The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-06-11

metal first known in Enrope in 114l. i.
now far more valusble than gold. ba'
1t was considered. for nearly three.
foorths of century. impossible to OBJ.
tain j, in the form of ingots srom th.
ore.
Now il is so ductile it can be draw
into very fine wire, not exceeding the
two'thousand.h part of an inch 10 Iii.
ameter. and is also ~ malleable that i
may be beaten, like geld, into thi-
leaves. Cleared Of all impurities. pla.
tina is softer than silver. and takes q.
fine polish.
1t suffers no change from exposure te
the air, nor 10 it oxydized when heatet
IN It. Under no circumstances does il
decompose in water. OF all metsis ex.
cept iron and copper. it is the most te
nacious wire Of the diameter of one
| fifteenth of an inch being capable o.
sustaining . weight of 274 pounds.
Like iron. plstinS has the very vsIaa
BILE property of welding at very higt
temperature. and is therefore capable o.
being formed into chemical vessels o
great daily use, not alone on . small
scale. for chemical operations, but fol
the concentration Of sulphuric acid by
manufacturers. 1t is no uncommon
thing for Is, 900 to 90, 900 to be paid TO,
| platina still, for making certain acrid
chemicals.
Early In the present century, Wollas.
ton discovered two processes. which
he kept secret until the disclosure 0l
them in his Bakerian Lectures, in 1925
One was to make platina ingots; the
other to melt them by the oxhydrogen
blow-pipe. In . word, be made platina
malleable.
Other inventors. in the pride Of com
pletion and success, made . stir in the
world, and Ostentatiously proclaimed
what they had done. Wollaston plod.
ded along in his own laboratory, aided
only by one old and faithful servant. The
value Of plstina vessels. which rarely
ever wear out, and are always worth
more than gold. WAS soon felt by manu-.
facturers, and Wollaston had monopo.
ly in producing them.
Finslly. when Wollaston had made q
fortune Of $200,0 before be had
reached his tifticth year, he disclosed
bis processes, and the making of plati
NJ vessels Vas thrown open to the world
But the inventor had realized his FL
Dorado.
There are several instances of manu-.
featuring processes being kept secre-
even though, unlike Woilastons, . large
factory was necessary for carrying them
on. One was the making Of citric acid
which IS comparatively new inven.
tion. A London chemist Was the in.
ventor. and having his own prices as
long as the way of making the acid was
a secret, realized fortune.
This chemist trusted nobody, bu,
worked entirely alone. lie thought his
secret very safc. 1t was necessary,
however. to have chimney to his lab.
oratory, and chimneys sometimes " ant.
sweeping.
A rival, Disgusting himself IS a chim
ney-sweep, got into the sanctum. He
had ali his eyes about him. as the say
ing is, aud, when the chimney was
swept. knew how to make citric acid.
aud thus monopoly was ended.
Yet another example: Stourbridge, q
smoky town in Worcestershire, Eng
land. has long been famous for it's iron,
glass and fire brick works: and also for
its nails. as long as they were pro.
duced by hand work. For the Crys.
tai Palace. of 1851, . Stoxrbridge
"hand" received An order to make a
thousand gold. . thousand silver, and a
thousand iron tacks-the whole three
thousand not to weigh more than three
grains.
Nailmaking by machinery. which
was accomplished in Sweden before il
was perfected in New England, was
drawing. and . Stourbridge man. one
Richard Foley. resolved to get into the
heart Of the mystery The case is curl.
Gus. as showing tho danger that has
always bsset successful inventors. and
has often converted the golden hills into
mere rocks Of talic. and reduced many
secret FL Dorado into commonplac
little workshops
! Foley. who was very good violin.
list. took his fiddle. fddled his way tc
the Swedish splitting mills. aud then
fiddled his way into them. As often
happens with musicians, hc presently
conceived the idea that there was "a
great deal of brains outside Of hi.
/ head"
At any rate. he could look and speak
foolishly. but his tiddiing was woadcr.
fully good. No one suspected tha,
soft" fellow. who lounged about with
an idiotic want OF expression in his
face. but wAs ready to play wheneve,
asked so do so.
He ingratiated himself - thoroug hl y
with the workmen that they gave him
= hakedown inside the mill or fac.
tory lie quietly exercised his faculty
Of observation. saw all the processes oi
manipulation. and one day was missing
He carried home their secrets Of work
and fame and fortune became bis
own.
So ia the making of cast steel. Mr..
Hnnisman. who had devised some i'm
porian, process therein. bailt his fac
tory. 20 bc ga, OF observation. in the
middle Of = bleak moor. and NO adj
mission for strangers" VAS painted on
the outer gate
One terribly snowy night. however.
a poor. belstei. haif-froxeu .rave.er.
who said he had lost his way on the
moor. cravei shelter. was chsrtably
admitted, aud was placed near the fur
nAce. 20 lie ihawed. He Watched what
WAS done. and, being an expert. took it
all away in bis mind Next morning
he walked away. and ,ook the secret
with him. So persshed Hantsmaa's Ell
Dorado