Hayes, AUGUSTUS ALLEN

Hayes, AUGUSTUS ALLEN, chemist, was born at Windsor, Vermont, in 1806, studied chemistry under Professor Dana, and settled in Boston in 1828. He discovered the organic alkaloid sanguinaria, carried through experiments which led to the construction in 1838 of improved furnaces and boilers, suggested the process of reducing pig to malleable iron without loss by the use of the oxides of iron, as well as new processes in copper-smelting, the decomposition of alcohol, and the formation of chloroform, and made important investigations into the properties of guano. He also examined the constitution of sea-water and fresh water at various depths, prepared a report for the navy department on the copper-sheathing of vessels, and supplied a novel process for the manufacture of saltpetre. Hayes was for many years state assayer of Massachusetts, and died in Brookline there, 21st June 1882.