The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-17
Liquid Air and Its Uses.

Liquid Air and Its Uses.
Professor Dewar, Of the ROYAL Insti-
tuition, London, whose liquefaction of
various gases has for several years att
tracted much attention, has invented
simple apparatus by which liquid air
can be produced so cheaply that 1t is
brought within the reach of almost ev-
cry experimental. He coils a tube
around a vacuum-jacketed glass CYL
1nder and inserts the tube and cylinder
into a large vacuum-jacketed glass yes
sell One end OF the tube is connected
with a bottle Of condensed air under
a pressure of 200 atmospheres. The
other end has in it a pin-hole from
which the air escapes. In escaping it
expands greatly and is thereby cooled.
Al che same time it cools the tube from
winch 1t has just emerged and lowers
Ine temperature of the condensed air
lhat is traversing the tube toward the
pln-hole. The refrigeration is, therefore,
progressive, and presently liquid air
lows from the pin-hole and accumu-
taIes IN ample quantities in the outer
vacuum vessel It's temperature is 3S1
oegrees below zero of Fahrenheit, or
twice az far below that of melting ice
S@Ss is, Of course, facilitated by cooling
FIe condensed air on its way to the coil,
g ay passing the tube through solid
'IrbOnic acid. With this refinement
os method the work is expedited, and
liquid air appears in three or four min
u;es and collects rapidly. With a bot
fls Of compressed air and the simple ap-
paratus described liquid air may be OBJ
tained anywhere in quantity sufficient
20 show the effect of extreme cold on
other substances.
The principle involved is a familiar
one anG has long been in use. AS a
rule, however. experimenters have dealt
with expensive gases in large quanti-
ties and their apparatus had to pro-
vide for the recovery of said gases and
bheir recOmpensatiOn after expansion.
Their apparatus was accordingly of a
complicated structure, presenting, I'M
fortunately, large metallic surface for
the absorption of heat from outside.
Professor Dewar's new application Of
the principle takes account of the eX-
Gstence around us of a gas in unlimited
quantities which can be allowed to eS-
cape freely from the apparatus. The
limit to the production now of liquid
air-and through it the Hqueraction Of
other gases-is fixed only by the diff
Guilty of attaining vacum-jacketed ves-
sells Of large size. At present this diff
Guilty is a serious one, but it will no
doubt soon be met. With some me-
chanical Improvement the Dewar pro-
cess can be made continuous without
any trouble and with no expense other
nh3n that of running an engine to work
a compressor of adequate capacity. The
Sun on November u described a large
plant devised by Herr LinGe for manu-
factudng liquid air on a large scale,
his devise-One of pipes within pipes
instead Of a pipe between vacuum jack
ets-being on the same principle OF
utilizing expansion cor the cumulative
cooling Of a curren sof compressed air.
The practical utility of liquid air is al
ready recognized and ii finds purchas-
ers. 1t is a first-class refrigerant and
may. perhaps, ultimately displace vari-
Gus unsatisfactory and dangerous sub
stances now used in the arts. II is not
Impossible that the future manufacture
er of ice cream may prefer small bot
tie Of liquid air to the mixture of ice
and salt which sometimes Spoils his pro-
Duct. The transportation of ice for cars
and ships that carry meats and perisha-
bic fruits is expensive. The skating
rink has much trouble with the ma
terials il employs for refrigeration, as
instanced in the accident in this city re-
Gently. For these and other purposes
liquid air, if cheapened by manufacture
on a large scale. would be extremely de
Sirable. The free use Of ii in the labor
atory opens the way for new discov-
cries. The properties Of nearly all sub
stances are profoundly altered by eX-
treme cold. and many improved indus
trial processes may result from its easy
applicatio One industrial use of
LIQUID air already established rests upon
rhe fact that in its production the oXy-
gen in il is concentrated until II be-
comes 20 per cent of the whole. At this
strength II is sufficiently good for GER
tain manufacturing purposes and is in
demand. The cost Of oxygen thus OBJ
tanned is much less than that obtained
oy any other process.
\ great impetus is given by cheap
ACuid air 20 the work OF SoldHying
the few substances that still remain M
conquered Immense help is given also
- 'the problem of apprONimating che
'aoSoiute zero''-the zero at which all
neat Is gone. at which the particles of Z
msSuter cease n Vib-ate and at which ;
ehe atom 5 dead. The difficulty OF
TeachlnS the absolute zero may be q
Judged from ohe fact that 10 descend I.
from the tenpera ture Of solid air 10 the 4
boiling point Of liquid HYDROGEN Is TO go /
as far as one goes in passing from I.
ordinary temperatures TO the tennnera-
ture ot solid air. Liquid hydrogen.
which bOilS a. ! degree above the ahso- /
lutte zero. Is StIl far beyond cur reach. I
Kansas City. No. Jan. ia fire n
the BANQUET hall on the fifth floor OF the
Midland hotel this morning a. / O'Clock
created a panic among 500 guests. many
of them. carrying what valuables they
could and attired in nightgowns rushed
peIl-mell into the street While others ap-
pea~ed at upper windows ana threaten
ed 10 jump. But fer the prompt ar
ri,-qi Of NE fire department loss Of life
must surely have resulted. The pecun-
larry loss was small
Chicago. Jan. I6.-Confessions Of judg-
-rlents aggregating nearly Sl5e.0eo were
entered il the circuit court touaS
z-4inst Kahn, Schoenbrun & Co. whole
81 e cl0thiers.