The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-04-19
LIQUID AIR
EXPERIMENTS.
Cold is Hotter Than Heat-.-
Carbon Burns at 312 Below.

The guests of the National Geo
graphic society, after it's annual
reception in Washington, recently,
were entertained by Chas. E Tripler,
of New York, the inventor Of liquid
air. Mr.. Tripler had brought from
his laboratory in an ordinay vessel,
not unlike milk can, ten gallons Of
liquid air at temperature of 3l2 de-
grees below zero. This was brought
into the banquet room, at the Airing
ton hotel, where the audience was
assembled, and many of the expert
ments which have lately startled the
scientific world were repeated.
Mr.. Tripler was introduced by
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of
the telephone. \ large number of
distinguished scientists had gathered
to witness his experiments, and in
the audience were the German and
Russian ambassadors, the Chinese
minister, and a large number of the
most distinguished people in Wash
ington.
Mr.. Tripler first exhibited the
liquid air by passing around the
audience tin dippers filled with it.
These gave off vapor Ike steam
and rapidly accumulated frost on the
outside After the audience had
finished the inspection, Mr. Fripler
struck the dlppers against the table
and they broke to pieces like glass.
He then immersed common rubber
ball in the liquid and sfterward threw
it on the floor, where it broke into
pieces
He partially immersed in a com
mon tumbler, filed with liquid air, a
stick of carbon. like those used on
the arc light, and the part Of the
carbon above the surface burned
rapidly with white light as intense
as that of an arc lamp He explain
ed that temperture of 1000 degrees
above zero was required to burn
carbon. yet this air at 312 degrees
below zero burned it rapidly He
immersed in the same glass the end
of coiled watch spring, and it burn.
ed rapidly and threw off shower of
sparks until the entire spring was
consumed
Mr.. Tripler explained that alcohol
freezes at a temperature of 202 below
zero, and he accordingly took pint
of whiskey and, pouring the liquid
air over it, soon had it in a state
80 that he broke it up iato obuoks
and passed it around the his audi
ence
Mercury freezes at 40 degrees be.
low zero. The inventor froze a
chunk of it in the shape of hammer
and drove nail into the table upon
which his experiments were conduct
ed. This hammer sfterward circu-
latd shrough the audience for half an
hour without melting. though it
gradually accumulated frost on the
outside
NJ. Tripler dipped several Irish
potatoes into the can of air, and then
threw them on the floor, and they
broke into pieces, like china eggs.
The pieces we're picked up for souv
enirs, but were found to be so cold
that they were uncomfortable to
keep
SERVED FROZEN POTATOES.
They were extremely hard and
could be carved with pen knife like
bozwood. They circulated pretty
rapidly through the audience, each
person being apparently anxious &c
pass them on to his neighbor.
A piece of raw beef was immersed
in tie air and taken out pure and
white and hard as ivory. Thrown on
the floor it broke into pieces. Sever.
al persons having picked these up as
souvenirs, Mr.. Tripler warned them
that in few minutes after the cold
had passed away the beautiful white
substance would return to beef again
and would become an uncomfortable
keepsake.
A cake of ice was placed on the
table, and Mr. Tripier placed upon it
a teakettle filled with liquid air. He
then put the kettle over gas
fame and it quit boiling, and q
thick coating of ice formed on the
outside and was afterward broken of
with malet
Mr.. Tripler threw dipperfal Of
air over his clothing and it left them
perfectly dry, and finger dipped 10
the liquid would be Withdrawn dry. but
uDcomforta5iy cold A quantity of the
air ,hrown on toe Aoor made heavy
sourd like melted lead The liquid
scattered 10 all directions throwing of a
ersy vapor and being rapidly consum