Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-02-15

Earl Edsecomb Writes An
Interesting Ittter on
LiqnidsAlr.
Extracts from letter written by
Earl Edvecomb at Armour Collere az
Technology To his fathsr: .F;
Chicago, ILL.,, e.s, 1900.
Dear Father.-l lad the pleasure If
attending the lecture given by profss.
sor rripler, the inventor ct liquid air,
It the Auditorium, last, night Ths
Professor is certainly a wizard in his
chosen field of labor. The experiments
that he performs with his new and
wonderful substance are very startling
indeed; for instance sitter giving US 4
short talk concerning the pr.,olGs az !.
manufacturing liquid sir, he prpcssded
With his hrst experiment; which cons
sisted in showing to tho audisnce that
liquid air could be dipped out of.s
bucket. The can containing the liquid
air was simply large wooden casks
much like common Ice cream freezer,,'
The cask contained three inner tin cans
which were separated from each othsfrs,
and the space between eaeh can SeinR
filled with common felt In ordsts d,
keep the surrounding cir from, comilns !.
IN contact with the Inner can. The
common tin clippers thst the S,fslss's
sor DIPPED the liquid With would
crush under the slightest pressure like
. paper dtpper. When tho liquid came
IN contact with the cir 1t @tSsmad and
ooilsd like boiling water. He took y
dipper containing . small amount 81
the liquid and broke the dippsr like-ie
was glass, then took . piece Of beef
steak and put 1t into the liquid and it
become hard as rock, and upon
throwing it upon the floor it broke Into
small pieces A potato was then used
and it became in all appearance Ike
ivory. with apparently the same prop
rites. He then dipped three OF four
rubber balls into the liquid and ct once
fhey became Is hard o. glass and
broke just as 3, glass ball would by
throwing it on the floor. @
In his nezt experisent hs took . Y
shaped tupesput . sotS s in ono end. and
forced small amount Of the Dir into
the other and then oorked this end, and
at once the cork tiew to tho. top Of the
building, caused BY the expansion Of
the liquid air in the tube. He made
liquid tceeic.es Ia two minutes the tenn.
perature being liz below.
He then took small pastepesI4
pox and PLACED In each end two ring
eyes and then poured the box about
half full Of liquid cir. leaving 1t fort
few minutes and whom he took the
contents out it was solid bar Of moi
curry With an eye in each eud. Hst tied.
srops In The eye aud held on to tho
other, and vas lifted from the door his
weight being $50 lbs. was UP on the
stage and ssw the bar Of mercdry. He
then showed how difficult It was to
burn common felt under normal condi-
tions and then he dipped 1t In She liquid
and lighted it and. it burned with .
bright red flame. Cotton thseads when
saturated with the liquid went OF
like powder. The liquid d vet. aud
when he poured 1t on the door. in an
instant it oil went up in vapor, leaving
the floor perfectly dry. He next filed
tea kettle with air and placed It on 9
gas flame and the more he heated it the
colder It became.
Ice formed on the outside of the
kettle directly in the flame. He then
made an ice tumbler- by putting
common tumbler into some water snd.
then pouring some liquid air into It
and at once there formed AROUND the
lumber coating of ice snd upon
taking 1t out of the water aud the
lumber from the ice covering he had
an ice tumbler complete, by putting
this glass tumbler ID the pan Of weteg
and filling the ice tumbter. with the
liquid air and inserting carbon or
bar of steel and fighting 1t it bnrnd
rapidly. Tho ice tumbler has temp.
erature Of 3l2 below and the steel and. .
carbon temperature of 5000 sbovs:
The Professor threw some Of ~ over.
tho audience and some OF it hit mo on
thu ear and Il" gave the sensation Of
being burned. After the lecture was
over, l went up on the stage and had
an opportunity to examine the liquid.
1t is in appearance like milky water
but upon combining it in 9 vscuum
tube it becomes perfectly transparent.
The Professor told US that. II We would
dip our hand in the liquid three times
In succession, our band would be froz-
on solid. II ! had the time and space,
l could give you many interesting 81.
periments that I have not mentioned,
as to the commercial value. Of shis,
wonderful liquid, we are not prepared
1 m aav huf tho peofoouDrv ~ A9,. nDl