The Washington times., 1904-12-04

air as to break down the. nitrogen from
The atmosphere This process takes
place in large tanks through which The
afr is pumped, and the nitric oxides and
peroxides' obtained are ready for treat
ment and collection. In this way there
IS obtained product equal to the Chill
can sai'Peter and much cheaper
Fortune in Air.
On every square yard OF the eartb's
surface nitrogen gas. in the air. bears
down with weight OF seven tons A
DulIdlng the size OF the Carnegie Music
Han in New York city. holds thus about
tWenty-seven tons of nitrogen. and
II that We're taken out OF the air and
combined IN the form OF nitrate Of soda
II would be worth 100000 Based an
such calculations. Sir William CrooIres
estimated that with the electrical energy
or Niagara 10 burn up the air. nitrete
OF soda ought 70 be producable at not
more than S25 q ton. This compsras
FOR example. with Chilean nitrate an
$3.50 per ton, or the nitric acid OF COW
merce at $50 per ton.
The greater the consumption Of Chill
can nitrates or Southern STATES nb,s-
pilates the higher the price is driven
whereas. the larger the scale upon
which the energy Of Niagara Is utfltzad
the cheaper the output Of the ulapt
there. The supply OF air will be Granted
10 De lneHhaustible and the available
energy OF Niagara is put at from five
70 ten Hl-iIion horsepower; so that al
lHe SUBWAY or the Great Lakes alone
the inventor lays his hand upon all the
raw material required for furnfsbipp
under favorable conditions. whataver
nltrates can possibly be needed. wbetbe,.
Tor the crops OF the world or for vari-
Gus other important uses.
As FAR back as 1855. DR.. PrIestIy tho
noted chemist, discovered the j,nport.,,t
Iact that when an electric shark vs.
discharged through 81. the air und.r-
went Immediately a chemical ch,nas
A thunderstorm and the following fregh-
L,as are an analogue 10 this. Anyone
VINO has stood IN the vicinity of fric-
uonal electric machines at work hoe
Dse"ne conscious OF the punEent. fresh
ouor they caused, and the same pba-
Homen0n is often noticeable where d,,r,.-
iao-eIectrie machinery is I'm motion n
Lne brushes on the commutator sDarJr
freely. spar h
On Verge Of Discovery.
This smell has been attributed 20
ozone created by the decompositio, -
'hs air and the rearrangemeDt or tbe
oxygen atoms; but II is now tbo,,spt
mat IL may be due, for the most nsr+
70 oxides OF nitrogen. In regard ~ tbe
iIoo experiments. the celebrated rt,,si-
ast Cayendish said. in the a,st,t
uhrasfoiogy or tho time: I'VE NAV, 80
ly conclude that the phlogistic,+,5 -
nitrogen was enabled by means Of tba
electric spark TO unite TO. and form y
chemical combination with the danbI,
gisucated air-oxygen and was tbsreb,,
reduced 20 nitrous acid: for IN these
experiments the two airs actually al
appeared. and nitrous acid was sctuatI,,
found in this room.
il was. indeed, by following ANALOGOUS
methods that Lord Rayleigh. NOT verl
long ago. was able TO segregate .arRon :.
that hitherto undetected constituent or
the atmosphere. With an alterna tips,
current are. he could effect the union
or about . grammes Of oxygen and
hydrogen al the expenditure or l-horse-
power, Nitrogen. as IS well known. ls
present Ia the air IN the proportion Of
about eight volumes 20 two Of oxygen.
Then came the Tesla methods Of de-
high voltage by the use Of
three or more coils. Every addition OF