The times., 1898-07-25
LIQUID AIR IN WARFARE.
French Scientist Makes an I'M
uortant Discovery

New York. July 24.-The discovery OF
LIQUID air viii speedily lead to the solution
of problems which are of interest to all
humanity. For example, by means OF
IT the problem of submarine navigation
will be practically solved, owing to the
fact that the necessary air can be easily
procured.
LAS one pint of liquid air represents
| more than thousand pints of ordinary
| air one can readily see how easy it Will
be to store away this primordial agent of
life and to carry it down into the depths
of the ocean where it can be used not on
ly for breathing purposes, but also for the
purpose of providing at will cold, heat or
motive power"
Such are the words of NJ. D'Arsonval
professor of the College of France, who is
! Just now attracting much attention from
! scientists owing to the fact that he has
! described before the French Academy of
| Sciences certain remarka BILE experiments
which have been made by Prof Karl
! Linde's liQuefying air machine, and has
/ also himself helped to perfect this ma
| chine.
According to NJ. D'Arsonval and Prof.
| Linde liquid air will soon be at the dis
| posal of everyone. For a dollar or less
/ one will be able TO buy a bottle of pure
| air. Just as one now buys a botte of wine.
/ and with the help of this pure air con-
! sumptives may hope to regain strength,
the sleepless may surely look for sound
| slumber and those who suffer from the
/ heat in Summer may provide themselves
| with a desirable coolness and need not
! take the trouble TO go either to the sea
| shore or TO the mountains.
NJ. D'Arsonval is not the inventor of
! greatly helped perfect it. The desired
| hquefaction is only obtained at 19I de-
| grees below zero, which is the tempera-
ture at which solid air boils and the de-
sired pressure and cold are obtained by two
very long concentric pipes, which are
| fashioned in a spiral form. The COM
pressed air traverses the interior pipe.
| after which il is subjected TO a lower pres
sure, and this process is continued until
the temperature necessary for lquefac-
tion is obtained.
| Now the most important parts of this
machine are the compressor with its two
cylinders and what is known as the coun-
| ter-current instrument An Indispensable
part of the machine. however, is the re-
ceiver of the liquid air, and il is NJ. D'Ar-
sonval who has invented it. The receiver
is of glass. and it has two partitions. be-
tween which there is as perfect a vacuum
as it is possible to make.
This vacuum constitutes so thorough an
isolation against the Introduction of any
heat from the surrounding air that any
Complementary or other isolation is use-
less. The receiver is then wholly visible
and one can touch 1t at any time without
running the risk of being burned.
NJ. D'Arsonval can make pint of liquiC
air in about an hour. BY pressing on
sort of lever he makes the liquefed ali
fail drop by drop into the transparent re-
ceiver. 1t has the appearance of whitisF
water, from which is deposited carbonic
acid, that settles at the bottom 1t i.
also marveiously pure, and if it is ex
posed to the air, it will bubble as it turn:
TO gas.
Mercury thrown into this water is i'm
meediately solidified by the cold. Air il
composed of oxygen, azote and argon
of these azote evaporates more quickl,
than oxygen. and that the receiver con
tains sufficiently large quantity Of thh
latter gas Is proved by the fact thar whei
a match. which has been extinguisha,
but sriii remains red. j. brought into cen
tact With this air. il wiR al once burs
/ into fame