The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-15
may Use LIQUID AIR
IN PLACE OF ICE
Practical Demonstration OF It's
Qualities Given Before
Business Men.
MAY HAVE MANY USES
Would Effect Great Saving in Re.
frigerator Cars--Fruit Frozen
Too Hard to Cut.

In the assembly hall of the Chamber
az Commerce yesterday afternoon be-
fore large audience OF Richmond
business men, Or. j. NJ. Whitfield en-
pert analytical chemist demonstrated
q few Of the many qualities OF liquid
dir. The demonstration was conducteu
under the direction of Colonel G. T. u.
Burgwyn. consulting engineer for a
company manufacturing the product in
Norwich Conn. which company pro-
poses to intcres, iloeal capital with a
view to building n large liquid air
plan, in Richmond.
The use or liquid air is still In Its
infancy. and. like electricity twenty
five years ago. It has wonderfully
valuable future. Colonel Burgwyn. DR..
Whitfield and Mr.. John S. Fleming.
Professor OF senior mathematics at the
Mechanics institute, ell agreed.
Liquid air viii eventually take the
place Of Ice and revolutionze manY In
s1ustries.'' Nj. Fleming declared and
mis- assertion was borne Out by his
statement OF the immense Increase In
the demand for the product within u
Jew months the great reduction in this
cost OF manufacture. and the many
new usages found for liquid air almost
daily.
Frozen Too Hard to Cut.
Dr. Whitfield explained his demon
stration as he went along, and also
answered all questions asked him and
made the demonstration perfectly clear
to all present.
Among the apparently marvellous
thing he did was to freeze grapes.
they could not be cut. and with the
same liqu.t air. he heated metal wire
to such a heat that Two ends were al
most Instantly fused. This showed that
liquid air could be used for two dis
tinctly opposite ends-extreme heat and
extreme cold.
In speaking of its use for refriger-
ating purposes, DR.. Whitfield said that
liquid air was a perfectly dry cold,
and In that respect was far superior
to ice. as the latter gave off moisture
in melting and damaged refrigerated
products. while LIQUID air was colder
and in both respects better aid more
sanitary preserNative. No kind of
germs cantlive in liquid air.
One OF the most valuable commercial
usages. and the number is legion. TO
which liquid air is being applied is
Icing" refr Orator cars. In using
liquid air. reir gerator cars can be kept
much colder than with ice from San
FEdHClSSO W 'tfSSS lily Ut SAVING
of $50 car each trip. From Jackson
Vile Fla. to Jersey City. the saving
Is s92 a car each trip.
There are So, 600 refrigerator cars in
use throughout the country, and By
using liquid air their reduction in cost
would amount to over Sl5.u0o.000 in
Icii 8 charges year. With liquid ali
the specially constructed retrigeratoS
car is no longer an alb solute necessity
Tor transporting vegetables and fruits
long distances, and millions OF dollars
in these commodities would ne saved
by its use every year.
another great use TO which liqui..
air has been put is\supplying oxygen
TO the medical profession. by whom
it is used for pneumonia. consumption
and other ailments of the respiratory
organs. According to Professor Flem-
ing over s150,0oo worth OF oxygen is
consumed annually east of Cllica GO
Liquid air. when first produced. is
composed OF sc per cent. nitrogen an6
30 per cent. oxygen. but after standing
while the nitrogen passes Off pro-
ducins nitrogen lime. and leaves al
most pure oxygen. about so per cenl
In this shape It is rapidly Increasing;
IN demand Throughout. the country.
Colonel Burgwyn said that II was the
intention OF the owners of the plan,