Evening journal., 1915-06-26
bonds AIR PURIFIER
BREAKS DURING TEST
Motor Stops But Inventor
Sticks to Under Water Tank
Trying to Repair 1t
TEST BETTER
THAN THE FIRST

When MS air purifying device broke
down yesterday while he was confined
in box submerged in water in the
basement of the Drexel Institute, Phila-
delphia, William V. Bond, Wilmington
inventor, saved himself from suffoca-
ton and his experiment from failure 10y
waving his hands above his head to
keep the air in motion. Alternately
tinkcring at the motor which sucks the
impure air through chemicals which
eliminate the impurities and agitatinl
the atmosphere to prevent. the forma
tion of strata of carbonic acid gas, he
spent an hour in futile efforts to repair
the break When he finally found il
impossible to mend the motor he refused
{ leave his prison chamber, but re.
NAMED another 40 minutes in order to
make his experiment success, When
he finally emerged, he declared that he
had provn conclusively that his discov
ery will keep the air in submarine boats
pure for an indefinite period.
Yesterdays test, which was the sec
ond public demonstration of the device
was even more satisfactory than the
first. which was conducted on Wednes
day Mr.. Bond went into his submerged
box in the basement of DreXel Institut,
and STAYED there for five hours and q
minutes, without the possibility of any
outside air getting in. because his LITTLE
apartment was entirely surrounded by
water. He was able. by Encouragement
of his chemicals to keep the percentage
of carbonic acid gas more nearly con
slant than during his first trial. This
he said. was the only drawback discov
cred in the first test, and he believed he
has overcome it.
When Mr.. Bond came out of the
submerged box he was enthusiastic.
a think | have overcome the only
objection to my invention" he said.
Those who we're here on Wednesday
said the test had not been a complete
success. because the percentage Of
carbonic acid gas varied. Yesterday
I kept it pretty nearly constant, rs
the tests made will show. Otherwise
have proved that my invention will
keep a man alive indefinitely in a
space with air enough to last him
only three or four hours under ordi-
nary circumstances. A man in a
box containing ~ cubic feet of air
with no possibility of any more get
ting in, may not live four hours On
Wednesday I lived seven hours under
such conditions. Yesterday ] lived
nearly six hours in the same box. On
Wednesday the amount of impurity in
the air went up steadily. Yesterday
IL went down after l had begun 10
use my chemicals and remained al
most constant. after / had the right
proportion mixed"
When Mr.. Bond entered the box al
1850 a. m. the amount of carbonic
acid gas in the air of the box was
one-tenth of one per cent. He did
not open his chemicals at first, in
order to see what would happen under
ordinary conditions. The percentage
Of carbonic acid gas rose. rapidly. AZ
l1.30 IL was lis per cent; at noon
it was lao per cent and at 1890 il
was 200 per cent.
Bond was beginning to fell drowsy
at that time. the first effect of the gas
in the air which would have killed
him in another hour. So he started
his motor and opened his chemicals
The air is pumped through the chemi.
Gals. which absorb the noxious gas
and change It into oxygen. Almost
Immediately after Bond started his
apparatus the air in the box became
better. At 1 o'clock the percentage
of carbonic acid gas was reduced Il
160, and at 2.30 It was down TO ITO
Bond hoped to reduce it still further
but at $40 his motor broke down anC
he was unable to keep the air cir
lculating as 1t should. SO the per
centage gradually rose, so that 1
stood at $50 at 4 p. m. and at pei
cent just before he came out.
The fact that he was able to reduce
the amount after he had been in tn,
box for nearly two hours without ap
paratus working was thought by Bont
to have been his greatest triumph.
Submarines equipped with this ap
paratus," he said, would be able Il
stay under water indefinitely The,
could have oxygen tanks, such as the,
use now, for emergencies, but tn
general publication of the air coul,
be accomplished mainly by my pro
cess. / would like to make test Il
a real submarine, and I intend to asl
the Government to give me permits
sion"
The distinguished scientists an
naval authorities who watched las
Wednesdays test were not presen
yesterday, but group of Drexel in
structors checked up on the carboni
acid gas experiments. Bond intend