The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-01
LIQUID AIR EXPERIMENTS.
Marvellous Substance Whose Uses
Are Without Limit.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.)


The writer was a member of a party
of guests recently invited to witness some
experiments made by Mr.. Tripler in his
laboratory, and it is no exaggeration to
say that, in his manipulation of liquefied
air, the inventor produced phenomena
that were not only unique in the realm OF
physics. but apparently defiant of its So
called laws.
The first paradox presented is that the
stuff is an absolutely dry llquid-it mas
none of the elements of moisture. AT a
temperature of about so degrees below
zero it boils; yet, when an apple, an or
ange, an egg, a potato and a piece OF
raw beefsteak were immersed in the
fluid one after another, these substances
were frozen so hard as to require several
stout blows from hammer to smash
them-when they crumbled into chips like
marble dust. A thin rubber ball after be-
ing thrust into the liquid air and dropped
TO the ..fioor cracked IKE an eSs-Sneli-
Mercury was frozen into d solid block
and used as a hammer to drive a nail or
the same substance into wood PURE al
cohol was turned into icicles; a glass OF
water, although placed IN a kettie over
fire, was turned into ice when a little or
the strange stuff was added to ii.
On the other hand, a piece of hair felt,
which cannot be made 10 burn under or
binary circumstances and Will only
shoulder at best. when saturated with
liquid air and brought in contact with
lighted match, blaZed uD like pine shay
ines soaked in kerosene and was instantly
consumed. A steel rod held in the vessel
OF air burned away like stick OF CEDAR
thrust into a fire. A piece OF carbon sup
jected to the same treatment was maze
incandescent. y lighted cigarette, when
placed in some of the air Immediately az
ter it was drawn from the hquener, was
extinguished: but after Few SECONDS
exposure, during which the more volatile
nitrogen was allowed to escape, the
cigarette. on being relighted and i'm
mersed in the fluid, burned ike a fuse.
Again. this Misunderstanding stuff, when
confined, has an expansive power exceed
ing that of dynamite. 1t burst an eight
inch iron cylinder quarter OF an men
in thickness. The only known substance
that it will not render brittle and thus
disintegrate is copper. and 1t Is trans
ported in tanks of this metal open at the
top. When its real dynamic energy is
ascertaiped. and if safe and feasible
method of combining it can be discovered.
IL will beyond doubt supplant all other
kinds of fuel and force in the world s
transportation and manufacturing indus
tries. Its use for refrigeratlng purposes
is a certainty of the near future A gal
lon of it evaoorates in about nine hours,
but during lat process delightful cool
ness is imported to the atmosphere OF the
apartment containing the copper Vessel.
The varied and Indispensable service rem
dered to modern civilization by ice, ex-
clusiy # the needs of skaters, can be
more cheaply and satisfactorily per-
formeI by liquid air Its possibilities,
therefore. seem tremendous
The inventors process of manufacture
is closely guarded secret. But the fact
of greatest interest to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Is
the indisDutable proof it furnishes as to
the unreality of both heat and cold. These
are merely relative conditions. without
any of the immutable qualities OF abso-
luteness; they are phenomena, pure and
simple. Moreover since liquid air will |
quickly convert "a glass of whisky into a
piece OF ice. while at the same time a
few drops of it held in the palm of the
hand will blister the skin like molten lead, /
ii presents a concrete instance of the /
meeting of extremes. This is funda- |
mental postulate of the cyclic conception 1
of being and the spherical order of the |
universe. The idea of unity. of oneness, |
is essential to that of infinity. which is .
typef;ed b. the endless circle. ring or
globe. Ii is thus that the spiritual scient- /
ist starting from the premise of a math- /
ematicaI fact is enabled TO transmute the 1
hope of Immortality into demonstrable |