Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-15
LIQUID AIR.

New YORK World.
Ii is now almost certain that liquid
air will soon be put On the market at
very moderate prices The praot cal
householder, therefore, is already be-
ginning TO ask question. "Of what use
will 1T be to meY" he queries. "Why
should l pay money Tor cans Of air,
liquid or other? 1t is very curious and
interesting, no doubt, but what can |
do with it? And isn't 1t dangerous
stuff anyhow to have about the houseS"
To answer these very natural ques-
tions as fully as possible, yet briefly and
in plain language, is the purpose Of
this article. Only hoLe uses will he
considered, and even OF these scarcely
half can be indicated. II there is any
limit to the ultimate possibilities OF
liqcid air the. writer hasn't yet dis
covered it. First how will it be sup
piled, how long can it be kept, and is
it safe to handler 1t will be brought
to your house. like milk or settler
water, in protected cans containing
and desired quantity from quart or
two up to 90 or 30 gallons. The style
of the cans will doubtless vary. The
simplest are nothing more than tin
cylinders, closed at the bottom but
open at the top and heavily felted.
In these liquid air can be kept about
q hours. You Can dip it out as wanted
with an ordinary long-handled tin
diDper. III, however, you should drop
| the dIpper Just after using it it would
shatter like thin glass when ii struck
| the floor. With ladle of copper or
aluminium this little accident could not
occur, as these metals are not made
| brittle by cold.
BY the use of more elaborate vessels
some of which have already been
tested and patented the liquid air can
be kept for a numher of days. From
these it ia drawn oil by sort of
spieot. 1t can be sent by rail and de-
livered at distant points. Liquid air
is as safe to handle as boiling water,
and requires about the same precau-
tions. Here extremes meet. Intense
cold burns like heat, and liquid air has
even been used to cauterize ulcers. Yet
you need not fear to touch it. You may
thrust your hand into basin of ii
4 with perfect safety, Just as you may
touch hot iron with your moistened
finger, provided the hand is instantly
Withdrawn, If spilled on your clothes
it will not injure even the finest
fabrics. But never venture to put liquid
air in your mouth-if you wish to live.
And in taking up dish containing II
use a handkerchief or holder of some
sort. exactly as if it were hot. In
another respect liquid air is like boil
ing water. 1t must not be confined.
Plug up your teakettle and it will soon
burst. Ii the plugged kettle contained
liquid air it would do the same thing
even though set upon a block of ice,
for this strange stuff is always boiling
and you can't prevent it. Be careful
also not to wet cotton waste or any
other loose, combustible substance with
this fluid
Such a mixture is violently explosive,
though only until the liquid gas hal
evaporated; and it will not explod,
unless fire is put to it. These thing.
remembered liquid air is more innocen
than spring water. If canful wert
upset on your parlur carpet there would
be no harm done.
And now, assuming that two. gallor
can has been delivered at your door
what can you do with itP OF course
the most obvious uss ia for cooline
things-auy sort of refrigeration.
bowlful set in your refrigerator will d.
the work Of a big cake of ice, blu
much better. 1t will slowly waste away
but the product is nothing but air
and cold. 1t is absolutely dry F.; Their
will be no drip. In fact, any closet o
: cupboard can be used as refrigerato
with liquid air, only 1T will waste
: little faster.
You want glass of ice water. Pou
: the water into the tumbler and dro
into it half teaspoonful or less o
: liquid air. Then watch it moment
for it is beautiful experiment. Afte
dancing and bubbling and showing al
, manner of jewel tintl for about
! minute the liquid air disappears. You
: glass of water ia row cooled and has
! little lump of ice in it. To cool al
: oyster let one drop Of the liquid fal
: on it, Too much would freeze it harde
than flint. Should you happen to pu
too much on lump of butter yo
. could pound it into yellow powder wit
u hammer, though it would soon thaw
Many kinds OF food and drink are niue
improved after being thus frozen an
! thawed. To make ice cream pour
little liquid air into the cream c
custard and ut r vigorously. You ca
cool wine CIR beer almost instantly b
pouring a thin stream over the surfac
of the bottle. This you can do as 20
: sit at the table, it viii! not soil tn
q cloth. Too much would freeze th
I liquid and break the bottle.
To cool your parior on sultry da
, take half bucket of liquid air an
splash it about the room with a dippei
just as you would throw water on tn
II sidewalk for similar purpose. 1t wi
dance over the floor in bright globult
q and I'll the room fer a moment with
d cloud Of mist, hut it will wet moth in
n and do no injury even to the mos
dainty upholstery.
1t not only cools the air. but wi
l. make it pure and braoing, like swet
mountain breeze, for there is awa,
q some excess of oxygen in liquid ali
Q This is the simplest method Of coolin
a room, and ia effective. Soon, hov
!, ever, Ingeniously constructed fans wi
II be supplied for this purpose. In ii
sickroom this cooling and freshenir
I, of the air will be simply invaluable
undoubtedly will be saved thereby.
a the case If disease, such rs yello
10 fever, the germs of which cannot eli
dure frost, all danger of contag ion an
spreading may be averted. The pr,
lection to nurses will be perfect. Wit
such appliances there will be no MOI
Y, cases of sunstroke in overheated Office
And any bedroom 10 city fiat may
al made as cool and refreshing as Il
wide Widowed rooms at a mountai
,r summer resent Think of the joy
I that when the dog star rages-all yc
i who sleep iu hall bedrooms!
N With liquid air you can not on
purify the air but also water, even
IN the cess pool. It is an admirable di
e infectant.i The7,arpe amount of oyyg,