The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-01-05
VISIONS OF WEALTH DIspELLED
Professor Friends Marvellous In
ventIon Proves SwIndIe.
confIding EngIishmen Reminded OF
the South Sea Bubble.
The Metho d Of Sugar Refining which
Amazed the Experts.

NEW YORK, Jan. 4.-The Electric Sugar
Refining Company has collapsed. The al
legged method of refining raw sugar by cleo
tricity proved fraud. The stock was
quoted today in London Ell per share and
Monday they sold at eS3. The capital stock
consists of 10000 shares of par value of e2O.
Only about 5000 shares have been fioated and
nearly all are held in England. The alleged
process was announced as wonderful dis
covery in 1882, Prof. henry c. Friend claim
ing that he was the inventor. He said he
would save Sc per ton in refining raw sugar
and would produce finer sugar than by
any other method. Friend steadily declined
to allow the refiners to see the process,
claiming it was not a patentable invention
and to protect himself he would not dare
allow anyone to see howlhe achieved his mar
vellous results. Ii company could be
formed, however, he wonld explain the pro-
cess and sell the secret to the company. A
year ago a company was formed and offices
fitted up at SO Wall sire ct. A factory was
established at Hamilton avenue, Brooklyn.
NO one but Friend, his wife, and man
named Howard, intere sted with Friend and
few ignorant workmen were allowed to en-
ter the inner recess Of the factory where the
refining was supposed to be going on Ma
chinery was brought here by Friend and
was supposed to be of most unique charac-
ter.
Sugarisamples were analyzed by experts
and chemists and pronounced of marvellous
purity. Last March before preparations for
the full blast OF operations had been COM
pieted. Friend died, leaving his great secret
in the possession of his wife, who, at the
pro, per time, would reveal it.
N eantlme stock was issued at 500 per
share. Treasurer Robertson finding it diff
cult TO raise money here went to England
with samples of the sugar and his Statements
created great excitement among sugar men
there. He offered e5000 to any man who
could produce sugar as pure as his samples
by any method whatever, and at last money
began to come in and the stock went like
hot cakes. $1,000 uworth of Certificates
were disposed of and now began a regular
contest to get stock and the price went above
par, ana tnen even two or three times greater
than par. 1t was the greatest thing of the
time In this county meantime much stock
had be en- disposed Of and it was thought OBJ
erations on grand scale would soon begin.
The project made even the great sugar trust
tremble.
Some time ago Mrs. Friend and all those
Interested with her disappeared. She left
werd that she had gone West. President
Cotterill. Treasurer Robertson and number
Of stockholders proceeded to the factory and
invaded the s'secret rooms. What they
discovered matte their eyes bulge out. There
were number of machines used In crush
ing crude sugar into smaller particles and
granulating coaTser grades. There was
nothing else.
Investigation showed how the great scheme
had been worked Not pound of raw su-
gar had been refined and quantities of re-
fined sugar, chiefly cubes had been pur-
chased of operators and prepared in some
liquid which eliminated the or
dinary impurities found in all sugar.
The doctored sugar was then carted to the
factory in bags purporting to contain raw
sugar, The chemical used had crystallized
the cubes to a large extent and when they
were broken they had finer appearance
and quality than sugar was ever known to
possess. When everything was ready the
crushes in the secret room were set in mo-
tion and the cubes broken into smaller
particles according to the grade desired.
When sthe refined sugar began to come out
the shoots" two floors below all who saw it
marvelled at the genins which could turn
raw sugar into refined in so short time.
Mrs. Friend is believed to have secured a
large sum by the sWindle