But the British fleet in the Mediterranean put a
stop to this experiment by intercepting the ship, and military aviation
waited until the Great War for its full development. This caused a
sudden demand for immense quantities of hydrogen and all manner of means
was taken to get it. Water is easily decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen
by passing an electric current through it. In various electrolytical
processes hydrogen has been a wasted by-product since the balloon demand
was slight and it was more bother than it was worth to collect and
purify the hydrogen. Another way of getting hydrogen in quantity is by
passing steam over red-hot coke. This produces the blue water-gas, which
contains about 50 per cent. hydrogen, 40 per cent. carbon monoxide and
the rest nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The last is removed by running the
mixed gases through lime. Then the nitrogen and carbon monoxide are
frozen out in an air-liquefying apparatus and the hydrogen escapes to
the storage tank. The liquefied carbon monoxide, allowed to regain its
gaseous form, is used in an internal combustion engine to run the plant.
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