It will be seen that it is proposed that a Leblanc alkali maker shall continue to produce a portion of his make by the old process, but shall erect plant to enable him to make another portion by the Parnell & Simpson method, using his Leblanc “waste” in place of the caustic lime now employed by the ammonia soda people.  He is thus to have the benefit of the cheaper process for, say, half his make, while he further cheapens the ammonia method by saving the cost of lime and by recovering the sulphur otherwise lost in his waste.

The saving in lime is stated to be one ton for each ton of sodium carbonate produced, or in cash value about 10s. per ton at Widnes, while the sulphur saved is estimated to be 6 cwt. per ton of sodium carbonate.  We reproduce these figures with all reserve, not being ourselves sufficiently specialists to judge of them.  But we were assured that they represent the minimum expected, and reasons were given to us to show that they would probably be exceeded.

Another gain for the Leblanc maker would be that he will escape the cost of removal and disposal of a portion of his refuse or waste.

The plant now erected was calculated for a yield of one hundred tons carbonate of sodium and about thirty-five tons of sulphur per week, but it now appears likely that this will be exceeded; while the carbonic acid plant was supposed to be equal to a yield of 6 tons of pure gas per day, and is now found capable of doing twice as much.

A few weeks will now bring this new combination process into the active and crucial test of the markets.  Chemists and chemical engineers have all along taken a keen interest in the ingenious ideas of Parnell & Simpson.  Commercial men are no less interested in the financial result of the experiment about to be tried at the expense of a few gentlemen of Liverpool and district.  So far as we can learn, opinions are to some extent divided, though many good judges are very hopefully inclined.  For our own part, speaking with diffidence, as being a little off our regular track of work, we will only say that we were favorably impressed with what we saw and heard; and we certainly wish the venture that full success which its cleverness and its pluck, as well as its great importance at this crisis, deserve for it.—­Engineering.

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TEMPERATURE OF GAS DISTILLATION.

An important subject for investigation, which has not yet been satisfactorily determined, is the temperature at which it is most beneficial to distill coals of various qualities.  The practice of allowing the charge to remain in the retort for some time after most of the gas has been driven off, to enable (it is said) the retort to recover heat for the next charge, often leads to misconception as to the true temperature of carbonization.  The effect of this is to equalize the temperatures inside and outside the retort.