202 THE CHEMISTRY OF CREATION'. 



the jar containing it : a lighted taper having been 

 blown out, instantly rekindled when put into it, 

 and blazed with much greater brilliancy than in 

 air. These extraordinary characters soon gave 

 the gas great celebrity. 



Soon afterwards another gas was found also 

 to form a part of the composition of air. This 

 gas was the direct contrast of the other. Instead 

 of increasing the brilliancy of flame, it extin- 

 guished it as effectually as so much -water.* 

 Like the other, it was inodorous and invisible ; 



* A very interesting application of this property of nitrogen 

 gas, mixed with carbonic acid gas, has been recently made by 

 Mr. Gurney. By some accident, a large and valuable coal 

 mine took fire. After vain attempts to quench the devouring 

 element, the galleries were reluctantly abandoned, and the 

 miners withdrew with their instruments. There seemed no 

 way of quenching the immense body of fire raging under- 

 ground, but by the enormously expensive one of turning a 

 stream of water into the mine, so as to fill it ! When the 

 idea was suggested that it might be extinguished just as 

 effectually by means of gas as of water, arrangements were 

 then made for conducting the air of a furnace which consists 

 largely of nitrogen and carbonic acid after cooling it by 

 passing it through water, down to the workings ; and a 

 steam-jet placed over the mouth of the pit, was caused to act 

 so as to produce a powerful draught. By this means a stream 

 of nitrogen, carbonic acid, and other gases was drawn from 

 an apparatus specially contrived for this purpose, passed 

 down the descending shaft, poured itself upon the body of 

 fire, and being sucked upwards by the steam-jet, returned 

 again up the ascending shaft. In a few hours the fire was 

 wholly quenched! and after a certain time pure air was 



