6 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
[July 2, 1870. 
all disagreeable odour from the moment the ‘ABC’ 
process touches the sewage. 
“ The tank is divided lengthwise by a wall, each por¬ 
tion being used alternately. The sewage, treated as 
previously mentioned, remains quiescent, allowing the 
solid particles of both the previously soluble and sus¬ 
pended matter to settle. At the end of the tank nearest 
the sea, an angular brick weir, about 4 feet high, encloses 
the outfall. It is pierced by falling penstocks or sluices, 
which can be regulated as becomes necessary. Over this 
the effluont water flows to the outfall sewer, consisting 
of a line of 4 feet cast-iron pipes, carried out nearly a 
quarter of a mile to the eastward to low water. 
These iron pipes, constructed and laid out at an enor¬ 
mous cost—a relic of the old system of discharging 
sewage into the sea,—are entirely unnecessary to the 
‘ABC’ process. This effluent water is perfectly clean 
and inodorous, and is the only part of the Hastings 
sewage which is allowed to escape, thus preventing all 
future pollution to the neighbouring bathing beach. At 
Leamington, where the ‘ABC’ process is also in opera¬ 
tion, the effluent water runs into the river Learn so free 
from impurity that it has been declared by Dr. Letheby 
to be practically innocuous. 
“'Having thus followed the process to the discharge of 
the effluent water, we will now return to the remaining 
and most important part of the operations, viz. the ma- 
nurial part of the sewage. The mud deposited at the 
bottom of the tanks is pumped through a 6-inch iron 
pipe, direct into the centrifugal or into a storage tank as 
may be required. The adoption of these centrifugals to 
the purpose of drying the manure is one of the most in¬ 
teresting features of the process. They are eight in 
number, each worked by an attendant engine of 4-horse 
power, and which have all been christened by the 
names of, we doubt not, some favourites among the 
fair sex, as seen by the plates attached, Mabel, Maggie, 
Edith, Harriet, etc. They consist each of a circular wire 
gauze basket, 40 inches in diameter, enclosed in a cast- 
iron case of about 2 feet in depth, rotating on a powerful 
spindle and driven by means of a band round the fly¬ 
wheel of their respective engines, at the rate of about 
1200 to 1500 revolutions per minute. Through the 
gauze of these the moisture of the mud is driven off by 
centrifugal force, leaving a partially dried solid deposit 
on the sides of the basket. The moisture or water thus 
driven off is returned to the agitating pit, to assist in 
re-treating fresh sewage. 
“ The solid manure is then removed to the acidifying 
chamber, where it is sprinkled with sulphuric acid, the 
object being to entirely fix its ammonia and prevent 
its escape until absorbed by the roots of the plants. 
The gases which are generated at the moment of this 
mixture are conducted by a flue to the boiler furnaces, 
and there harmlessly consumed. Applied to one of the 
centrifugals is a clever self-emptying machine, which 
discharges the mud without hand labour in the form of 
a solid pipe, which will eventually be conveyed on an 
endless band into the acidifying chamber. From this 
chamber the manure is lifted to the drying room above, 
where it is spread to the depth of 8 inches on a steam 
floor, which is supplied by the exhaust steam from the 
various engines employed. It is first deposited on the 
hottest portion of the floor, and as the moisture is driven 
off removed to the cooler portion, thus avoiding any 
chance of over-heating the manure. After twelve hours, 
the manure, now really become native guano, is made 
into heaps, where it is allowed to remain until the fer¬ 
mentation, which immediately begins, has ceased. By 
this fermentation all animal life, such as entozoa, tape¬ 
worm eggs, etc., is entirely destroyed. The manure is 
then lifted and put into bags ready for the farmers’ use. 
This manure has earned already a high reputation among 
them, as is satisfactorily proved by the increased orders 
received from the farmers who have tried it. Its price, 
delivered at any railway station in England or Wales, | 
is now £5 per ton, whilst we believe its cost does not 
exceed 30s. The demand for it has been so great at the 
Leamington works, we were informed lately, when on 
our visit of inspection, that it has been found impossible 
to meet it, and orders that would exhaust the supply 
until the autumn are still unexecuted. An engine of 16- 
horse power nominal, which drives the pump of the agi¬ 
tators, was constructed by Manlove, Alliott, and Co., of 
Nottingham, who also supplied the centrifugals and their 
engines. The pumps, shafting, and piping are from the 
works of Mr. Thomas Middleton, of Southwark. The 
contractor for the building was Mr. John Howell. 
“ The plans were designed by the managing directors 
of the Native Guano Company, and executed and carried 
out by their staff, assisted by Messrs. Ellis and Birch, of 
Westminster. We were surprised to hear how quickly 
these works have been erected, manure having been 
actually made within seven weeks from the issue of the 
contracts.” 
The Sulphur Beds of California. —Sulphur has 
been chiefly supplied from the sides of Mount Etna, in 
Sicily, but the works on the shore of Clear Lake produce 
now four tons a day. The Sicilian brimstone costs in Cali¬ 
fornia 4 cents per lb., but the domestic article is sold for 
3£ cents. Clear Lake occupies the crater of an extinct 
volcano, and the evidences of volcanic action abound in 
the vicinity. Within a triangle of about twenty-five 
miles to the side there are volcanic scoria, trap, lava, ob¬ 
sidian, tufa, warm springs, and other remains of eruptions,, 
with signs of subterranean heat not far from the surface. 
The sulphur bed of Clear Lake consists of a bank re¬ 
sembling ashes, containing numerous alkaline and sul¬ 
phur-springs with vent-holes, from which sulphurous 
fumes escape. Pure sulphur crystals deposited from the 
fumes surround these holes. The earth, containing about 
50 per cent, of sulphur, is placed in an iron retort heated 
to a high temperature, so that the sulphur is driven off 
in fumes into a receiver, where it settles in a liquid form, 
and runs out into pine boxes 2 feet long and 1 foot square. 
The lump sulphur is used chiefly for making powder 
and sulphuric acid, which last is employed in making 
bluestone, giant-powder, nitric acid, and muriatic acid, 
and in refining gold and silver. The consumption of 
sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids on the coasts amounts 
to 2,000,0001b., and the entire demand is supplied by 
home manufacture. Flowers of sulphur have also been 
produced at Clear Lake. The fumes passing off from 
the retort are in this case led into a large cool chamber, 
where they condense into a flaky snow-like condition.— 
Scientific Opinion. 
Immunity of Monkeys to Strychnia. —In a former 
number of this Journal we recorded a case in which a 
monkey was found to be perfectly insusceptible to the 
action of strychnia. This subject has been investigated 
by Dr. Theobald Kinger, and the results have been 
published in the ‘ Indian Medical Gazette.’ The follow¬ 
ing facts have been elicited:—1st. That the “lungoor” 
may be said to be proof against strychnia; 2nd, That 
the “pouch-cheek” monkey is susceptible, but not so 
readily as a human being; 3rd, That the old saying that 
a monkey will nover eat anything that is “poisonous” 
is clearly shown; the “lungoor” readily eating and 
relishing the strychnia, which produced no ill effects 
upon him, whilst the “pouch-cheek” monkey refused 
the same, and fell a victim to the poison. 
A New Insect Poison. —M. Cloez considers the 
following to be a complete annihilator for plant lice, and 
other small insects:—Take 3£ ounces of quassia chips, 
and 5 drachms of stavesacre seed powdered; these are 
to be put into seven pints of water, and boiled until 
reduced to five pints. When the liquid is cooled, strain 
it, and use with a water-pot or syringe. 
