The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-20

The possibilities Of liquid air were
strongly illustrated last night by Pro-
fessor Albert N. Welles, of the High
school faculty in his lecture on the
subject in the High school auditorium
This lecture is the one which has been
postponed so many times. on account
of the unwilingness of express COM
panies to carry the air, and in the last
instance on account of the evaporation
of the atmosphere itself.
Professor Welles was introduced to
the audience bv Principal Grant. He
first gave a brief explanation of the
manufacture of the air and then
plunged into several highly interesting
! experiments. the first which have eve.
been made in Scranton with the mys-
terious substance. He told how, in the
manufacture of liquid air, the atmos-
phere is subjected to 1850 pounds pres
| sure, and is then passed through sew
| eral pipes into the liquefier, where 1t
| is allowed to expand and where the
| liquefying then takes place.
He then performed his experiments.
| The air itself is of a blush hue, and
! one Of its peculiar qualities is the fact
/ that it evaporates in lightning-like
| style. Professor Welles took a dipper-
| full and threw 1t into the audience.
| Those in the front rows Immediately
| anticipated a ducking, and there were
| several loud shrieks, and lodging Of
! heads, followed by blank look of
! amazement. for 10 and behold! tn =
! liquid evaporated before 1t touched
| anyone.
| Professor Welles plunged a tin dip
| per into the liquid, which, when he re-
moved it, was frozen brittle and was
easily broken into several pieces. A
| small rubber ball. which had been i'm
| mersed in the liquid air. was removed
| and dashed to the floor by the lecturer.
1t fell with a thud like a small cannon
ball, frozen hard, and broke into sew
eral fragments. Alcohol is known to
freeze at 130 dgrees below zero. A
quantity was poured into test tube,
some liquid air poured on, and in a
| few moments the alcohol was a mass
| of ice.
ICE Is HOT STUFF.
ice" said the lecturer, ''is gener-
| ally conceded to be a rather cold sub
stance. Compared with liquid air, it is
warm" To illustrate this, he filled a
! teapot with liquid air, and placed it on
a large piece of ice. In a moment the
air began to boil, almost as >furiously
as when placed on a gas burner. A
moment later
A good sized beefsteak was the mex,
| article used to experiment on. It. war
a nice, juicy-looking steak when Pro-
fessor Welles held it before the audi.
ence, but after liquid air had bee-
poured on it. it was metamorphosed
into what would make the most eX-
cellent property steak that a variety
artist ever tried to cut with an axe
Professor Weles. after much labor
with small-sized dgehammer,ma
aged to break the meat into severa
small pieces of ice.
The liquid has no effect upon mos-
metals, but lead is an exception and {
strip of this was frozen by the lee
turer. Among the other properties OF
the liquid which were last night illus
trated were the facts that it floats o,
water and when poured over the fam,
of a candle does not have any eXtin
gushing effect.
In speaking of the general impres
sion that liquid air is dangerous, Pro
fesor Wclles said this was a mis-
|
there is any danger at all CONNECTED
with it is when the air is confined
Concerning its practical value. he said
80 far, liquid air is merely curiosity
nothing more. 1t has so far been pu
to practically no use at all. There i
only one plant in the United state
where ii is made and that is in Nav
York. 1t is shipped from there al
over the country. There are ais
plants III Munich and London"
At the conclusion of the lecture.
large number of the members of tin
audience ascended the platform AM
watched several experiments from
close range. The air, when touched
is terribly cold and sends a sensation
through the hand, similar to that pro
duced by the sudden prick of needle
Steam Heating and Plumbing.
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