The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-12
air.
one Of tic Nos. Wonderful Dis.
coveries Of the Century. q
SUNERouslEXPERIAENTsfMADE.

htnm nfo lAustsHpy ,FEVAVh-''s'oW t"V
po,ton,of the Kettle Has cty.tals on III,
II can Now be tIsnafas,ursd at Reason.
able Cost In comm.reini Quantities..
History and Use of the Discovery.
New York Times: 1.-THE iiauctactlon
o, air" said Professor W. 9. peckham,
o. Adslphl College, Brooklyn. tho other
dav,'willhaye n tremendous efcctln the
scientific world, and In tho world OF
commerce Il will revolutionize a num-
her o. processes Of refrigeration, and
become an important article in manu-.
faeture. 1t Is only recently, through the
ingenuity OF r. c. TrIpler, OF New York
city, that 81 has been found possible to
produce liquid air in commercial guam.
rl,y, and at a cost that makes It avail
able for full experimentation and prac-
teal use.
81. was only 1--WE years ago, in 1898,
that It was clearly demonstrated by
Professor Dewar. that air could be IL
oucNed. Before that. however. Profess
sor O!zewski. ofithe University OF Cra-
COW, In Austria-Hungary, claimed to
have produced LIQUID air. This was In
1884. Ozewski was n pupil OF Professor
Wrblewskl OF the same university, who
had succeeded In llquefTing a number
OF gases. These gases were plainly IL
ouetled, but they were confined In little
glass tubes, and the moment they were
released they Disappeared I have no In
tcntIon Of going into the controversy
now being waged by Professors Dewar
and oizewski as to which first ilauehed
air, but two points seem clear-Profes-
sor Dewar studied In the laboratory Of
Professor olzewskl, and the claim OF the
latter Is based upon the fact that air
became turbid in his glass tubes, which
was due. he said. to the presence Of SOL
ID particles. It may have been llQuefac-
tlon., and It may not. =
Professor Dewar produced liqaid air
By using q succession OF substances;
frst, ammonia or carbonlc acid. This
Sas was liquefied and used to cool ethy-
I'm by Its evaporation. When. the ethylin
to cool and liquefy another gas, and
lures were obtained, and, finally air IT.
SIC degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
This liquid air was produced in nil
mute quantity, and Prof. Dewari said
that quart OF itwouldt cost $500.
Now Mr.. Tripler has discovered a
process SO Inexpensive that he has
placed II within the reach OF
scientists and experimenters who
may want TO test 1t as a refrigerat-
ing agent. He produces 1t through the
expansion Of air that has been subject
cd to great pressure. This expansion OF
the air itself produces liquid air. He
uses Acknowledgements steam engine,
and has three pistons in n row, giving,
respectively. 60, 800 and 1000 pounds
pressure to the square inch. made use
OF two and half gallons for my expert
moHts Monday afternoon, and this
quantity and probably as much more
vas produced by Mr.. Tripler In the
morning. 1t may be inferred from this
that he can produce it In considerable
quantity.
The process Of liquIfaction Is based
upon the principle that all gases be-
come liquid at certain temperatures.
Tho temperature at which gas liqul-
fes under ordinary atmospheric pres
sure Is called. IN recent acknowledgements.
its critical temperature. With air this
critical temperature Is 81 degrees Fab
renfleit below ZERO. BIZ. Tripler sub
jects the air 10 pressure OF 1000 pounds
to the square Inch, and then cooIs II by
passing water over the pipe which con-
tains 1t. II Is then allowed to expand by
means Of a peculiarly constructed valve,
into the space surrounding the pipe. As
1t eIpands,it Is cooled, ind. In turn. cools
the air in tho inner pipe. This process
Is repeated three times. and the air Is
thus reduced TO a temperature of 3l2 de-
srees below zero. and becomes a liquid.
All the pressure has heen, taken up in
the cooling. process. and the liquid may
be drawn off like water. 1t Is colorless.
"As the nitrogen OF the air boils al
S2, temperature thirteen degrees low
sr than that at which oxygen boils, II
evaporates sooner than the oyygen,and
q peculiar transformation taltes place.
Ordinary air contains one part OF oxy-
sea to four parts OF nitrogen, but LIQUID
air. when exposed, has thcec parts OF
oxygen to one Of nitrogen. The nitro
zen evaporates almost Immediately on
:he liquid air being exposed to ordinary
or atmospheric air.
Tho liquid air may be transported,
a gallon Of It has been sent as far as
Washington. An ordinary tumble.sul OF
It will last Tor half an hour. In this Hes
the possibility Of experimenting. 1t is
dangerous, because Of It's tremndous
power OF expansion. 1t IS far more pow
ettul than dynamite. OF course. 1t has
no explosive effect. but if once exposed
70 the atmosphere and allowed to ex-
pand, It's power would be terrible. Wa
Ter expands TO lbs times It's bulk on
ne,ns converted into steam. one cubic
Inch becoming cubic foot: and the ex-
pansiVe power OF liquid air, Is much
greater. There Is also considerable DIFF
hcu!ty In confirming St. Its effect on iron
IS TO render It brittle as glass,I and I,
would not be safe In any vessel. II has
no such effect on copper. and can be
securely kept In vessels OF that metal.
The experiments ! have conducted
m"itn the liquid ai-." said the professor.
were curious and marvellous. One OF
mem consisted in dipping up the in
Nnseiy cold liquid In, the hand. 1t would
seem mat The inconceivably cold air
*ouic ut once freeze your hand, but IL
aoes not. AS your hand Is so hot rs
compared with the boiling point OF the
hqnid. which Is slo below zefo. the mo-
Hent It touches the air the latter be-
comes vapori2ed. and as you dip up
. rom, OF tho liquid a cushion OF vapor
nfns all around your hand and pro-
"as It. In short time. however, the
uMperature would be capitalized, and
As arctic Ice. -. 4
Z