The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-07
THE MAGIC Oh LIQUID AIR
Two Wonderful Exhibitions at the
Washington City Plant.

Automobiles ard Engines Run by a
New Pcyver-a Union of Two Hith-
erto Rival Comprehensive TripIcr
and General Liquid Air Company.
II is not generally known. but nevershe-
less a fact. that the two hitherto rival
and combating liquid air companies of
the United States have practically COM
| bincd and in n few days will have been
| legally constituted one company, to be
known as the Tripler and General Liquid
| Air Company operating under the pat
ents of Charles Il. Tripler and Ostergren
* Burger
The combined companies have a Wash
| ington plant. just installed. and are now
doing their preliminary work In the build
ing of the Capital Traction Company at
the foot of Seventh Street.
Exhibitions Were given yesterday after
noon and on Wednesday afternoon at the
plant by the company. under the auspices
of Prof. G. A Bobrick. l.. T.. its chief
| engineer. They Were exhibitions of mag
| ic. spectacular and vivid. that would have
put to shame the performances OF the eld-
| er Hermann in his palmiest days, but
| they were combined with most convinc-
| ing ocular demonstration of tremendous
| and hitherto almost unthought-of power
| under perfect control. The experiments
were watched az both lectures by dstin-
! guished groups of scientists and business
| men.
| From the freezing of a beefsteak to the
| consistency of n pane of glass. to the
running of an automobile a lighting
plant, and a refrigeration plant every
step of the wonderful progress that has
been made with the development of this
new energy was exhibited in a manner
quite startling even to the scientific men
present-for it is only during the last
| few months that many of the most re-
markable developments have been reached
| by Prof. Bobrick, and the learned world
is only now beginning to hear of them.
| Prof. Bobrick is a twentieth century ma
gician. dealing not with mumbled words
sleight of hand, and artful mirrors. but with
the paraphernalia of a combined chemical
| laboratory and engine shop He works
not in charms and hoodoos for the de-
struction of his enemies and the produc-
ton of love philters, but in sober earnest
for the generation of energy in new
way to turn wheels and produce actual
tangible. valuable results. His mysteries
are mysteries no longer when he explains
them, but they are none the less bewiI-
dering for all that.
He is a dark, quiet man. rather under
the ordinary size. remarkable In appear
ance only for pair of vivid black eyes
that show the fire of fine imag ination
He is a Russian, by birth, and received a
thorough education in the st. Petersburg
Institute of Technology. one of the lead
ing technical schools of the world He
has been experimenting with liquid air
for some years, land during the past two
years has been doing practical work in
Harvesting its energies so clearly demon
strated by Prof Tripler and others. 1t is
by his efforts, however, almost entirely
that these practical working machines
using liquid air have been devised and
constructed, and 1t is on these machines
that the Tripler and General Liquid Air
Company has been allowed large num-
Der of pa ents. Y
Prof. 5S,brick began his exhibition YES
terday with the new liquid air automo-
bile. He explained its mechanism and
then gave a practical demonstration of
be done on the floor of the company's
plant, Which only gives track of
about 2@ feet In lspgth, The automobile
Is particularly noticeable because of its
extreme lightness and gracefulness. with
an entir. absence OF big and heavy ma
chinery Further examination shows "a
number # advantages which 1t seems to |
have oN r machines run by other motive |
powers. -, this point is first to attract |
attention The reason for this is shown
when the framework of the vehicle is |
removed and the mechanism is revealed |
There Is no electric battery and no steam |
engine and no gasoline tank
Explained in the fewest words, which |
do not really explain of course. the ma |
chinery of this automobile consists of a |
reservoir containing liquid air and a Sc |
ries OF pipes, carrying the air it ex-
wheels of the vehicle The elaboration /
Of the machine is all in furnishing means
by which the air may be made to expand |
more rapidly and hence develop its lat
ent power more quickly.
As Prof. Bobrick explained the nearest |
analogy to this engine in mechanics is
the steam engine LIQUID air is at
Fahrenheit. When 1t is encased In a
reservoir property constructed II evapo-
rates very little and, in fact. may be kept
the outside air is allowed to reach IL a |
rapid evaporation and expansion begins !
When this evaporation takes place in a
series of pipes all exposed to the outer |
atmosphere it is if a fire were placed |
beneath a boiler containing water The |
at say 50 degrees above zero |
Is 5I2 degrees above the temperature of |
liquid air. In the automobile the pipes |
are painted black to absorb the largest |
amount of heat from the atmosphere |
The atmosphere acts as Prof Bobrick's
1t is said that the liquid air automobiles
can be manufactured and sold complete
with good prof1t. at from 500 up The
liquid air for motive power Will cost much
less than electricity and not more than
steam or gasoline. The machine can be
run farther without recharging than any |
other yet devised. 1t makes no smoke. no
neat. and no escaping steam. and no noise
In its workings. 1t is so light that the
wear and tear on the vehicle are reduced
to the minimum. The machinery is so |
simple and consists of so few parts that |
1t Is practically indestructible. The man
agement of the vehicle and the motive !
power can be learned In two minutes.
There is no possibility of danger con-
nected with it.
The appetite of the audience was whet- | ,
ted by the automobile show. 1t has been | .
contended for a long time, comparatively |
speaking lthere are no actual long pc
RODS OF time since the development of
liquid air., that this agent is absolutely
worthless as a power. or rather cannot |
ievelop any power whatever. Some of '
he greatest of the minds that have con-
,idered the physics of the new liquid have | i
rom time to time launched the dicta that |
he problem is equivalent to that of at '
empting to create power by the evapora- I
ion of tank of cold water. Nearly | t
everyone in the audience had read or ?
heard these opinions and their refuta- Z
sufficient to keep the attention during a
he remainder OF the experiments Il
Prof. Sobrick performed many varia- | ii
ir that have become somewhat familiar | /:
II late. He immersed a rubber ball in | Z
he lluid for a moment and then made | Il
h.YA l.