Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-04-26
NOW 1T IS SOLID AIR
THAT is THE WONDER OF THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY.

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and the Triplers one better, he has
produced a substance abont the con.
sistency of indurated rubber or ivory,
which remained in its solid form for a
quarter OF an hour in the open atmos-
phere.
Like many another great discovery,
the solid air find came as an unex-
pected accident during the course OF
some experiments with liquid air.
Professor Metz does not claim par
ticular credit for the discovery, but
takes pardonable pride in the fact
that it fell to his lot to first produce
the solidified breathing medium and
note its peculiar properties.
The professor, who has veritable
mania for all scientific novelties, has
frequently experimental with liquid
air and for several weeks has been
"playing horse" with large shipment
from the Tripler factory. Seeing the
supply was nearly gone. the chemist
concluded To devote all that remained
to single experiment little out of
the usual run.
Taking a large test tube about
eighteen inches long and over an inch
in diameter, he put the liquid air into
it, filling it to within six inches OF the
top. He then corked it and through
the cork inserted bent glass tube
which was connected with the vacuum
apparatus, and the latter was started
full force to cause the most rapid
evaporation possible.
The effect was rather startling. The
liquid air bubbled and boiled as if it
had been exposed to the most intense
heat, but of course it must be re.
membered that at the time it was put
into the tube the liquid air stood at
the frightfully low temperature of 312
degrees below zero and that thus sub.
jected to rapid evaporation tempera-
ture fell to some unreasonable degree
far below its former figure.
In fact, the cold became so intense
that the atmospheric air all about the
tube condensed and liquefed on the
outside of the tube and ran down like
drops of water on the outside of a
tumbler OF ice water. These drops
were caught in . Dewar tube and
proved on experiment to be identical
with the Tripler product.
In the meantime the volume of air
in the original test tube was found to
have condensed into a small lump
scarcely more than an inch deep and
in appearance resembled fairly clear
ice.
In order to further experiment with
the product thus secured it was found
necessary to break the tube. The lit
tie piece of frozen air, which Professor
Metz also describes as resembling bit
OF frosted glass, was then subjected to
several tests.
Laid upon an anvil, it was struck
with hammer; the sound given out
was that which one would hear on
hitting a piece of firm ice, but in the
present case the hammer rebounded
as if it had struck India rubber.
Any object touching the solid air
would Immediately freeze to it and
much valuable time was lost in dis
engaging the pincers when efforts
were made to manipulate the strange
product.
The discovery OF frozen air opens a
wide new field for speculation, not one
OF the least interesting being that of
the possible presence OF crystalline air
particles in space. The utter cold
existing in interstellar space is fully
recognized and the probability is that
should any air exist it does 30 in the
form of minute crystals, like the in
finitesimal froet particles which fill
the air on very cold days.
In the open space these air particles
may we'll serve to diffuse the solar
light, a diffusion which has as yet
never been satisfactorily explained.
In the more practical uses OF every
day life the solid air would seem to 60
far beyond the promises of liquid air,
as it certainly furnishes an absence Of
heat far in advance OF the fluid form
Of the medium, combined with smaller
bulk and simpler transportation.
Scarcely less interesting than the
discoveries he has made is the person
ality OF the discoverer, who is one OF
the most unique among American
scientists.
New Orleans has confidently ex.
pected Professor Metz to do some-
thing out of the ordinary, and would
not be surprised to find him climbing
any heights in the scientific world.
He is beyond doubt the stuff of which
geniuses are made, while in personal
appearance he has the face that one
cannot disassociate from the alche-
mist's gown ard the philosophers
stone.