The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-18
A SUCCESSOR To ICE.

The daily newspaper is kept busy chron-
telling new marvels in scientific discovery.
But few days ago Ii was announced
that coal gas would be superseded by a
new Illuminating agency. and now IT
seems proba bic that the wonderful prop
critics OF carbon dioxide Will be utilized
in double capacity. They viii take the
place OF ice as a refrigerator and Of all
other chemicals as a fire annihilator.
After FIVE years OF patient experiment,
z. +. Osborne. thermic engineer. has
devised a means by which a well-known
but hitherto idle agency may be put to
commercial use. The raw materials re-
qulred are soft coal and limestone. The
products are carbon dioxide, commercial
lime, carbonate of ammonia and coal tar.
The coal is supplied to retorts and sub
jected to destructive distillatlon in nearly
the same manner as in ordinary gas
works, the tar AMI ammoniacal liquor
being separated. the former being sold in
IT'S then state. and the latter distilled and
converted into carbonate OF ammonia,
packed and sold. The coke resulting from
the coal distilled is converted into a semi
water gas. which IS used TO distill or cal
cine the limestone. The lime produced is
OF the best quality, and is sold on the
open market either In bulk or by the
barrel.
The dioxide is purified. cooled. COM
pressed and hquehed in the Same way as is
done in ordinary manufactures where this
.i-a7
poses. The liquid dioxide VIII then pass by
its own pressure into the main distribut-
ing pipe in the street, thence by service
pipes to the cold storage warehouse, re-
frigerator. ice-cream freezer, champagne
cooler, or other apparatus located on the
premises OF the various consumers on the
line. AT the curb stone viii be a service
cock: Just inside of the consumers prem
Uses is an automatic valve which cuts off
the quantity in case of a break or careless
management OF the apparatus on the con-
slmer's premises.
one ton OF good soft coal and three and
one-half tons of limestone win produce a
little more than $500 pounds of lime, 1900
pounds of carbon dioXide six or seven
gallons of coal tar and forty to fifty
pounds OF ammonia In addition to pro-
difcing carbon dioxide gas. a first-class
illuminating and fuel gas will he obtained.
To preserve meats without refrigeraaing
the carbon dioxide Is blown in the meat
in a kind of spray and has no deleterious
effect on any food product except milk.
which 1t sours In refrigerating car ser
vice the gas would he carried in tanks
under the cars. the tanks being filled at
charging stations located 500 to 1000 miles
apart.
Carbon dloxde as a refrigerating me
dunn is not a new discovery. 1t is now in
practical use. but the expense of manu-
featuring It IS very great. 1t is used for
refrigerating tn saloons and hotels. hut it
costs from s to Is cents a pound, and can
never be extensively employed so long as
such prices prevail Under the old system
il vas made from certain stones imported
from Italy and Germany. Under the new
system 1t is made from limestone and soft
coal. and could be sold in competition with
ice al - cents a ton. AS ice sells al $ a
ton. the saving will be sufficient to drive
ice out OF the field
The efficacy of this gas in extinguishing
fire has also been we'll known. but its cost
made II unavailable.