China were told yesterday evening of the methods used in the preparation of gas for the city of Shanghai, and they must have been gratified to learn that the most up-to-date processes are in vogue. Before the consumer uses his gas in this port, it is "scrubbed." Doubtless, to engineers this "scrubbing" is a part of the work with which one and all are familiar. The cleanliness of engineers is proverbial the world over, But to the layman who reads the very interesting address given by Mr. A. M. Stickels, the question may be pardoned: how does one scrub gas? It sounds rather like scrubbing the invisible man of Mr. H. G. Wells' creation. It is perhaps fortunate for the general public, in a country where the laws of strict sanitation are so essential to public health, that the gas consumed in the average household is so thoroughly scrubbed before it reaches the burner. Otherwise "missy" might find herself faced with another real problem of housewifery. "Milk have boil this morning, boy?" "Have boil." "Vegetables have wash?" "Have wash, missy." "Gas have scrub?" "Ah, missy, no can. Gas no can find." And there the housewife is. The family must take its chance that day with unscrubbed gas, and what the results might be are almost too terrible to imagine. In future, the Shanghailander must pause with respect when his geyser or gas-fire goes off with a pop. For occasionally gas is scrubbed in mineral oil, and who does not know the resentment of the average healthy dog when it has been scrubbed with too stringent solutions to cure him from scratching. The pop or explosion may simply be the result of the indignation felt by Mr. Therm or one of his descendants over too much elbow grease
works.
Koa one of the efficient scrubbers in the gas-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.