is expressed

or evaporated from the articles manufactured, shall be permitted to

recover such alcohol and to have such alcohol restored to a condition

suitable solely for reuse in manufacturing processes under such

regulations as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval

of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prescribe.

SEC. 3. That for the employment of such additional force of chemists,

internal-revenue agents, inspectors, deputy collectors, clerks, laborers,

and other assistants as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the

approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, may deem proper and necessary

to the prompt and efficient operation and enforcement of this law, and

for the purchase of locks, seals, weighing beams, gauging instruments,

and for all necessary expenses incident to the proper execution of this

law, the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, or so much

thereof as may be required, is hereby appropriated out of any money in

the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, said appropriation to be

immediately available.

For a period of two years from and after the passage of this Act the

force authorized by this section of this Act shall be appointed by the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of

the Treasury, and without compliance with the conditions prescribed by

the Act entitled "An Act to regulate and improve the civil service,"

approved January sixteenth, eighteen hundred and eighty-three, and

amendments thereof and with such compensation as the Commissioner of

Internal Revenue may fix, with the approval of the Secretary of the

Treasury.

SEC. 4. That the Secretary of the Treasury shall make full report to

Congress at its next session of all appointments made under the

provisions of this Act, and the compensation paid thereunder, and of all

regulations prescribed under the provisions hereof, and shall further

report what, if any, additional legislation is necessary, in his opinion,

to fully safeguard the revenue and to secure a proper enforcement of this

Act.

Approved June 7, 1906.

DE-NATURING REGULATIONS

UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1906.

Under the Act quoted above, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue was

empowered to make regulations whereby the law might be carried into

effect.

In the first place it may be said that those who are permitted by this

Act to manufacture de-natured alcohol must be distillers; in other words,

those who have regularly licensed and registered distilleries. This does

not mean that the plant must be large or costly--as witness the numerous

little "stills" to be found throughout the South; but that the still,

whatever its size, must be under constant supervision, and regularly

licensed to manufacture alcohol. The requirements to this end can be had

from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Treasury Department,

Washington.

Pursuant to the law regarding de-naturing, rules and regulations have

been drawn up of which the following is a synopsis with extracts where

deemed advisable.

DE-NATURING BONDED WAREHOUSES.

"SEC. 2. The proprietor of any registered distillery may withdraw from

his distillery warehouse, free of tax, alcohol of not less than 180

degrees proof or strength, to be de-natured in the manner hereinafter

prescribed.

A distiller desiring to withdraw alcohol from bond for de-naturing

purposes under the provisions of this act shall, at his own expense,

provide a de-naturing bonded warehouse, to be situated on and

constituting a part of the distillery premises. It shall be separated

from the distillery and the distillery bonded warehouse and all other

buildings, and no windows or doors or other openings shall be permitted

in the walls of the de-naturing bonded warehouse leading into the

distillery, the distillery bonded warehouse or other room or building,

except as hereinafter provided. It must be constructed in the same manner

as distillery bonded warehouses are now constructed, with view to the

safe and secure storage of the alcohol removed thereto for de-naturing

purposes and the de-naturing agents to be stored therein. It must be

approved by the Commission of Internal Revenue. It shall be provided with

closed mixing tanks of sufficient capacity. The capacity in wine gallons

of each tank must be ascertained and marked thereon in legible letters,

and each tank must be supplied with a graduated glass gauge whereon the

contents will be at all times correctly indicated. All openings must be

so arranged that they can be securely locked. Suitable office

accommodation for the officer on duty must be provided.

SEC. 3. The de-naturing bonded warehouse shall be used for de-naturing

alcohol, and for no other purpose, and nothing shall be stored or kept

therein except the alcohol to be de-natured, the materials used as

de-naturants, the de-natured product, and the weighing and gauging

instruments and other appliances necessary in the work of de-naturing,

measuring, and gauging the alcohol and de-naturing materials.

These bonded warehouses must be numbered serially in each collection

district, and the words "De-naturing bonded warehouse No.--, district

of--," must be in plain letters in a conspicuous place on the outside of

the building.

In case the distiller's bond has been executed before the erection of

such warehouse the consent of the sureties to the establishment of the

de-naturing warehouse must be secured and entry duly signed made on the

bond."

DE-NATURING MATERIAL ROOM.

"SEC. 4. There shall be provided within the de-naturing bonded warehouse

a room to be designated as the de-naturing material room. This room is to

be used alone for the storage of de-naturing materials prior to the

de-naturing process. It must be perfectly secure, and must be so

constructed as to render it impossible for anyone to enter during the

absence of the officer in charge without the same being detected.

The ceiling, inside walls, and floor of said room must be constructed of

brick, stone, or tongue-and-groove planks. If there are windows in the

room the same must be secured by gratings or iron bars, and to each

window must be affixed solid shutters of wood or iron, constructed in

such manner that they may be securely barred and fastened on the inside.

The door must be substantial, and must be so constructed that it can be

securely locked and fastened.

SEC. 5. At least two sets of tanks or receptacles for storing de-naturing

material must be provided, and each set of tanks must be of sufficient

capacity in the aggregate to hold the de-naturing material which it is

estimated the distiller will use for thirty days. A set of tanks shall

consist of one or more tanks for storing methyl alcohol, and one or more

tanks of smaller capacity for storing other de-naturing materials. The

capacity of each tank must be ascertained and marked in legible figures

on the outside.

The tanks must not be connected with each other, and must be so

constructed as to leave at least 18 inches of open space between the top

of the tank and ceiling, the bottom of the tank and the floor, and the

sides of the tank and walls of the de-naturing material room. Each tank

shall be given a number,and this number must be marked upon it. There

shall be no opening at the top except such as may be necessary for

dumping the de-naturing material into the tank and thoroughly plunging or

mixing the same. Said opening must be covered so that it may be locked.

Likewise the faucet through which the de-naturing material is drawn must

be so arranged that it can be locked. Each tank must be supplied with a

graduated glass gauge whereby the contents of the tank will always be

shown."

CUSTODY OF DE-NATURING BONDED WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 6. The de-naturing bonded warehouse shall be under the control of

the collector of the district and shall be in the joint custody of a

storekeeper, storekeeper-gauger, or other designated official and the

distiller.

No one shall be permitted to enter the warehouse except in the presence

of said officer, and the warehouse and room shall be kept closed and the

doors, exterior and interior, securely locked except when some work

incidental to the process of de-naturing and storing material is being

carried on. Standard Sleight locks shall be used for locking the

de-naturing bonded ware-house and the de-naturing material room, and they

shall be sealed in the same manner and with the same kind of seals as

distillery bonded warehouses and cistern rooms are now sealed. Miller

locks shall be used in securing the faucets and openings of the mixing

tanks and the de-naturing material tanks.

The officer in charge of the de-naturing bonded warehouse, material room,

and tanks shall carry the keys to same, and under no circumstances are

said keys to be intrusted to anyone except another officer who is duly

authorized to receive them."

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF DE-NATURING BONDED WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 7. Whenever a distiller wishes to commence the business of

de-naturing alcohol he must make written application to the collector of

the district in which the distillery is located for the approval of a

de-naturing bonded warehouse.

Such application must give the name or names of the person, firm, or

corporation operating the distillery, the number of the distillery, the

location of the same, the material of which the warehouse is constructed,

the size of same, width, length and height, the size of the de-naturing

material room therein, and the manner of its construction, the capacity

in gallons of each tank to be used for de-naturing alcohol or for holding

the de-naturing agents, and the material of which said tanks are

constructed.

Such application must be accompanied by a diagram correctly representing

the warehouse, the mixing tanks, de-naturing material room, and

de-naturing material tanks, with all openings and surroundings. It must

show the distillery and all the distillery bonded warehouses on the

premises, with dimensions of each."

Sections 9 and 10 of the regulations deal with the examination and

approval of the de-naturing warehouse and plant by the Internal Revenue

officers.

DE-NATURING WAREHOUSE BOND TO BE GIVEN.

"SEC. 11. After receipt of notice of the approval of said warehouse the

distiller may withdraw from his distillery warehouse, free of tax,

alcohol of not less than 180 degrees proof or strength, and may de-nature

same in said de-naturing warehouse in the manner hereinafter indicated,

provided he shall first execute a bond in the form prescribed by the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with at least two sureties, Unless,

under the authority contained in an act approved August 13, 1894, a

corporation, duly authorized by the Attorney-General of the United States

to become a surety on such bond, shall be offered as a sole surety

thereon. The bond shall be for a penal sum of not less than double the

tax on the alcohol it is estimated the distiller will de-nature during a

period of 30 days, and in no case is the distiller to withdraw from bond

for de-naturing purposes and have in his de-naturing warehouse in process

of de-naturation a quantity of alcohol the tax upon which is in excess of

the penal sum of the bond.

SEC. 12. If at any time, it should develop that the de-naturing warehouse

bond is insufficient the distiller must give additional bond.

SEC. 13. The bond herein provided for must be executed before the

distiller can withdraw from distillery bonded warehouse, free of tax,

alcohol to be de-natured, and if he desires to continue in the business

of de-naturing alcohol, said bond must be renewed on the first day of May

of each year or before any alcohol is withdrawn from bond for de-naturing

purposes. It must be executed in duplicate in accordance with

instructions printed thereon. One copy is to be retained by the collector

and one copy is to be transmitted to the Commissioner of Internal

Revenue."

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ALCOHOL IS WITHDRAWN.

"SEC. 15. Not less than three hundred (300) wine gallons of alcohol can

be withdrawn at one time for de-naturing purposes.

When a distiller, who is a producer of alcohol of not less than 180

degrees proof and who has given the de-naturing warehouse bond as

aforesaid desires to remove alcohol from the distillery bonded warehouse

for the purpose of de-naturing, he will himself, or by his duly

authorized agent, file with the collector of internal revenue of the

district in which the distillery is located, notice to that effect."

Upon the receipt of this notice (the form for which is given in the

Regulations) the collector for the district will order a gauger to

inspect the alcohol so withdrawn, and to gauge the same, and to make

report; and directions are given to the official "storekeeper" to permit

the transferral of the spirits to the de-naturing warehouse.

SPIRITS TRANSFERRED TO BE MARKED.

"Upon receipt of the permit by the storekeeper the packages of distilled

spirits described in notice of intention to withdraw may be withdrawn

from distillery bonded warehouse without the payment of the tax, and may

be transferred to the de-naturing bonded warehouse on the distillery

premises; but before the removal of said spirits from the distillery

bonded warehouse, the gauger, in addition to marking, cutting, and

branding the marks usually required on withdrawal of spirits from

warehouse, will legibly and durably mark on the head of each package, in

letters and figures not less than one-half an inch in length, the number

of _proof_ gallons then ascertained, the date of the collector's permit,

the object for which the spirits were withdrawn, and his name, title, and

district.

Such additional marks may be as follows:

Withdrawn under permit issued Jan'y. 10, 1907

For De-naturing Purposes

Proof gallons, 84

William Williams, U. S. Gauger,

5th Dist. Ky."

SPIRITS TRANSFERRED TO DE-NATURING BONDED WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 20. When the packages of spirits are marked and branded in the

manner above indicated they shall at once, in the presence and under the

supervision of the storekeeper, be transferred to the de-naturing bonded

warehouse."

RECORD OF SPIRITS RECEIVED IN DE-NATURING BONDED WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 21. The officer in charge of the de-naturing bonded warehouse shall

keep a record of the spirits received in said de-naturing bonded

warehouse from the distillery bonded warehouse and the spirits delivered

to the distiller for de-naturing purposes.

Upon the _debit_ side of said record, in columns prepared for the

purpose, there shall be entered the date when any distilled spirits were

received in de-naturing bonded warehouse, the date of the collector's

permit, the date of withdrawal from distillery bonded warehouse, the

number of packages received, the serial numbers of the packages, the

serial numbers of the distillery warehouse stamps, and the wine and proof

gallons.

Upon the _credit_ side of said record shall be entered the date when any

spirits were delivered to the distiller for de-naturing purposes, the

date of the collector's permit for withdrawal, the date of withdrawal

from distillery bonded warehouse, the number of packages so delivered,

the serial numbers of the packages, the serial numbers of the distillery

warehouse stamps, and the wine and proof gallons.

Immediately upon the receipt of any distilled spirits in the de-naturing

bonded warehouse, and on the same day upon which they are received, the

officer must enter said spirits in said record.

Likewise, on the same date upon which any spirits are delivered to the

distiller for de-naturing purposes, said spirits must be entered on said

record.

SEC. 22. A balance must be struck in the record described in above

section at the end of the month showing the number of packages and

quantity in wine and proof gallons of spirits on hand in packages on the

first day of the month, the number of packages and quantity in wine and

proof gallons received during the month, the number of packages and

quantity in wine and proof gallons delivered to the distiller during the

month, and the balance on hand in packages and wine and proof gallons at

the close of the month."

Sections 23 to 25 of the Rules relate to the duties of the Internal

Revenue officers in making reports and returns.

DE-NATURING AGENTS. COMPLETELY DE-NATURED ALCOHOL.

"SEC. 26. Unless otherwise specially provided, the agents used for

de-naturing alcohol withdrawn from bond for de-naturing purposes shall

consist of methyl alcohol and benzine in the following proportions: To

every 100 parts by volume of ethyl alcohol of the desired proof (not less

than 180∞) there shall be added 10 parts by volume of approved methyl

alcohol and one-half of one part by volume of approved benzine; for

example, to every 100 gallons of ethyl alcohol (of not less than 180

degrees proof) there shall be added 10 gallons of approved methyl alcohol

and one-half gallon of approved benzine. Alcohol thus de-natured shall be

classed as completely de-natured alcohol.

Methyl alcohol and benzine intended for use as de-naturants must be

submitted for chemical test and must conform to the specifications which

shall be hereafter duly prescribed."

DE-NATURANTS DEPOSITED IN WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 27. As the distiller's business demands, he may bring into the

de-naturing bonded warehouse, in such receptacles as he may wish, any

authorized de-naturant. Such de-naturants shall at once be deposited in

the material room; thereafter they shall be in the custody and under the

control of the officer in charge of the warehouse. Before any de-naturant

is used it must be dumped into the appropriate tank and after the

contents have been thoroughly mixed, a sample of one pint taken

therefrom. This sample must be forwarded to the proper officer for

analysis. The officer will then securely close and seal the tank.

No part of the contents of the tank can be used until the sample has been

officially tested and approved, and report of such test made to the

officer in charge of the warehouse.

If the sample is approved the contents of the tank shall upon the receipt

of the report, become an approved de-naturant and the officer shall at

once remove the seals and place the tank under Government locks.

If the sample does not meet the requirements of the specifications, the

officer shall, upon the receipt of the report of non-approval, permit the

distiller, provided he desires, to treat or manipulate the proposed

de-naturant so as to render it a competent de-naturant. In such case

another sample must be submitted for approval. If the distiller does not

desire to further treat the de-naturant the officer shall require him

immediately to remove the contents of the tank from the premises."

RECORD OF DE-NATURANTS RECEIVED.

"SEC. 28. The officer shall keep a de-naturing material room record. This

record shall show all material entered into and removed from the

de-naturing material room.

There shall be proper columns on the _debit_ side in which are to be

entered the date when any material is received, the name and residence of

the person from whom received, the kind of material, the quantity in wine

gallons, and, if methyl alcohol, in proof gallons, the date upon which

the material was dumped into the tank, the number of the tank, the date

upon which sample was forwarded, and the number of the sample, and the

result of the official test.

On the _credit_ side of said record shall be entered in proper columns

the date upon which any material was removed from the de-naturing

material room for de-naturing purposes, the kind of material, the number

of the tank from which taken, the number of the sample representing the

tank and sent for official test, the number of wine gallons, and, if

methyl alcohol, the number of proof gallons."

MONTHLY RETURNS OF DE-NATURANTS RECEIVED.

"SEC. 29. A balance shall be struck in this record at the end of each

month whereby shall be shown the quantity of material of each kind on

hand in the de-naturing material room on the first day of the month, the

quantity received during the month, the quantity rejected and removed

from the premises during the month, and the quantity delivered to the

distiller for de-naturing purposes during the month, and the quantity on

hand at the end of the month.

The officer shall, at the end of each month, prepare in duplicate, sign,

and forward to the collector of internal revenue a report which shall be

a transcript of said record."

DISTILLER TO KEEP RECORD OF DE-NATURANTS.

"SEC. 30. The distiller shall also keep a record, in which he shall enter

the date upon which he deposits any material in the tanks of the

de-naturing material room, the name and address of the person from whom

said material was received, and the kind and quantity of the material so

deposited; also he shall enter in said record the date upon which he

receives any material from the de-naturing material room, the kind and

quantity of such material so received, and the disposition made of same."

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DE-NATURE SPIRITS.

"SEC. 31. The distiller shall, before dumping any spirits or de-naturants

into the mixing tank, give notice to the officer in charge of the

de-naturing warehouse in proper form in duplicate, and enter in the

proper place thereon (in the case of distilled spirits) and in the proper

column the number of the packages, the serial numbers of same, the serial

number of the warehouse stamps, the contents in wine and proof gallons

and the proof as shown by the marks, the date of the withdrawal gauge,

and by whom gauged.

In case of de-naturing agents he shall enter in the proper place and in

the proper columns the number of gallons, the kind of material, and the

number of the de-naturing material tank from which same is to be drawn.

The contents of the several packages of alcohol, as shown by the

withdrawal gauge, shall be accepted as the contents of said packages when

dumped for de-naturing purposes unless it should appear from a special

showing made by the distiller that there has been an accidental loss

since withdrawal from distillery bonded warehouse.

Upon receipt of this notice the officer in charge of the de-naturing

warehouse shall, in case of the packages of alcohol, inspect same

carefully to ascertain whether or not they are the packages described in

the distiller's notice. He will then cut out that portion of the

warehouse stamp upon which is shown the serial number of the stamp, the

name of the distiller, the proof gallons, and the serial number of the

package. These slips must be securely fastened to the form whereon the

gauging is reported and sent by the officer with his return to the

collector."

TRANSFER OF DE-NATURANTS TO MIXING TANKS.

"SEC. 32. The distiller, unless pipes are used, as herein provided, shall

provide suitable gauged receptacles, metal drums being preferred, with

which to transfer the de-naturing agents from the material tanks to the

mixing tanks. These receptacles must be numbered serially and the number,

the capacity in gallons and fractions of a gallon, the name of the

distiller, and the number of the de-naturing bonded warehouse marked

thereon in durable letters and figures. They shall be used for

transferring de-naturing material from the material tanks to the mixing

tanks and for no other purpose. The distiller must also provide suitable

approved sealed measures of smaller capacity. The gauged receptacles are

to be used where the quantity to be transferred amounts to as much as the

capacity of the smallest gauged receptacle in the warehouse. The measures

are to be used only when the quantity of material to be transferred is

less than the capacity of the smallest gauged receptacle.

SEC. 33. The distiller may provide metal pipes connecting the material

tanks and the mixing tanks and the de-naturant may be transferred to the

mixing tanks through these pipes. Such pipes must be supplied with

valves, cocks, or faucets, other proper means of controlling the flow of

the liquid, and such valves, cocks, or faucets must be so arranged that

they can be securely locked, and the locks attached thereto must be kept

fastened; the keys to be retained by the officer in charge, except when

the de-naturing material is being transferred to the mixing tanks.

In the event pipes are used as above provided, the glass gauges affixed

to the material tanks must be so graduated that tenths of a gallon will

be indicated.

Before any material is transferred from a material tank to a mixing tank

the officer must note the contents of the material tank as indicated by

the glass gauge. He will then permit the de-naturant to flow into the

mixing tank until the exact quantity necessary to de-nature the alcohol,

as provided by the regulations, has been transferred. This he will

ascertain by reading the gauge on the material tank before the liquid has

begun to flow and after the flow has been stopped. He should verify the

quantity transferred by reading the gauge on the mixing tank before and

after the transfer.

SEC. 34. The distiller must provide all scales, weighing beams, and other

appliances necessary for transferring the de-naturing materials gauging

or handling the alcohol, or testing any of the measures, receptacles or

gauges used in the warehouse, and also a sufficient number of competent

employees for the work."

CONTENTS OF MIXING TANK TO BE PLUNGED.

"SEC. 35. The exact quantity of distilled spirits contained in the

packages covered by the distiller's notice having been ascertained by the

officer and the spirits having been dumped into the mixing tank, and the

quantities of the several de-naturants prescribed by the regulations

having been ascertained by calculation and added as above provided to the

alcohol in the mixing tank to be thoroughly and completely plunged and

mixed by the distiller or his employees."

DRAWING OFF AND GAUGING DE-NATURED PRODUCT.

"SEC. 37. The distiller may from time to time as he wishes, in the

presence of the officer, draw off from the tank or tanks the de-natured

product in quantities of not less than 50 gallons at one time, and the

same must at once be gauged, stamped, and branded by the officer and

removed from the premises by the distiller."

KIND AND CAPACITY OF PACKAGES USED.

"SEC. 38. He may use packages of a capacity of not less than five gallons

or not more than one hundred and thirty-five (135) gallons, and each

package must be filled to its full capacity, such wantage being allowed

as may be necessary for expansion.

All packages used to contain completely de-natured alcohol must be

painted a _light green_, and in no case is a package of any other color

to be used."

ALCOHOL TO BE IMMEDIATELY DE-NATURED.

"SEC. 39. No alcohol withdrawn from distillery warehouse for de-naturing

purposes shall be permitted to remain in the de-naturing bonded warehouse

until after the close of business on the second day after the said

alcohol is withdrawn, but all alcohol so withdrawn must be transferred,

dumped, and de-natured before the close of business on said second day."

APPLICATION FOR GAUGE OF DE-NATURED ALCOHOL.

"SEC. 40. When the process of de-naturing has been completed and the

distiller desires to have the de-natured alcohol drawn off into packages

and gauged, he shall prepare a request for such gauge on the proper form.

The request shall state as accurately as practicable the number of

packages to be drawn off and the number of wine and proof gallons

contents thereof.

This notice shall be directed to the collector of internal revenue, but

shall be handed to the officer on duty at the de-naturing bonded

warehouse.

SEC. 41. If the officer shall find upon examination of the proper record

that there should be on hand the quantity of de-natured alcohol covered

by said notice, he shall proceed to gauge and stamp the several packages

of de-natured alcohol in the manner herein prescribed, and shall make

report thereof on the proper form.

In no case will the officer gauge and stamp de-natured alcohol the total

quantity in wine gallons of which taken together with any remnant that

may be left in the de-naturing tank exceeds in wine gallons the sum of

the quantity of distilled spirits and de-naturants dumped on that day and

any remnant brought over from previous day."

HOW DE-NATURED ALCOHOL SHALL BE GAUGED.

"SEC. 42. The gauging of de-natured alcohol shall, where it is

practicable, be by weight. The officer shall ascertain the tare by

actually weighing each package when empty. Then, after each package has

been filled in his presence, he shall ascertain the gross weight, and,

by applying the tare, the net weight.

He shall then ascertain the proof in the usual manner, and by applying

the proof to the wine gallons content the proof gallons shall be

ascertained.

The regulations relating to the gauging of rectified spirits, so far as

they apply to apparent proof and apparent proof gallons, shall apply to

de-natured spirits. Where it is for any reason not practicable to gauge

de-natured alcohol by weight, using the tables that apply in the case of

the gauging of distilled spirits, the gauging shall be by rod."

Sections 43 to 45 provide for the returns to be made by the Government

officials, and the proper marking of the packages containing de-natured

alcohol; and Sections 46 to 48 lay down the form of the Government stamps

and their use.

Section 49 places the mixing tank absolutely in the control of the

warehouse officer, and requires if he leaves the warehouse he must close

and lock the same.

Section 50 deals with records to be kept by warehouse officer.

DE-NATURED ALCOHOL TO BE REMOVED FROM WAREHOUSE.

"SEC. 51. Not later than the close of business on the day following that

upon which the work of drawing off and gauging the de-natured spirits is

completed, the distiller must remove said de-natured alcohol from the

de-naturing bonded warehouse. He may either remove the alcohol to a

building off the distillery premises, where he can dispose of it as the

demands of the trade require, or he may dispose of it in stamped packages

direct to the trade from the de-naturing bonded warehouse."

Sections 52 and 53 relate to records to be kept by the distiller showing

de-natured alcohol received and disposed of by him, and the parties to

whom the same was sold or delivered. Sections 54 to 57 cover reports and

records to be made by officers and collector.

Part II of the Regulations relates to dealers in de-natured alcohol, and

manufacturers using the same.

"SEC. 58. Alcohol de-natured by use of methyl alcohol and benzine as

provided in section 26 of these regulations is to be classed as

_completely de-natured alcohol_. Alcohol de-natured in any other manner

will be classed as _specially de-natured alcohol_."

DE-NATURED ALCOHOL NOT TO BE STORED ON CERTAIN PREMISES, AND NOT TO BE

USED FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES.

"SEC. 59. Neither completely nor specially de-natured alcohol shall be

kept or stored on the premises of the following classes of persons, to

wit: dealers in wines, fermented liquors or distilled spirits,

rectifiers of spirits, manufacturers of and dealers in beverages of any

kind, manufacturers of liquid medicinal preparations, or distillers

(except as to such de-natured alcohol in stamped packages as is

manufactured by themselves), manufacturers of vinegar by the vaporizing

process and the use of a still and mash, wort, or wash, and persons who,

in the course of business, have or keep distilled spirits, wines, or malt

liquors, or other beverages stored on their premises. _Provided_, That

druggists are exempt from the above provisions."

CAN NOT BE USED IN MANUFACTURING BEVERAGES, ETC.

"SEC. 60. Anyone using de-natured alcohol for the manufacture of any

beverage or liquid medicinal preparation, or who knowingly sells any

beverage or liquid medicinal preparation made in whole or in part from

such alcohol, becomes subject to the penalties prescribed in section 2 of

the Act of June 7, 1906."

Under the language of this law it is held that de-natured alcohol can not

be used in the preparation of any article to be used as a component part

in the preparation of any beverage or liquid medicinal preparation.

A person, firm, or corporation desiring to sell de-natured alcohol, must

make application, in proper form, to the district collector on or before

the first of July each year, and if the provisions of the law have been

violated the permit may be withdrawn (Sections 61 to 65).

Sections 66 to 71 relate to the keeping of records by collector, and

wholesale and retail dealers.

RETAIL DEALERS TO KEEP RECORD.

"SEC. 72. Retail dealers in de-natured alcohol shall keep a record, in

which they shall enter the date upon which they receive any package or

packages of de-natured alcohol, the person from whom received, the serial

numbers of the packages, the serial numbers of the de-natured alcohol

stamps the wine and proof gallons, and the date upon which packages are

opened for retail.

The transcript for each month's business as shown by this record must be

prepared, signed, and sworn to and forwarded to the collector of internal

revenue of the district in which the dealer is located before the 10th of

the following month. This transcript must be signed and sworn to by the

dealer himself or by his duly authorized agent."

LABELS TO BE PLACED ON RETAIL PACKAGES.

"SEC. 73. Retail dealers in de-natured alcohol must provide themselves

with labels upon which the words "De-Natured Alcohol" have been printed

in plain, legible letters. The printing shall be red on white. A label of

this character must be affixed by the dealer to the container, whatever

it may be, in the case of each sale of de-natured alcohol made by him."

STAMPS TO BE DESTROYED WHEN PACKAGE IS EMPTY.

"SEC. 74. As soon as the stamped packages of de-natured alcohol are empty

the dealer or manufacturer, as the case may be, must thoroughly

obliterate and completely destroy all marks, stamps, and brands on the

packages.

The stamps shall under no circumstances be re-used, and the packages

shall not be refilled until _all_ the marks, stamps, and brands shall

have been removed and destroyed."

MANUFACTURERS USING COMPLETELY DE-NATURED ALCOHOL TO SECURE PERMIT.

"SEC. 75. Manufacturers desiring to use completely de-natured alcohol,

such as is put upon the market for sale generally, may use such alcohol

in their business subject to the following restrictions:

A manufacturer using less than an average of 50 gallons of de-natured

alcohol per month will not be required to secure permit from the

collector or to keep records or make returns showing the alcohol received

and used.

Manufacturers who use as much as 50 gallons of completely de-natured

alcohol a month must procure such alcohol in stamped packages, and before

beginning business the manufacturer must make application to the

collector of the proper district for permit, in which application he will

state the exact location of his place of business, describing the lot or

tract of land upon which the plant is located, and must keep the alcohol

in a locked room until used.

"SEC. 79. As the agents adapted to and adopted for use in complete

de-naturation render the alcohol de-natured unfit for use in many

industries in which ethyl alcohol, withdrawn free of tax, can be

profitably employed, therefore in order to give full scope to the

operation of the law, special de-naturants will be authorized when

absolutely necessary. Yet the strictest surveillance must be exercised in

the handling of alcohol incompletely or specially de-natured."

FORMULA FOR SPECIAL DE-NATURANTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE COMMISSIONER.

"SEC. 80. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue will consider any formula

for special de-naturation that may be submitted by any manufacturer in

any art or industry and will determine (1) whether or not the manufacture

in which it is proposed to use the alcohol belongs to a class in which

tax-free alcohol withdrawn under the provisions of this act can be used.

(2) whether or not it is practicable to permit the use of the proposed

de-naturant and at the same time properly safeguard the revenue. But one

special de-naturant will be authorized for the same class of industries,

unless it shall be shown that there is good reason for additional special

de-naturants."

The Commissioner will announce from time to time the formulas of

de-naturants that will be permitted in the several classes of industries

in which tax-free alcohol can be used.

The specially or incompletely de-natured alcohol can only be used by

special permission, for which the manufacturer must apply, at the same

time giving full details as to business, plant, premises, the special

de-naturants desired to be used, and the reason therefor, etc. (Section

81).

Section 82 recites the necessary requirements as to storerooms, etc., and

Sections 83 to 87 relate to the form of application and the inspection of

the plant. Section 88 recites the form of bond necessary to be given by

the manufacturer, and Sections 89 to 104 relate to the general

requirements as to records, books, affidavits, etc.

Sections 105 and 106 rule that the alcohol must be used just as received,

and as called for in the permit, and that a manufacturer quitting

business may dispose of his specially de-natured alcohol to other

manufacturers.

PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO MANUFACTURERS USING EITHER SPECIALLY OR

GENERALLY DE-NATURED ALCOHOL.

"SEC. 107. Under no circumstances will de-naturers, manufacturers, or

dealers, or any other persons, in any manner treat either specially or

completely de-natured alcohol by adding anything to it or taking anything

from it until it is ready for the use for which it is to be employed. It

must go into manufacture or consumption in exactly the same condition

that it was when it left the de-naturer. Diluting completely de-natured

alcohol will be held to be such manipulation as is forbidden by law.

"SEC. 108. Manufacturers using either specially or completely de-natured

alcohol must store it in the storeroom set apart for that purpose, the

place for deposit named in the bond and application, and nowhere else.

Likewise they must deposit recovered alcohol in said storeroom as fast as

it is recovered. It will be held to be a breach of the bond and a

violation of the law if any alcohol of any kind, character, or

description should be found stored at any other place on the premises."

The question of special de-naturants is one of great importance to the

manufacturer, and should be carefully studied. The distiller who succeeds

on a large scale will be he who is most expert in preparing alcohol

specially de-natured to suit the requirements of the various arts.

Germany has done most in this line, and the German practice should be

carefully studied.

Parts IV and V of the Rules relate to that portion of the De-Naturing

Act, referred to in Section 2 thereof--the recovering, restoring and

re-de-naturing of alcohol used by manufacturers employing processes in

which the formerly de-natured spirits are? expressed, or evaporated. This

not being within the plan of this book, the rules relating thereto are

not quoted.

Those desirous of acquiring full information as to the rules regulating

the operation of distilleries for the manufacture of alcohol and

de-natured spirits can procure the same by applying either to the

collectors of Internal Revenue for their respective districts or to the

Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Washington, D. C.

PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE DE-NATURING ACT.

The De-naturing Act as passed and the regulations thereunder are

undoubtedly too complicated in their character to remain very long in the

Statute Books. There has already arisen a cry for simpler regulations

which shall place the manufacture of de-natured alcohol on a plane with

the practice in Germany, France and other countries which have carried

the manufacture and use of alcohol, for industrial purposes to a very

high plane. Both in England and America the Excise and Internal Revenue

regulations have been of very troublesome character, and the production

of spirits has been so carefully guarded, watched and checked that the

distiller aside from the high tax he has had to pay has been greatly

hampered. In Germany and France, however, things are different. There the

manufacture of Industrial Alcohol from farm products has been encouraged

and as a consequence the regulations are of very much simpler character.

In Germany the number of agricultural or co-operative stills is very

large and these stills are practically free from the constant

supervision of internal revenue officials.

Until the wash passes into the still there is practically no Governmental

supervision except as to the proper gauging of the vats and to the proper

sealing of all joints or pipes leading from the vats to the still. From

that point onward, however, to the final receiver every vessel is locked

and sealed and no access to the spirit can be obtained by the distiller.

The quantity of spirit distilled and its quality is ascertained by the

Revenue Officer from this final receiver and on this spirit so found is

computed the vat tax and the distillery tax which have to be paid by the

distiller. There are none of the cumbersome regulations regarding the

warehouses, storehouses, storekeepers, etc., which are found in our own

revenue laws. To provide security against abstraction of wash in the

fermenting tanks, reliance is placed upon frequent but uncertain

visitations.

There is no question but that in the fulness of time our own laws and

regulations will be very much simplified for all industrial plants. An

attempt has been made to so simplify the laws by Act of Congress No. 230,

approved March 2, 1907 and taking effect on September 1, 1907, the text

of which is appended, and undoubtedly other acts will follow as the

country becomes more and more sensible of the benefits to be derived from

free industrial alcohol. The text of the act is as follows:

[PUBLIC--NO. 230.]

An Act to amend an Act entitled "An Act for the withdrawal from

bond tax free of domestic alcohol when rendered unfit for beverage

or liquid medicinal uses by mixture with suitable denaturing

materials," approved June seventh, nineteen hundred and six.

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United

States of America in Congress Assembled_, That notwithstanding anything

contained in the Act entitled "An Act for the withdrawal from bond tax

free of domestic alcohol when rendered unfit for beverage or liquid

medicinal uses by mixture with suitable de-naturing materials," approved

June seventh, nineteen hundred and six, domestic alcohol when suitably

denatured may be withdrawn from bond without the payment of

internal-revenue tax and used in the manufacture of ether and chloroform

and other definite chemical substances where said alcohol is changed into

some other chemical substance and does not appear in the finished product

as alcohol: _Provided_, That rum of not less than one hundred and fifty

degrees proof, may be withdrawn, for de-naturation only, in accordance

with the provisions of said Act of June seventh, nineteen hundred and

six, and in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 2. That the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of

the Secretary of the Treasury, may authorize the establishment of central

de-naturing bonded warehouses, other than those at distilleries, to

which alcohol of the required proof may be transferred from distilleries

or distillery bonded warehouses without the payment of internal-revenue

tax, and in which such alcohol may be stored and de-natured. The

establishment, operation, and custody of such warehouses shall be under

such regulations and upon the execution of such bonds as the Commissioner

of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury,

may prescribe.

SEC. 3. That alcohol of the required proof may be drawn off, for

de-naturation only, from receiving cisterns in the cistern room of any

distillery for transfer by pipes direct to any de-naturing bonded

warehouse on the distillery premises or to closed metal storage tanks

situated in the distillery bonded warehouse, or from such storage tanks

to any denaturing bonded warehouse on the distillery premises, and

de-natured alcohol may also be transported from the de-naturing bonded

warehouse, in such manner and by means of such packages, tanks or tank

cars, and on the execution of such bonds, and under such regulations as

the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary

of the Treasury, may prescribe. And further, alcohol to be de-natured may

be withdrawn without the payment of internal-revenue tax from the

distillery bonded warehouse for shipment to central de-naturing plants in

such packages, tanks and tank cars, under such regulations, and on the

execution of such bonds as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of

Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.

SEC. 4. That at distilleries producing alcohol from any substance what

ever, for de-naturation only, and having a daily spirit-producing

capacity of not exceeding one hundred proof gallons, the use of cisterns

or tanks of such size and construction as may be deemed expedient may be

permitted in lieu of distillery bonded warehouses, and the production,

storage, the manner and process of de-naturing on the distillery premises

the alcohol produced, and transportation of such alcohol, and the

operation of such distilleries shall be upon the execution of such bonds

and under such regulations as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with

the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, may prescribe, and such

distilleries may by such regulations be exempted from such provisions of

the existing laws relating to distilleries as may be deemed expedient by

said officials.

SEC. 5. That the provisions of this Act shall take effect on September

first, nineteen hundred and seven.

Approved, March 2, 1907.

INDEX.

Adam's Still, 38

faults of, 39

operation of, 38

Air necessary to fermentation, 18

cooling for mashes, 15

Alcohol, absolute, 2

as fuel, 221

boiling point of, 2

points of mixture, 2

composition of, 1, 6

contraction in mixtures of, 4

de-natured, 143

determination of purity, 186, 188

estimation of, 179

estimating by Geisler's method, 183

Brand's method, 184

sugar in "Beer", 185

ethyl, 7

methyl, 7

measuring in mixtures, 174, 179

by hydrometers, 176, 178

proof, 175

rectification of, 82, 92

relative amounts in different grains, 126

specific gravity of, 2, 174

strengthening, 31

under proof, 176

wood, 7

Alcoholometer, Cartier's, 178

Field's, 182

Tralle's, 179

Alcoholometry, 174

Alcohols, principal, 6

boiling points of principal, 6

composition of principal, 6

Barbet's still, 93

traps, 68

test for alcoholic purity, 187

Barley best for malting, 103

cleaning, 104

draining after steeping, 105

drying malt from, 108

effect of germination on, 107

germination of, 106

steeping, 105

test of sufficient steeping, 105

washing, 104