One Thousand Ways to Make Money by Page Fox

has long been realized. As long ago as 1625, a patent for such a process was taken out in England, but the old inventors labored under the disadvantage of being ignorant of the chemical and physical qualities of wood. But the time is now ripe for a successful invention of that kind. The difficulty is to get rid of the combustible gases in the wood without at the same time destroying the cells. This difficulty could probably be overcome by placing the wood in a vacuum, admitting steam, and thus, vaporizing the moisture of the wood, drawing off the product of the vapor. Then, if the wood should be saturated with certain salts, it would doubtless be found that the combustible gases would be destroyed, and the carbonization of the wood under high heat prevented. If the process should be successful, the demand for the wood would be enormous, as it would be immediately required for all vessels, and indeed, for all buildings. The possibilities of wealth from such an invention almost surpass the limit of the imagination.