Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-04

KEGS 1EAGk III pnOFeSGfDt
Diamonds and PhOsphorescent Rain
Heat Developing Light.
PhHadelD1ia fines.
'Here's something raS her remarkable
said mineTalOgist, bending out piece Of
stone that was Of light gray color and
seemed to possess ne particular interest.
y ust step in this dark room, and now rub
the stone on the wall.v
The writer did so, and a streak of red
light as the result.
PhOsphOreseenceE queried the some
what startled observer.
$40. 1t is nothing but simple limestone
from the regirn about Salt Lake. Some
time ago sozce labOrers were digging oct
the foundation Of house when they came
upon a LEDGE of this rock that was so soft
that it was found not necessary to blast.
The contract for building called for the
completion at a certain time, and so a
gang Of men worked all night by an cleo
trio light, but the first man that struck
his piolZ into the rock dropped it and
rushed out of the excavation in such
manner that the others, demOraliZed also,
left end when the boss demanded the
reason the man said that he had seen a
spirit, or had struck the evil regions, for
as soon as he touched the rock stream of
red fire came out. The oYerseer of course
dOV bted the story, but jumping in he
struck a blow with a bar that went far
towards cOrObOrating the others story, as
no sooner did the iron touch the rock than
flash Of red light ensued that lasted
several minutes, finally, slowly dying
away. 1t was found that the slightest
touch or scratch produced the same re-
suit; in fact, the rock was phOsphOres-
cent. 4 simple scratch on this, you see,
makes light that will last two or three
seconds. 1t is limestone, indeed almost
pure carbonate Of lime with few impuri-
ties. Examining it under the glass it is
found to be loose grained, so that it really
appears like a sandstone.
DRAWING FIRE FROM THE ROCKS.
E'You know" he continued, '1there are
some objects that only show their lumin-
Gus properties on exposure to heat. Sub
ject this to heat and it will glow for three
minutes with a rich, red light and then
die away entirely. A piece was recently
exhited before the Philadelphia Academy
Of Sciences and the members made the
interesting discovery that in their cOllec-
ton was another specimen Of similar
limestone, but from Kangberry, India. A
gentleman who has visited the locality
told me curious story in this connection.
1t seems that several years ago genuine
Yankee from Vermont found himself in
Calcutta with less than enough money to
buy him a dinner and his sole property an
electric battery. He had been a little of
everything in his time, but had devoted
most of his energies to collecting minerals
and curiOsities of all kinds, and when he
found himself in the lurch, as it were, he
determined upon starting through the
country and trusting to luck. He was
very successful at sleight of hand and
easily paid his expenses. In several
months he found himself at the locality
before named, and in prOwling around
discovered the luminous limestone by
accident. With mother wit he deter
mined to take advantage Oft and In day
or so the little village in which he was
staying was full Of rumOrs to the effect
that a wonderful wizard was among
them, who was enabled to work marvel
Gus cures by drawing fire from the rocks
and imparting it to the patient.
AYANKEE WIZARD.
I'm the meantime the American had
erected hut near the ledge of rock and
was visited by hundreds, and, rugged up
with a curious Costume, he carried on a
business for some time that made the
native cure-alls and other frauds wild
with envy. His method was to take a
number OF persons into the hut and with
his finger-Dails, that were sharpened for
the purpose, scrape down the side of the
limestone that left marks Oflurid flame, of
course astonishing to behold; then joining
hands with several and having the battery
concealed he gave them a shock that they
thought came from the rock. No doubt it
did some of them good, and for long
time he did a thriving business, until
finally rival appeared in the field and he
was obliged to leave the place.
The subject of the phOsphOrescence of
inorganic matter is of great interest and
experiments are being made in many
laboratories CuriOusly enough" said
the mineralOgist, many of the dis
cOveries that have been made regarding
organic phOsphOrescence have been the
result of efforts to manufacture gold You
see that is worth the labor of the chemist.
1t has barely been done, though l know
man who claims to have discovered the
process and expects to flood the market
SO the first successful perpetual motion
machine will probably be made Of this
manufactured metal.
SHOEMAKER AND CHEMIST.
zone of the first experimentalists in the
gold-making line was Nincenzo CastinOla,
a shoemaker, of Bologna, in the sixteenth
century. He was a famous chemist of the
time. working alternately at his shoes and
his drugs and bottles. The real reason,
however, for his Investigations was TO find
out the secret Of gOld-making, and one
night, in walking in.the country. he STUN
bled over a stone that was so EXTREMITY
heavy in comparison 20 others that he
took it home and, beginning his expert
ments, discovered hOsphOrescence,
which he considered the element of gold.
Not being able, however, to get the gold
out he took it to another noted chemist
and for many years it was the subject of
innumerable experiments and attempts to
obtain the gold, as the stone had the then
remarkable faculty of shining in the dark
with a golden CLEAN after it had been
exposed TO the rays Ofthe sun. The stone
is now well known as barytine, that is
phOsphorescent after insulation. The
curious mineral is still sold in Bologna as
the Bologna stone and explained as solar
light.
PHOSPHORESCENT DIAMONDS.
"The discovery that diamonds are phos-
phorescent was made in 1853 by Robert
Boyle and created a great sensation. A
diamond was shown that looked like a
burning coal in a perfectly dark room.
An old chemist of Hamburg while trying
to manufacture a gold fluid made acct
dentally substance that shOne in the
dark, and in a delirium of delight he went
to the chemist, John George IL. of Saxonv.
thinking that he had discovered the golden
secret. He took care, however, not to
inform anyone how it was made. An
other chemist hearing of the discovery
Travelled a long distance for those times
and succeeded in buying the secret for
about 5000 of our money. But his expert
ments were not successful, the material
being merely phosphorus that was dis
covered in this way. Later, in 1895,
different phosphOrescence was discovered
by calciming nitrate of lime. and others
soon followed, until now hundreds of
different methods of its manufacture are
known.
A Curious Application to a Police Mag
istraFe.
London Telegraph.
On Saturday, April u, young man of
appearance came before Mr..
Chance, at Lambeth Police Court, and
said: ''YOur worship, / want you to help
me about my young woman