Stinkmate

Proudly disporting herself in a new dress, hat or fur, many a U. S. lady has lately been distressed to find that the first time she wore it out on a damp day the garment emitted an atrocious odor. The retail merchant to whom she returned the dress, hat or fur has usually been nonplussed. . . . Fearful of losing trade, clothing manufacturers have hushed up the situation which causes this unpleasant phenomenon. Last week in Manhattan the story of cause & cure came to light.

Valerian is a cheesy-smelling sedative prepared from an herb root. Last year chemists compounded it with zinc or ammonia, loaded the mixture with ether, sealed it in glass thermos bottles. About five months ago Chicago thugs, hired by racketeering labor unionists, began smashing such thermos bottles inside factories and showrooms. When the highly volatile ether spreads through the room, bearing molecules of the valerian compound, the compound penetrates carpets, garments, walls, floors. Overwhelming is its lasting stench.

The high, sharp smell of the ammonia-valerian compound is bad enough. Far worse is the low, heavy, dirty odor of the zinc-valeric bomb, comparable only to the concentrated essence of a marching army's foot-smell.

When the bombs reached New York, dress, millinery, fur and cloak & suit manufacturers were in despair. Chemists assured them that the valerianate had to dissipate itself naturally, that there was no known way of neutralizing or destroying its odor. That meant they had to wait some six months before their stinking factories or showrooms became habitable again. Worst of all, even after leaving garments the smell came back on damp days.

In Manhattan Promoters James Victor Worth and William Bower were trying to develop a new perfume base, using a valerianate instead of musk. Their chemist was Dr. Samuel Molanr, onetime professor in Austria's University of Graz. Compounding certain chemicals (now a trade secret) he one day discovered to his amazement that the valerianate had been transformed, its odor completely destroyed. Contrary to known chemical laws, the reaction worked again & again. Promoters Worth & Bower knew about the clothing industry's troubles, were quick to see their discovery's commercial value.

Last week in New York their two-months-old Deodorizer Co. was doing a thriving business. An alert staff stood by, ready to rush and spray at any hour. They can make a valerianated room habitable in 12 hr., destroy 98% of the odor in 24 hr., all of it in two or three days. Racketeering bombers were keeping them busy at the rate of a dozen or two bombings a week. More & more manufacturers were seeking their services. Lloyd's of London recommended them to clients insured against malicious mischief.

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