Strange Devices

Yesterday I visited the National Gas Museum in Leicester. It was awarded the title 'National' because it is the only gas museum in Britain.

There was a remarkable collection of gas powered devices. Most people would expect to see gas lights, gas fires and gas cookers, but there was much else as well.

There were gas refrigerators, one of which still had the label explaining how it works - roughly speaking applying a gas flame to  a solution of ammonia in water drives off ammonia, starting a circulation of ammonia through various tubes and chambers.

There were also gas powered irons, gas hair curlers, a gas waffle iron, and a device that looked like a cooker with an eye level grill, but behind what one took to be the oven door was a refrigerator.

Quite sinister in appearance was the gas hair dryer. It looked like a black helmet on a tall stand. I gathered that the brave individual whose hair was to be dried placed his or her head in the helmet, where there was also some sort of miniature gas fire.

Most exciting for me was the gas powered radio made in 1938, though I gather that did not sell well, so I guess there has never been a gas television set, or a gas computer!