Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-05-23
ABOUT LIQUIFIED AIR.
AN AMAZING EXHIBITION OF ITS
POWER BY PROF. FRANKLIN.
At the University Club He Transformed AIco.
hol Into Ice and Caused Steel to Burn Like
finder With the Aid OF the Subtle Fluid.
KANSAS City Star.


hoI Into Ice and Caused Steel to Burn Like
finder With the Aid Of the Subtle Fluid.
Kansas City star
Some OF the wonders OF liquid air
were exhibited to the University Club
by Professor E. C. Franklin of Kansas
university. His apparatus of TASKS,
bottles, rubber tubes and other articles
was placed on a small table at the
clubhouse on Broadway, and the men,
bers gathered about. Professor Frank
lin was introduced by Sanford B.
Ladd, President of the club. After
short Introductory talk on the dscov-
cry Franklin began his experiments.
| From one of the Dewar TASKS he
poured wineglass half full of milky
liquid, kissing and smoking like boil
ing tea-kettle, only the vapor was
denser and winter and descended in
stead of ascending.
"The vapor is falling" Professor
Franklin explained, "because it is
colder and heavier than the surround
ing atmosphere"
Into glass of water he poured a
few drops of the liquid and instantly
ball of ice formed in the water.
Alcohol" continued the Professor,
"frcezes at 22O degrees below zero,
Fahrenheit. Contact with the liquid
air freezes it to colorless ice."
Taking up a bottle of alcohol he
poured part of its contents into the
wineglass and in less time than it
takes to read these words the alcohol
was CONCEALED into a thick, stringy
mass.
A common rubber tube, the size of a
lead pencil, was held up before the
audience and twisted around to show
that it was perfectly timber. 1t was
Inserted in the vessel of liquid air and
left there while one might count ten.
Then it was taken out and struck
across brass cylinder, .hivering the
tube into little bits like glass, and CIV
ing forth a ring as metallic as a rod OF
steel. Similarly piece OF apple was
transformed into china; solder became
like steel, and mercury, which freezes
at 80 degrees below, was frozen almost
instantaneously into solid, lead-like
cake. Beating it against piece of
metal, Professor Franklin explained
that it might be used as hammer to
drive nails.
A lettuce leaf was dipped into the
smoking liquid-it crumbled in the
hand into green, flaky powder. A
piece OF fresh beef became stone-like
and could be broken between the
fingers like chalk.
Professor Franklin explained that
liquid air was manufactured at the
Kansas university by means of 25.
horse power motor, becoming liquid
under pressure OF $500 pounds at q
temperature of 80 degrees below zero.
He poured some of the liquid into his
hand and held it there momentarily
without harm. Snow white Jumps Of
the alcohol ice were passed around
among the club members. Bits OF
frozen apple and beef at temperatures
of 200 degrees below zero were also
exhibited.
Liquid air is mixture OF oxygen
and nitrogen" Professor Franklin ex-
planned, but as nitrogen boils at 2lO
degrees below zero and oxygen at 29O,
the nitrogen evaporates and leaves lit.
tie else than oxygen. 1t is oxygen
that supports combustion, and as this
is concentrated oxygen, combustion is
very rapid and intense with its assist
ance."
With these predatory words he took
upa steel watch spring with bit Of
sulphur on the end, lighted match
to it, dipped it in a vessel of liquid air,
and the steel burned like tinder. In
tense white sparks flew from it and
sputtered all over the table. Remov.
ing the burning piece of steel from the
cup, he said "The liquid remaining
there is still as cold as ever, and will
freeze alcohol or mercury"
A wad OF cotton saturated in the
liquid air was ignited. Puff! There
was blaze and then vacancy. Not
even any ashes remained.
AS if by magic, Professor Franklin
filled a small punch bowl with car.
bolic acid gas snow, with tempera-
ture OF ITO degrees below zero, wiping
the perspiration from his brow with
one hand, while he passed the smoking
snow around with the other. The
snow was generated in few seconds
from carbon dioxide at pressure ol
500 pounds to the square inch.
Professor Franklin called attention
to the Dewar flasks-double TASKS
with vacuum between to prevent the
heat from reaching the liquid air, and
coated with silver outside to prevent
radiated heat, the silver rejecting in.
stead OF absorbing heat rays. Liquid
air, he said, was first discovered by the
Swiss in 1877 and developed by Farady
: of the Royal Institute OF Great Britain
in 1888. Its present commercial value
is $40 gallon.
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