Semi-weekly herald., 1907-12-09
ANCIENT MAGIC ouTpoNE.

Chicago Tribune.
William NJ. Thomas. of Chicago just
now is operating a remarkable electro
chemical plant in Marshfieid avenue in
which he is proving ocuarly that after
the year 1920 the dogs of war and the
doves OF peace must he dependent mu-
tually upon the same food, which his
experimental plant is turning out far
cheaper than the store houses of ma
ture are producing 1t.
Nitric acid is this substance which
IL universal on battlefields and in the
groves and vineyards of peace. How
marvelously it is produced is shown
in Ave seconds by the watch, follow
ing the inversion of an ordinary glass
bell containing cubic foot and
half of air directly over four innocent
looking electric flame points.
At the end of those five seconds the
placing OF the glass hood over ones
head would smother a man in the
i'''ohS luhhtS isistt nave utNtlODtu
there while he looks on.
What is it? Merely that in those
five seconds the intense beat devel
oped has transformed the four parts
OF nitrogen In the atmosphere and
united with these the one part OF
oNegen which go to form the air we
,reathe. Without the heat application
these components of the atmosphere
are without tendency to mix. The
heat. in Il prescribed quantity, chemi
ally combines them into the nitric
,cid gas. Too little heat merely burns
the oxygen from the nitrogen; too
much heat develops the rarified
ozone" of which the layman hears
so much in connection with exercise
and dieting
As compared with ozone in the popu
lar vocabulary. the nitric fumes are.
little needed or understood. Nitric
acid in even its commercial form of
36 per cent purity is labeled poison.
No pharmacist may bottle it for sale
without the warning skull and cross
bones on the label. Yet the part
which nitric acid plays in all life
makes its It's death dealing baga.
telle. Without the nitroeenous ele
ment in the soil of the EARTH would
be barren waste. devoid of vegetable
life. without the nitrogenous element
in the air animal life would become
distinct. Yet without the nitrogenous
compounds entering INTO explosives
the armaments of the world would be
thrown upon the scrap heap.
For several years Mr. Thomas has.
been experimenting with view &c
taking nitric acid from The atmos.
pheric storeh ouse of the world. AS,
4 laboratory experiment it is not new
1t has been another proposition TO at
tempt to make 1t in quantity for com
mercial needs and find profit in the
manufacture.
To-day said Mr.. Thomas. I'm tax
ing 51a cents worth of nitric acid
from the atmosphere of Marshheld
avenue at net cost of mills. Fran
an earth area of two acres my )r,,.
ess will take the worlds supply of nj
tric acid without disturbing the atmos-
phere beyond the fence that mi ,ht
enclose the space"
Through glass eyelet set in the
steel wall one may see the brilliant
electric spark touch into life the fir.
ser-like electric blaze which mounts
each of the four burners for five sec
onds' forming the nitric acid gas. AS
the lights wink out. a valve opens in
connecting pipe at the top. the gas
nows upward toward the great gas
retorts overhead, while beneath the
dome In the same valve movement a
new supply is drawn in by the vacuum
formed by the escaping gas. At which
automatically the operation is repeat
ed.
In these four jets of flame, not as
prliliant as the 1ame of the ordinary
Kerosene lamp. lies a tremendous
energy In those five seconds a tenn
perature of 5000 degrees Fahrenheit
is developed.
lhe uses of the commercial nitric
acid In liquid form are well known
win this liquid taken from the air
at II mills cost to the pound how
ever light may be had upon it as
'ertiiizer and revivifier of wornout
soils.