The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-18


EDITOR STAR:-May | ask for space
to reply to Or. Bishops second letter
anent volcanic forces published on the
26th ultimo.
DR.. Bishop says | correctly stated
IAN observed law as TO the critical
temperature at which the various gases
are capable of liquefaction. without ref
erence to pressure" l must express
my surprise at this statement l made
no assertion of the kind, as reference to
my letter of July 25th will show, and
even had | done so, it would have been
absolutely incorrect. There is a "criti-
cal pressure as well as a critical
temperature
DR.. Bishop further says, the writer
fatally errs, however. in overlooking
the essential point that this law (of cri-
teal temperature) ceases to apply to
the same gases when they enter into
mechanical mot chemicaD combination
with other liquid or solid elements.
DR.. Bishop then instances water, which
he says rsolidifies at 80 degrees F.. but
when placed in contact with anhydrous
lime. it, the water, will rapidly sOldify
at the temperature of PIP degrees or
even 400 degrees, forming the combina-
ton known as hydrate of lime
Touching these peculiar statements
will, with profound Difference to DR..
Bishop, briefly say that, water and
melted rocks are not elements, neither
is water a gas! and it is DR.. Bishop 5
theory of gases in liquid and solid form,
intimately associated with the super
heated lava of the earth's interior, that
l am combating. / might pass without
further comment the above quotation,
but l cannot refrain from referring to
the Doctors strange aVerment that wa
ter only enters into mechanical Combi-
nation with anhydrous lime. Anhy-
drous or quick lime, calcium monOXide,
has water placed in contact with it. and
what do we see? We see a wonderfully
striking and interesting phenomenon.
The monoXide and water combine with
intense energy, evolving great heat,
forming a chemical union, and presto
the calcium monOXide, Ca o, is chang
ed into calcium hydrate, Ca (OH2. and
all this remarkable process and change
is effected, according to DR.. Bishop,
without chemical combination! If the
doctors theory anent liquid or solid
gases, calls for such assertions, so
much the worse for his theory, for the
fact is that, water of hydratiOn, is wa
ter chemically combined with some sub
stance to form a hydrate.
AS of water, so of silver, I would say,
it is not a gas and it's melting point or
DeCulldTllltS
with the critical temperature at which
gases liquefy, neither do the special
qualities of the metal affect the question
as to whether "the whole superheated
magma or lava of the interior (Of the
earth) is saturated with condensed gas
es under pressure, in liquid or solid
form"
In liquid or solid form; AYE there's
the rub" That is the main point be-
tween DR.. Bishop and the writer. and
that is the only part of the theory,
spoken of by him, as my own theory"
that appears to be original, for case
Gus causes have long been considered
amongst others, a s a possible eXplana-
ton of seismic and volcanic phenomena
No pressure. however, when a gas is
above its critical temperature, viii il
quefy it, and as a matter of fact. we
know of no solid gases except in the for
zen condition. Whether there be such
solid gases. other than frozen, in the
universe, or no, we Wot not of them.
Gases are supposed by some geOphysi-
Cists to be present in the central pOr
tiOns of the earth in condition of great
rigidity, owing to the enormous pres
sure there, upon them. The pressure
being reduced or withdrawn, they in
stantly and tremendously expand. Such
is not the peculiarly of a solid. 1t pos
sesses neither the potential energy of a
rigid compressed gas, nor the KlnetiC
energy of one expanding.
To still further show that the writer
fatally erTs" in not recognizing that
the law of critical temperature relating
to gases to apply when they enter into
mechanical mot chemicaD combination
with other liquid or solid elements" DR..
Bishop says: Carbon diOXide, or car
bonic acid gas liquefies Che believes) at
the critical temperature of about-15O
do Dat fe ir 70
water under a moderate pressure 1t I'M
mediately enters the liquid state in me-
chanical combination with the water as
We daily see in soda bottles. The law
of critical temperature ceases to ap-
ply"
Let me endeavor to show the
unreliability of this statement. Car
bon dioxide is a soluble gas, so that wa
ter, at ordinary temperatures and pres
sures, is capable of absorbing it's own
volume of the same. 1t freezes at-112
degrees, but, be it observed, this is Just
the antithesis of it's Critical tempera-
ture," and DIR. Bishop, in abiding to
the lowest known thermometric point
of gas in the terms he does, errs, for
as l stated in replying to DR.. Bishop
first letter, it is the highest point at
which a gas can be liquefied that is
known as it's Critical temperature"
Returning to the matter of the solu-
bility of carbonic doxide, I would say
however, it matters not how far it is
compressed, the above spoken of condi-
ton still holds good, and water will still
dissolve it's own bulk ofthe compressed
gas. And thus soda water is made. IT
is solution of carbon dioXide. DR.
Bishop speaks of the very moderate
pressure required to force the COM
pressed gas into water. Exactly So
But what, of the pressure reuuir-
ed to liquefy this gas at about
the same temperature that soda water
is manufactured, say IS degrees? II
would take, sir, a cardinal pressure. OF
! a atmospheres, or over 1000 pounds to
! the square inch in excess Of the pres
sure required to force it into the soda
water bottles. To liquefy carbon diox-
ide, its molecules must be brought close
together, and to retain it i'm liquid on
forzen state, its kinetic energy must be
kept down and this only can be done
by keeping down the temperature and
so of all gases. Now sir, is it possible
u Ia l. -.