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MANUFACTURE AND USE OF WOOD FLOUR GERMANY.*

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In compliance with special instructions from the Department, I have to report that wood flour (in German, Holzmehl) is made by grinding sawdust to a fine powder, and is used for two general purposes, viz, the manufacture of explosives, especially dynamite and nitroglycerin, and (2) the manufacture of linoleum and papyrolite, or artificial flooring.

There is no manufacturer of dynamite in Berlin, but from the representative of a firm in Saxony, it has been ascertained that wood. flour has been used in the manufacture of dynamite as a cheap substitute for infusorial earth, which is the standard material for that purpose. The entire German supply of infusorial earth comes from one source at Lüneburg, between Hamburg and Hanover, and when that material became scarce and expensive by reason of increased demand, experiments were made with wood flour as a substitute. From the best information that can be obtained, it is regarded distinctly inferior to infusorial earth for making explosives, and is only used when extreme cheapness of product is desirable or the infusorial earth can not be obtained.

Wood flour has also been somewhat extensively used in the manufacture of linoleum, a kind of floor cloth made by laying a coating of hardened linseed oil mixed with ground cork on a canvas net or backing; but here again it was found to be hard, inelastic, and for that reason inferior to cork meal, so that its use has been, so far as can be ascertained, abandoned by most German makers of linoleum. If used at all for this purpose, it is done secretly and would be regarded as an adulteration.

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The third and by far the most important use of wood flour in Germany is for the manufacture of papyrolite or xylolite, a kind of artificial flooring, which is extensively produced by several large firms and companies in Germany, notably the Papyrolite Werke, Paul Becker, in Loebtau, near Dresden; by Hermann Jaritz & Co., of Bremen; and by Paul Karnasch, at Frankenstein, Silesia.

Papyrolite is extensively used as flooring for kitchens, halls, corridors, and for public rooms, such as cafés and restaurants. It is a substance between wood and stone, practically fireproof, impervious to water, and, being a nonconductor of heat, is warm in winter. It is also used as flooring on German war vessels, because it has

*This and the following report were made at the request of a Washington press association, to which advance copy has been sent.

most of the advantages of wood, but does not splinter from shot nor take fire.

Whether American wood flour can be successfully introduced as a commercial product into Germany will depend entirely upon its quality and the price at which it can be delivered in this country. Assuming that the American article is of equal quality with that of the domestic supply, the one remaining question is whether wood flour of American origin can undersell the German product, which is made by pulverizing sawdust that has no value except as fuel. German wood flour is therefore abundant at from 4 to 5 marks (95 cents to $1.19) per 100 kilograms (220.46 pounds)-a maximum of $11.90 per metric ton-which is a price so moderate as to apparently offer little encouragement for imports from a source so remote as the United States.

Mr. Paul Karnasch, at Frankenstein, Silesia, one of the abovenamed manufacturers of xylolite, will, however, be pleased to receive samples and offers of wood flour from American exporters, it being understood that the practical interest of the subject will be governed substantially by the conditions herein above stated.

FRANK H. MASON,

BERLIN, June 19, 1899.

Consul-General.

MANUFACTURE AND USE OF WOOD FLOUR IN SCOTLAND.

Replying to circular of date May 5, 1899, requesting information upon the subject of manufacture of wood flour for use in making linoleum and explosives, I have to say that, so far as I can ascertain, Nobel's Explosives Company is about the only user of the flour in this part of Scotland. The secretary of that company states that he would think only about 400 tons per year would be used in connection with explosives in Scotland. While refusing to give the price. paid, he said it was higher than that given in the circular, viz, £4 3s. 10d. ($20.36) per ton. That used here is said to come from Montrose, near Dundee.

This information is in connection with the manufacture of explosives only. I am unable to secure any data with reference to linoleum manufacture.

SAMUEL M. TAYLOR,

GLASGOW, July 25, 1899.

Consul.

ELECTRIC STREET-CAR SYSTEM OF HAMBURG.

The electric street-car system of Hamburg is claimed to be in every respect the best and most complete on the Continent, exhibiting peculiar features both in its construction and its management.

It is an especially interesting fact that the whole plant is the result of American invention, having been built after the ThomsonHouston system by the Union Electricity Company for the jointstock company called the "Hamburger Strasseneisenbahn Gesellschaft."

Up to about four years ago, the old horse cars on some lines and small steam cars with trailers on others were the modes of streetcar transit in this city, but the perfection of electrical locomotion and appliances caused an entire revolution.

The company was established with a capital stock of 21,000,000 marks ($4,904,000); its rolling material consists of 500 trolley cars and 400 smoking cars, hereafter described. The system is one of aërial electric current, the so-called "trolley-car system." It was with great difficulty that the wires could be strung, as on narrow streets and on those where traffic is extensive the state prohibited the company from setting up the poles. The company therefore had to make arrangements with the different owners of the houses on both sides of the streets, to obtain permission to anchor the cross wires to their walls, to which there could be raised no objection, as it was safe and obviated the presence of poles on the sidewalk. To obtain this permission, the company paid to house owners the amount of the cost price of the poles-47 marks ($11.20) for a onewire-current anchor and 63 marks ($15) for a two-wire-current anchor. Wherever the poles are set up, they are of very neat appearance, and serve not only as poles for electric street-car wires, but also as electric-light poles.

In some instances, the streets proved to be too narrow to lay a double track, and, in order not to diminish the strength of the current, a double contact wire was strung.

Some ten years ago, before the electric street-car system was planned, the state of Hamburg had granted a monopoly of electrical appliances and currents on the public roads to the Hamburg Electricity Works. When the shareholders of the present electric streetcar company resolved to build the road, and also to build their own electrical plant, the Hamburg Electricity Works insisted upon its rights, as the only body entitled to build electrical appliances and currents on the public roads of the city of Hamburg, although at

the time the monopoly was granted to the said works nobody ever thought of trolley cars, but simply of "electric lights on public. roads." However, the contract reads "electric currents," and not "electric currents for electric lighting." The Hamburg Electricity Works, therefore, was greatly in the way of the newly planned trolley-car system. However, a satisfactory arrangement was made between the street-car company and the electricity works, in that the latter enlarged its plant in order to supply to the street-car company the electricity required to move 500 trolley cars (or large cars) and 400 trailers (or small cars), called "smoking cars." smoking cars are simply the old horse cars and are coupled to the trolley car by means of a link, or connecting rod; thus, the old equipment is utilized. About every third trolley has one of these trailers, or smoking cars.

The Hamburg Electricity Works pays to the state of Hamburg 20 per cent of its gross income, as a return for the monopoly; the street-car company pays for the electric current 121⁄2 pfennigs (equal to 2.972 cents) per kilowatt hour (1 kilowatt hour equals 1,000 volt ampères, or 1.36 horsepower). The state of Hamburg refunds to the Electric Street-Car Company 20 per cent of this price, leaving a net cost price for the electric current of 10 pfennigs (2.38 cents) per 1,000 volt ampères.

As a compensation for the use of the public roads, the street-car company pays to the state of Hamburg 1 pfennig (0.238 cent) for each passenger. The average fare for each person carried being 11.5 pfennigs (2.74 cents), the state receives 8.7 per cent of the gross income of the company. In addition to this, the street-car company must keep the paving inside of the tracks, and 30 centimeters. (11.8 inches) outside of each track, in proper condition.

The fares on the Hamburg trolley cars are exceedingly low. After long experimenting, the "tariff of distances" was found to be the better plan, and was approved by the senate. It might be mentioned here that the street-car company is not at liberty to fix the price of the fare on its lines, but must forward passengers at the rate fixed by the board of public traffic, to be approved by the senate. All lines are divided into zones of 2,000 meters (1.24 miles), and the fare is as follows: For the first two zones (4,000 meters, or 2.48 miles), 10 pfennigs (2.38 cents); for each two zones or part thereof, thereafter, 5 pfennigs (1.19 cents). Each passenger, upon payment of the fare, receives from the conductor a ticket, which is cut off from a long roll of tickets, each ticket being provided with. a number. The tickets have different colors-yellow for the 10 pfennig, or two-zone distance; green for the 15 pfennig, or fourzone distance; blue for the 20 pfennig, or six-zone distance, etc.

The following is a drawing of a ticket, four times enlarged, showing the controlling number and other controlling marks, hereafter described:

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The numbers on the sides of the tickets indicate the zones; the conductor must tear out that zone number at which the passengers step on the car. In this way, it is impossible for passengers to commit fraud by buying a two-zone ticket for a four-zone trip, etc., as it can at once be seen where they stepped on the car, and an attempt to deceive can be detected. When the conductor collects the fare, it is his duty to inquire the destination of the passenger, so that he knows exactly whether a 10, a 15, or a 20 pfennig ticket should be given. At the end of each two zones, the conductor fills in a blank form, and states the last number of each grade of ticket sold. If a comptroller steps on the car (and he is liable to step on at any time) he simply counts the number of passengers, which must also be the total number of tickets sold; if there is a discrepancy, it proves that either there is a passenger on the car who has not paid, or that the conductor has collected the money, but neglected to give out a ticket. The passengers are then requested to show their tickets; the passenger having no ticket (whether he says he has paid his fare or not) must pay again, and the conductor is fined 1 mark (24 cents) for the first offense, 3 marks (72 cents) for the second, and discharged at once when the third offense is detected.

The commutation-ticket system is a peculiar feature. The streetcar company, acknowledging the fact that hundreds of people are bound to use the cars a dozen or more times a day, has issued "commutation tickets," divided into two sections. The first section entitles the holder of a commutation ticket to the use of one line in both directions, and as many times as he chooses, including Sundays. The second section issues commutation tickets for the use of all lines, in all directions, and allows the holder to avail himself of the accom modations as many times as he chooses. These tickets are valid

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