Important: Safety Warning
This page describes practices involving highly flammable materials in ways that create a serious risk of fire or explosion.
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Heating, Lighting, and Refrigeration: Graham
This is the celebrated patent of William A. Graham of Lexington, Va., that was contested during nearly fifty years in the United States courts. It is the principle of most chemical fire extinguishers now upon the market.
The substances most commonly mixed to produce carbonic-acid gas are common soda and sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol. Numerous practical devices have been patented for storing these two, or other substances, in a suitable receptacle side by side, but D かいい 011 OF VITRICE BICARBONAT OF SODA "The Celebrated Patent of Graham." so arranged that they will not mingle until wanted. Then, by turning the receptacle upside down, or turning a stopcock, the acid is precipitated into a solution of bicarbonate of soda in water and the water is thereby charged with carbonic-acid gas, which, by its expansive power, ejects the stream of mingled gas and water through a flexible rubber tube and a nozzle.
One device consists of a tank or jar containing a strong solution of bicarbonate of soda or common baking soda in water in which is immersed a tightly stoppered bottle containing oil of vitriol. The stopper of the bottle may be pulled out by means of a wire running through the cover of the tank, thus allowing the acid to mingle with the soda solution and produce carbonic-acid gas. To imitate this device, take an old milk can or a five-gallon oil can and have a tinsmith fit it with a screw top and a stopcock fitted with a flexible rubber tube and a nozzlė.