The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-08

To be continued
BOTTLED GASES.
A Gren: and Curlou. Trade that Has Sprung
Up OF Lnte Years.
Leave orders for oxygen under the door,
is the odd legend that Crcets tho cyo in the
second floor hall Of an upper broadway build
ing. Tho door in question leads to the living
apartments. to use a complimentary plural. OF
the dealer in oxygen. His otllce is the front
hall room on the same floor. sufficiently
crampcd quarters for one whose stock in trade
is of SO expansive q nature. He is one Of a
great many persons whose business it is to
purvey wind. sweetened and otherwise, to the
inhabitants OF this town.
The sale OF invisible and almost intan gible
and imponderable merchandise is ono OF the
most curious Of the many strange business do
velopments OF this great community You may
buy bottled gases as you buy bottled beer. and
have them delivered ut your house as news-
papers. or soda. or fresh vegetables are de-
livered. Oxygen. hydrogen. nitrogen. and car
bonic acid. are sold daily rs boots and shoes
are sold. They are handled with Indifference.
Just as other freight is handled. sent by ox-
press. carried on tho backs OF nonchalant
messenger boys. and. in fact. treated
as II they were not tremendously ex-
pansive agencies packed away under
n pressure Of 1880 pounds to the square inch.
One factory sells 10000 feet OF oxygen per
month. and keeps on hand nearly that guam
tity in storage tanks. That volume OF the gas
weighs moro than a ton and quarter. Sew
eral other concerns sell nearly as much more.
and large quantity Of hydrogen is sold to so
with it for use in producing the lime light at
theatres. lectures. and clinics. Besides this.
oxygen and hydrogen are sold In mixtures Of
various proportions. and II great volume Of
nit roIs oxide or laughing: gas is sold to den
fists. surgeons. and hospitals. The makers of
acrnted waters buy carbonic acid In largo
quantities, and it Is used elsewhere in tho
In France. is scarcely known here. Carbonio
acid i usually So,d IN lilad form NiSreEen
purposes. 1t can DO produced In almost I'M
limited quantities mt low rates. since it is Civ
en- of as waste product in one process OF
Not only are gases sold in largo quantities
to loca! consumers. but they arc sent by cH-
press all oyer the country. Laughing gas. in
parts of the Unitnd States and is also shipped
to tho most remote parts OF civilized South
peculiar freight without special charge and
the maxi rs say that accidents never occur.
Tho local trade in oxygen has great many,
curious kinks. The various ki nds Of medicinal
ar advertised are. or pretend to be. mixtures
OF oxygen with atmospheric air. ONO dealer
OF an oxygen factory that oxygen was BY no
means necessary part OF his cure. A little
perfume furnished by himself at low cost and
good dcal OF Imagination furnished free by
tho pnticnt proved vastly cheaper and quite
as effective. Tho use of oxygen upon physi-
patients order It delivered two or three times
q week. and keep up tho practice long aftor
fho presrTpion Is gwen az is taken finally
frequently rcronmendnd to others One con
corn, sells over 30 pounds Of oxygen per
month for such PURPOSES. and supplies sew
era thousand customers.
II you 500 II messenger boy carrying on his
back an iron, CYLINDER about thirty inches long
Of gas. II tho cylinder is painted rcd. it con,
se as G sa hSo Il p
have como, to an agreement as To colors TO-
sTh to
i tho more difficult to, confuse, ,hc cylinders.
tions. so that il shall be impossible to couple
cylinder to thG %r rm u raTery"r by way Of
a PRESSURE Of 1000 to 5000 pounds to tho
square inch. cylinders hold from, Is to $50
use. III. fight that has ieen made, over flo
return q beer I'%s tI ana rst f"da siphons has
ders. Tho manufacturers have finally settled
down to II system lnder which the cylind"ris
purchase price. less, a charge for rent. is rp-
funded on return # tho cylinder. BY q system
OF checks and numbers the dealers can locate
ee The Usto states Government is likely soos
to become IN important consumer ofSoxygen,
as it Is shortly to be applied t. uss In the tor
pcdn ,rl.re. An expert In gases. now resi-
dom In this city gave Goubet. the French do.
THIS subioet Guunet had u tiny submarine
G rLlt. and no was accustomed to load 1t before
starting on n slhn.nrInc cruise with great cyl
AL iir IL
loo ~ In the little craft became contaminated.
1t wa, ireshencl by pure air lot out Of the
cyiin',orS 50,
lilo expert suggested the use Of pure oyy-
gen iu,tsad Of mir, and at Gou bets suggestion
made II careful investigation Of the subject.
lie came to tho conclusion that he could store
in onc-thiltcth OF tho space occupied by
gcn III do tho work oI the air thus cnrriod. Ho
n iso suggested n simple device for detecting
the presence ,?ftop much oxygen or too much
c lrDon" acid In tho ttm1sphnre Of tho boat
MS isusel in the slcE room. H. knew that tho
ilumo would 0'no.t die in tho presence of u
dangerous PERCENTAGE u carbonic acid. and
that il would dilnto when tho proportion OF
On the d..y sct Tor tho experiment tho little
boat was stocked win oNysen in cylinders
under pressure of l,SO pounds to tho squire
inch. The cylinders were provided with valves
tho gns. The night lamp worked to pcrIrctIn
aud tiuuhCt and his companion remained four
hours under water, with no Grrntor supply
oi air tl,nn was free in the tiny craft when they
desrrr !t1 Tho oxygen kept the atmosphere
i'm surh condition that they were able to
breathe in comfort. and they spent the time IN
conversation, al luncheon. and ct cards. Gou-
hook. and has kept his boat submerged for six
hours The experiment has not yet been tried
In torpedo. service on this side the water. q,