The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-12
THE SICKLE OF FIRE
sY oIL4lLEs lknIsrY eAINes.
tcopyrlEht. 1871

NSopyTtkHt' thUt
II u fact not generally known. out
side strictly scientific circles at least,
that there exists an element ttechnl-
cally called hydropyrosen. symbol Hp)
possessing qualities OF such nature
that It's more abundant production. or
any resklessness IN use, miSht lmperil
the human race. Happily IN It's pure
state, In which alone It Is dangerous,
this substance IS very rare: indeed, only
one specimen 10 now known 10 exist,
md that Is kept Theoretically sealed tn
thick glass. Its name never appears
IN the ordinary text books-for pruden-
tiat reasons
There are more Of these formidable
secrets In the laboratories OF our biolo-
Eists and chemists than most people
suspect. Few, until very recently.
not too scrppulonsly guarded, In the
very heart OF the great American me-
tropolis. there are living. malignant
germs OF Aaiatic cholera, which. II set
fsee. might cause an epidemic that
that would cost millions OF lives. And
there arc other things In that lockless
cabinet quite as bad. There exist, also,
poisons, the formulate for which are
never published, and explosives that no
chemist dare compound save In the
minutest quantities. Many OF these rare
things are altogether unknown to the
otdianfY student; only the well-tried
specialist has knowledge Of them.
But to return to hydropyrogen. II Is
obtained, but only with the greatest
difficulty. from the smoke products Of a
3 certain kind OF sea weed. Even In this
the element Is not always present. out
OF n hundred specimens incinerated
and analyxed, ninety-nine would prob
ably show no trace OF Il; and when II
does occur. few are the chemists able
10 detect, much less to separate TIA
saost fortunate circumstance.
Hydropyrogen, as developed from this
sea-weed when burned under the action
OF an electric current CTesla's) Of the
highest tension. is an almost iupalpAble
gas-the liEhtest yet discovered. II DIFF
fuse rapidly, and easily pertReates ev-
cry known SUBSTANCE except tndurated
glass. When subjected to 3 process
similar TO that by which other gases
are liquifed-a combination OF tremen>
dous pressure with extreme cold-lt
suddenly solIdIfies. falling into. heap
OF slender, needle-like crystals Of a
vivid ruby color. This experiment has
been successfully carried through only
three times. The crystals thus obtained
may be preserved for almost any length
OF time, provided they are kept abso-
lutely free from moisture; hence they
are sealed In heavy tubes Of indurated
glass IN the darkness these crystals
CLEAN with fiery qpvering phosphp-
resceHee comparable only to the shift
ing colors sometimes seen In the aurora
boreails. Indeed, Il Is probably OF the
game essential nature. being caused
by induced currents streaming through
the vacuum tubes in which this unsta-
bic and intensely energetic. agent Is
encased.
j have said that hydropyrogen Is dan
gerous 10 the safety OF the world. This
Is due to Its extraordinary eject In de-
composing and inhamlng water. Not
that II is difficult to decompose water
that is done every day by familiar pro-
cesses: but there Is no other agent
which exhibits SO terrible potency
no other which so defies control.
Its action may be explained by o
familiar illustration. A child sets on
end a line OF doulInoes. separated by
spaces of about an inch. He pushes
over the nearest, and the whole line
goes down with a swift crash, each un-
balancing the next til all are fallen.
Just so with 4 series OF molecules; the
dissolution OF one breaks up those next
adjacent. when once the action Is start
ed. Such Is the operation OF all exPlo-