The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-06

been exposed. -2lS degrees c. POSI-
bly, later experiments at $50 degrees
to -260 degrees may show q different
result. The beneficial effect of the colo
bath is well recognized; but probably
no one. before Pictet, ever advocated
one quite so cold as 10 degrees below
zero centigrade. BY the cautious use
cured himself Of chronic indigestion OF
long standing, and a cold Well con-
structed under his supervision was al
terward in use by many people.
The effect Of low temperatures on the
terminating power of seeds has twice
been tried. once at -lS2 degrees c. ana
again, within the last few months, al
-252 degrees c. In the more recent eX-
pertinent a number Of seeds of differ
ent types were exposed 10 the temper
allure Of liquid hydrogen Some of each
were cooled slowly, and kept for more
than an hour in a sealed tube i'm
mersed in the hydrogen. The others
were not so carefully treated. In trans
hitting the second packet OF seeds TOE
planting. Dewar wrote: i have sent
you seeds today, which. If the treat
ment with cold can kill. ought 10 be
dead. They have been immersed in il
quid hydrogen for upward Of six hours,
and no attempt was made TO graduate
the cooling The seeds have
been soaked in liquid hydrogen" The
seeds showed no trace Of their hard eX-
perience, and all sprouted. This expert
ment is particularly interesting, as the
temperature TO which the seeds were
exposed is very nearly as low as that
OF the great interstellar spaces, and
their survival lends additional weight
to the idea that life may originally
have been brought to the earth on some
seed-bearing meteOrite.
Industrial Applications of Low Tenn
peratures.
Now, of what use is all this2 First.
much has been added TO the store OF
human knowledge. Utility from the
scientists point of view is not the high
est aim-probably few of the men who
have devoted years and great labor 10
this work would have toiled so long OF
so patiently for something merely use
full. But 10 most people utility IS now
the main question. A few of the pos
sible uses of the great development IN
this direction have no doubt suggested
themselves. Very cold substances may
be as useful as very hot bodies IN GER
tain operations in medicine or surgery.
cautery, for example. and no one can
predict to what extent low uempera-
lures can be used benefcially in the
treatment Of disease.
Next, cold, under control. is mar
ketable article. The extent TO when
liquefied gases are used for this pur-
pose depends only upon the cost Of
producing them A substance as cold
as liquid hydrogen produces in. few
seconds about the most perfect vacuum
known, by freezing out all the contents
of the chamber to be exhausted When
these solidified gases have fallen 20 the
bottom the empty chamber can be
sealed or above them
Liquefied gases might be used as eX-
plosives, either alone, to operate by
natural expansion, or mixed with other
substances and fired. A liquefied gas
confined in a closed vessel and ex-
posed 10 ordinary temperatures would
soon be heated above its critical tenn
| perature, and the expansive force OF
/ the substance, which could no longer
| remain liquid, would be great By the
! other method liquid air which has lost
much nitrogen by evaporation, and IS,
| therefore, very rich in oxygen, IS mixed
with grains Of charcoal Liquid Oxy-
/ gen alone might be used. but the Oxy-
! gen is most cheaply obtained from the
/ LIQUID air. This explosive has been
made by Linde. and is said TO be sue
| cessful. In regard to the most import
/ ant of possible uses for Hquehed gases
/ their use as a motive power, little can
/ be said The expansive power OF liquid
| air is very great, and no doubt an en-
J CINE will be designed which Will use II
/ efficiently. Possibly this has already
! been done. The question is one solely
| Of relative expense In no case, how
I ever. can it be conceived as a posi-
| bnity that more can be got out Of II
than Is put in. and the extremely low
! temperature would prove a practical
| disadvantage.