The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-04-03 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

pealed to the atulilo'rys tint •16 banish frOiri'Ll‘ierpoorits chernis's
and productive maunfacturers. Their should be a hoard of
scientific' appointed io examine sUeli questiOns, and their
deciAon should. be conclusive. Wheirchemistry was a part of
genet al education, there would be no noire indictments against
[nut nine h ped to-morrow to be ante to prove to them
that it was not prejudicial if diluted ; a man might injure the
coats of his stomach by taking a' glass -,,lspiri;s raw, but, in
spite of all the tee-totallers could say, might do himself a very
great deal of good by taking one.properly diluted.—(Cheers and
great laughter.)'
' The lecturer amused the audience very much, and their ap-
probation was loudly and frequently expressed, especially at
different satirical sallies, which- we are compelled to omit. We
have endeavoured to give a faithful account m the real suti
stance of the lecture, and regret that we are. utterly unable to
find time or room to express' our own Opinion on Wand the
general subject.

* There seems • to be some misapprehension relative to the
opinions expressed by Mr. Rogerson. In the London Medical
Gazette, Vol, 10, page-352. we lint the following' statetl as the
result of his experiments :—" These experiments prove that
muriatie acid gas, and common air mixed tm,ethei '•are des-
tructive to animal life, in proportion to the quantilv of touriatic
acid gas there existing." * * •* * " Itiough it ceases to
kill (at least within any reasonably short space of time) when
mixed With 1500 parts of common *air, yet it does Mita:ease to
be injurious to health." • •

(From the Albion.)
The following is an not line of the second lecture, which he
delivered on Saturday evening :
Orlate years. encouraged by the facilities offered by the port,
a Glass Company has been established in the town, the import-
ance of which may he appreciated when it is stated, that the
profits amount to sixteen per cent. Nomv, homi (lees this arise?
By the employment of the•alkali manufaet red-at the chemical
works in this town, which enables you to effect the fusion of the
silicious matters of which glass is made with much more celerity.
and cheapness than by the emplos went of the ctiarse material
formerly use), beside the production of abetter article. Let us
Jock a titt.e farther still at the importance of the alkali trade as
a means of furnishing employment to men and engaging a large
amount of capital in its pursuit. We kcow, that common salt
is the material from which the alkali is made. Now, only con-
sider the vast number of individuals as well as the amount of
capital employed in the manufacture of this salt andits trans,
port to Liverpool. Consider the number of colliers employed
raising coals for the production of the salt as well as for the
manufacture of time alkali itself. Considering all these:things
in .addition to what has been previously added, it becomes a
inatter of the highest importance that you should weigh well
what you are about to do before you undertake the destruction
of so valuable a trade: For, as to getting rid of the umrialic
acid by any other means than the 'present there is little prpba-
bilit y, seeing that the innumerable schemes for that purpose
have all signally failed when submitted.to the criterion of prac-
tice.
This muriatic acid gas is not the deleterious agent which it
is said to be in the quantity in which. it is given out from the
chimneys. In order to prove this we !mist first ascertain the
quantity of muriatic acid
.gas which is given out, and then the
quantity of air through which the gas diffuses itself. If you
take a ton or 2,210 lbs of salt and decompose it (hiring the day
ortwelve•hoors, we 'find, that 18611 en are decomposed per hour
or 31bs. per minute. Our next step will be to consider, hew
many
.grains !here. are of'
muriatic acid this salt, because
common salt is composed (to adapt the former nomenclature)
of muriatic acid and soda. Now, 31bs. of" Salt. contain 21,1100
grains, of which 12,600 are :muriatic acid and the remainder
soda. In order to asset taro the space which this gas occupies,
we'have to find hew many cubic inches will'be filled by 'a 'grain,
We can tell this by weighing a given volume-of this gas in a
elaas vessel, and we find, that 100 cubic inches weigh 39 grains.
'Well; 12.600 grains id' mitt-lain: acid gas will prodoce
cuhic.inches•or 18 cubic feet perminute; and supposing a ma-
nufacturer to decompose 12 tons per day, we shall have 221
cobiC feetiof muriatic acid given out from it per Minute. Such,
then,. is the amount of gas given out. One gentleman stated,
at Lancaster, however. he may. now qualify it, that, if there
'were 2(1 tons of salt decomposed-, the whole atmosphere of Li-
verpool would be poisoned. 'Now,- let us test the correctness of
this statement. Mr. Rogerson, who was brought farmyard by'
the Corporation of Liverpool as their great gun, says, that one
part of 'muriatic acid gas diffusedihrough•l3oo of atmospheric.
air would be perfectly harmless, • We have to see, whether the
quantity Of muriatic acid gaS which is liberated front the chim-
ney is diffused ju this harmless ratio through the atmosphere.
Seme persons have sworn, that they can smell the gas at the
distance of 11 miles from the works: now, we will confine the
gas to the space of two acres and suppose that it is' prevented
from spreading itself to a greater distance. 'l'wo acres, in this
part of this country, are equal to 10,000 square yards or 90,000
square feet. • We will take the height of -the highest chimneo
in Liverpool, for they are going to war with it, which is 230 feet
high. By multiplying the superficial area will this height we
get 20,7ty) cubic-feet of atmospheric air as' the cinantity throngh
which these 221 cubic feet of muriatic acid gas are spread tint.'
Froin these data we see, that the touristic acid gas is diffosed
through the atineshere in the ratio only of oue- in ninety-two'
thousand four hundred and eieven,whilst the air would he perfectly
harmless in time propel lion of one to one thousand five hundred.'
Now, how is it possible that ''sach an exceedingly minute pro-
portion of muriatic acid can be injurious to health? It is impos-
sible. Yes t but the gentlemen will say, time gas is not equally
'diffused. Well, let examine this. We have given them the
tar/ran:aye of supposing• that it is equally diffused; let us con-
sider the question in the opposite peim ni view. Some perseni
have' tated,. that they felt the gas at 11 miles distance. altheugh,
alarmed at prt tying to', much, this was afterwards qualified into
half-a-mile. Supposing this statement to be lie collect, the case
of the terpriration is stilt worse;' fit we have the snubs contents
of half-a-mile for the diffusion of the gas, instead of those of Iwo
acres. All gases have a tendency to diffuse themselves equally.
'This is proved by the constitution of the attnosphere itseit'Swhieh
is c imposed of nitrogen, oxygen and • carbonic acid, mixed in
certain definite proportions. Although the atmospheric air has
beeh analyzed by the most scientific men at all eleVations and in
yam iouseonto ries, its compositian has been found to be invariably
the same, the most: delicate experiment failing to determine any
distinguishable differenee. If there was a tendency in gases me-.
chemically mixed its separate, we should final the components of •
the. atmospheric air existing in strata according to their relative
specific gravities, which is not the case. Why should muriatic
acid he an-exception to this gaseous law ; Why-should it not be
equally diffused throughout the atmosphere as well as the other
rarlea? If cannot be because it is heavier than atmospheric air, -
-as carbonic acid, the heaviest of kuow'n gases, is found in the
highest iegions yet visited by mortal man. •
We shall now examine another charge made against muriatic
acid, namely, that it turns -vegetable colours red, and is • there-
fore, productive iif setrous injury.to the attire• of individuals.
This is the property rif all acids, therefore the question is, whe-
ther the ill effects described arise from the action of mutiatic
acid : for it must nut be supposed, that because narriatic acid is
the only gas that is seen, that it is therefore, the only acid which
exists the' atmosphere; 'and where 'there are other agents
capable of producing the like effects, it would tie exceedingly
erroneous to ascribe them all to
the particular iofluence of
!.'muriatic acid. The same observations will apply with equal
force to the tarnishing of metals. • Every one knows what iron
rust or oxide-of iron is, but it is not generally known, that ita
formation is materially expedited by the influence of carbonic
acid. Carboni, acid esercises a partioniaily powerful influence
upon lead,' Whieh causes water kept in cisterns of lhat material
10 be very often impregnated with a very deadly compound,
called Carlionate of lead. It is this Carbonate, or rust of lead,
which gives painter's what is• called the painter's doilies and
occasions them severe illness. Carbonic acid often forms a
very deadly poison a hen united to copper; and, in a former
-reign, an individual who had innocently caused the death'
of several persons, in consequence of boiling their fund in
a 'clipper caldron impregnated with this rust, was burned
alive •on •suspicion of having put poison into the pot. If
chemistry.. had been understood in those days, they • never
would have burned the poor fellow, any more than the Cor-
poration of Liverpool, if they had known ii, would have brought
the present actions against the alkali manufacturers. These
are the effeciatif carbonic acid, of which 20 ions are decomposed,
by the limekilns every day. Now, let us see what space this
would occupy in the atmosphere. 11)0 cubic inches of Carbenic
acid will weigh 46 grains. 'By subjecting time amount of car-.
bonic acid gas disengaged in this manner to the same analysis
as we have previously done the muriatic acid; we find, that
555 cubic feet of carbonic acid are given out per minute
froth time limestone, to only' 224 cubic feet of mutidie acid.
'This is precisely double the•quaotityS Persons -may say, that
carbonic acid cannot lie an 'injurious gas, when it is used in •I he
manufacture of soda water. But this is a mistake. It has been'
found, that when one part of this gas is mixed with six parts of
'at mespherie air, the mixture will not suppoi-t the flame of a.
candle: but that an admixture of one part of carbonic acid with.
seven parts of atmospheric sir, will do so. Singular as it may
appear, the same holds good in exactly the saute propertions
with muriatic and sulphuretted hydrogen gase's. In order ft.
drive off the carbonic acid from the limestotiewe use coal, which.
is placed in strata between the limestone for the purpose ofs
heating it. Coals are as deadly as anything else, in coese-,
quenee of the vast amount of carbonic acid which they produce,'
in which respect they are equalled by no other substance. This
being the case, we have this fact to remember, that every time
we light a fire we are generating carbonic acid, but not carbonic
acid only, as carburetted 11%drogeu, anti sulphuretted hydro-
gen, are given out during the. combustion of coals. There•
fore, instead of five hundred and fifty-tire cubic feet of car
bonic acid. gas being given out of the hinekilmi of this town
every minute,-thete-are upwards of ONIC THOUSAND, when we
take into consideration the aumunt pioduced by the coals emu-
.
played in heating time lineesfoue. Where does al this gas go
to ? is carbonic acid material or immaterial? The question
is readily answered, • bat we knuw that it is ono of the inco6-.. j
veniences to which persons must he subject to who reside in a
manefacturing-town. It contributes its share to the rusting or
tarnishing or metala• as well as thihe chanee Which takes place
in dyed clothes. - Sulphurous acid gas likewise, changes veto--
tables blues- into reds, it also tarnishes metals, and is unfit 'for
respiratisn. This is one point in which the manufacturers of
Liverpoal might make greatiniprovement. In making sulphuric
acid' they employ sulphur and saltpetre, which they burn in a
chamber. The gas which is thus produced is rouilucted into
adjoining leaden chambers containing water, with a hich it en-
ters into combination. But a (pommy of sulphurous acid gas
entre St hese Chambers with. the sulplonic acid gas; and, unless
the chambers are maileparfrOlVtair tight, it • escapes from the
crevices, and causes the people to cough and say, " This is mu-
riatic acid sass !" In nine instances out of ten this is the gas
which causes persons to tough; but if manufactories were to
have a sufficient quantity of water so a9'to form a perfect water
lute, there wont I I.e no escape of sulphurous acid at all. If the
corporation of Liverpool • bad called a lenly er scientific men
'together—and they will be oblige: to adopt this course eyentu-
ally, they would have prevented ,all—the mischief and injury.
which they hare occasioned, and which it will take seine time
to alleviate—if they had called io scientific men and got them to
give the matter their serious attention, with a viewto thesugges
t ion 'of the ',relies remedies, they might then have insisted upon
each manalactureradtipting them, under pain of summary in-
(Hutment This is the kind or: way in which the business should
have been done. and then there is no manufacturer that would
'not cheesfuk submit to it.' Well now, sulphumus acid gas is
liven oat in considerable quantities. It acts upon life, upon ve-
getables, and upon- metals. Mut iatic acid gasdoes not produee the
action upon fish or upon flesh, that which was so• nonseesiealis
attributed to it at Lancaster assizes. I do not mean to say, that
the effects described were not produced, butl deny that they were
pi-educed by muriaticacid:' IF we put an oyster into muriatic
acid we do not produce the effect uponiii which was 'described.
There can lie no doubt that many timings will act upon oss-
ters, and lobsters. and greens. ' , Go to the garteas 'hi the neigh-
lientirood of Liverppoels and you will perceive that the green..
Ink as it' they had been dipped in sulphurous • acid gas. Thti
frost is the' occasion'of this. There are nit cabbages 'to be hid
in London, except such as are ail yellow amid hang down
heads, and yet there is no mut iatic acid in Loutish to injure the
cabbages. But, as there are such a number of deadly gases
given out in the immediate neighbourhood of the alkali works,
I should propose, that the people of Liverpool •allow a that part
of-the town to be entirely applopriared to manufacturing pur.
poses. and reside elsewhere. Instead of properly helms injured
in value, I much doubt whether land in the netehboorhatid el
these woks is Hot of greater value than ever it was. Ithaley-
Street, Manchester, wassnot many years ago, the favourite resi
dente of the gentry in that townsuntil the cotton-factories. find
other large establishments with tall chimneys, rendered it an
unpleasant neighbourhood, The houses were large, awl Kir a