River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-07-04
CRYSTALS IN DROPS OF INK
when You Write Letter You Seattle Dia-i
naond. and Ruhiea tie Raner.

when You Write q Letter You Scatter Dia-i
monds and Rubiss on the Paper.
Do you know that when you Clip
your pen in ink and write a letter
you make brilliant crystals all oTer
the paper The poet has been de-
scribed as putting down his burning
thoughts" but now il seems they freeze
unless he happens 20 write with lead
pencil.
These crystals appear whether you
write q poem or simply sign your name
TO check, and there are as many
crystals in the sis nature of John Gar
vey, the Astor, tramp, as in that ot
Russell Sage.
You must let the ink dry. Then if
you look at II throug'l a powerful
microscope magnifying some three
hundred diameters. you viii see all
sorts of beautiful forms These ap-
pear in endless variety, but with all
the symmetry of frost crystals or OF
those chemicals which precipitate into
flowers and geonetricai forms before
your eyes.
Dr. f. Trouessart. a French savant,
has recently investigated this interest,"
duced some exquisite examples Of what
he calls ''fieurs de rencre." The
method employed is very simple. A
drop of ink is allowed TO dry on a slip
of glass and, when observed under a
microscope, shows the capitalization
The inks of commerce vary some
what in composition. but all inks hav-
ing a base of solution of gsllnuts ard
sulphate of iron show the crystals
The salt OF the inks which thus crystal
Lies has not vet been identified, and
DIR. Trouessart has hesitated TO give it
a name.
He has found that the ink crystals
are chiefly of the cubical form, and this
suggests that they are magnetic oxide
of iron.
Strange to say, these ink crystals
are white in color. This, together
some OF the groups, seems to indicate
that iron disulphide or marcasite is the
substance in question. In red and
purple inks the crystals are of a totally
different shape from those TO be found
in black inks Indelible inks. on the
other hand, show few of the crystals.
You may write your name several
times. using the same pen. ink and pa
per, and Yet the crystals when OBJ
served are seen to be totally different
in each case. Thus they will not bs
available as methods of Identification
in forged will cases or when the sigma
ture to checks are in dispute.
There are no crystals in the ink, al
il smoothly glides from the point OF
your pen to the paper, but they rapidly
begin to appear as the ink dries. form
ing in exquisite fashion as on water
that is quickly freezing. Under the
miscroscope of the Savant who has in
vestigated this subject large crystals
appear in an instant while the ink was
drying. making geometrical forms at
the bidding of some mysterious force
Squares and crosses were numerous.
There were forms that looked like tel
egraph poles and others that seemed
like gridirons. Facetted gems radiat-
ing light suddenly sprang into exist
ence under the aStonished eyes of the
man of science.
Being in aniline ink, they took all
the colors of the rainbow, making a
gorgeous display that rivalsd that of q
jewelers. case of precious stones,
throwing off rays of every color.
Looked at from one point there were
diamonds, emeralds and rubies In the
collection of ink crystals. then q slight
inclination of the paper turns them
into sapphires, amethysts and opsls.
while from another point they seemed
like garnets. tourmslines and bits of
amber gently playing with the shafts
of light under the eyes of the observer.
Who knew before that ink could be
so Brilliant The dullest man now can
write dazzling thoughts. 1t will not
even IS necessary for the ambitious
author to find publisher. His gorge
GUS ord-painting will astonish the be-
ho' 4er when put under the magnffying
glass
Rejected manuscripts are thus equal
" as brilliant as those that are accept
ed, and, after the latter are printed.
more so. for printers ink, it has been
found, is thick and muggy substance
which shows none of the exquisite ge-
ometric figures of the aniline inks-
There are millions of embryo crystals in
every bottle of ink. which is a veritsble
jewelers. shop in what it may show TO
delight the eye.-N. Y. World.