650 . TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



ice on a grand scale is an evaporalor, the ocean; a condenser, the air; and 

 a receiver, the mountains, which were probably one-fourth higher than now. 

 The evaporation from the ocean being enormous, there was a constant pre- 

 cipitation of condensed vapor on the mountains, v/here it froze and accu- 

 mulated; in the form of ice it crept down the mountain and overspread the 

 "whole land ; and the overwhelming masses of ice left their traces on the 

 rock, along the sides of valleys, and transported huge boulders from far- 

 distant regions. As the earth cooled the evaporation from the sea dimin- 

 ished; snow and ice disappeared, and the present state of tilings prevailed. 

 But the cooling of the earth's crust still goes on, and must, until it is filled 

 with rents and cracks. The effect being the same which has already taken 

 place on the moon, the moon thus becomes to us a prophetic picture of the 

 ultimate fate which awaits our earth. 

 The selected subject was then taken up. 



The Utilization of Waste Products. 



The discussion of this fruitful theme was opened by Mr. T. D. Stetson 

 who directed attention to the importance of utilizing blood. While in Chi- 

 cago, several years ago, he noticed the blood of the immense number of 

 hogs slaughtered there was thrown into the river, and even in tlie winter 

 the foul odor arising therefrom was a source of considerable annoyance. 

 There were many uses to which this blood could have been applied. A 

 jnillion of hogs are killed annually in that city, and one cent saved on each 

 would amount to $10,000. 



Dr. D. D. Parmelee briefly enumerated the most important applications 

 of blood in the arts. The class of waste products which are reman ufactured 

 so as to be as "good as new" were alluded to. Prominent among them 

 were "hooped skirts" and "felt hats." The speaker concluded with a 

 description of some of the uses made of 



The Waste of Coal Oil and Petroleum. 



The introduction of this topic brought to the floor Mr. Lewis B. Page, 

 who said in the first efforts at distilling coal there were many products 

 resulting therefrom for which no use could be found. The odor was objec- 

 tionable, and as the oil was an entirely new compound not mentioned in 

 the books the chemists knew little about it. But experiment has been 

 crowned with* success. The oil is now white and nearly odorless. The 

 products at first thrown away are now used, and may be "considered indis- 

 pensable in some branches of the arts. Paraffine oil, one of the products 

 of coal, when mixed with lard oil makes a lubricator for machinery, said 

 to be superior to sperm, as it does not oxydize or "gum up." Paraffine is 

 made into candles and is a substitute tor beeswax; it is also mixed with the 

 latter substance to form salves. Below paraffine is a pitch which is used 

 in making a valuable black varnish; and still below this is a cake which 

 makes good fuel. All the products of coal oil, above parrafifine in specific 

 gravity, are used as illuminators; the amount cf naptha is not large, and 

 is generall}' mixed with the heavier products forming the oil. It may be 

 added, that the beautiful aniline dycb, obtained from the coal tar residuum 



