The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-30
KNOWN TO THE ANClENTS
SOME RECIPES WHICH HAVE SfNCE
BEEN LOST AND FORGOTTEN.
POtters. Violin Makers. Glass Makers
Had Secrets Which Have Not De-
seconded to Modern Times.
London Standard.

have come down to modern times. But
when it is taken into consideration that
even since the Introduction of printing.
which is the greatest dissemination of
knowledge that has ever existed. many Sc
cretS of recipes have been utterly lost
it is truly wonderful that the number of
trade recipes which the ancients used. and
which have been handed down to us. is
not infinitely smaller than it is. But then
those that are lost seem to be by far the
most important-they are not merely of in
terest to the antiquarian and the different
varieties of ''ologists.' but would be useful
to those who earn their bread in the every
day walks OF life. To know. for example,
how the ancient Roman made his mortar
would interest both the modern builder and
bis pocket. But unfortunately for posteri-
ty, the modern builder can no more make
mortar equal to that of the Romans than
he can fly. If he could there would be
chance that the buildings which he makes
would last for some thousands of years
so long, in fact, as the stone lasts. This
is the case with the mortar used by the
Romans 1t is as firm now it was
couple of thousand years ago, so hard that
a file will hardly touch ii. and so lasting
that the stones which IL cemented together
have begun to crumble away, leaving the
mortar still intact
Another secret which vas known 10 the
Romans, or at least to one OF them, was
one about glass. The story, ii we recoiiect
rightly, is told by Suetonius. An artisan
brought to the Emperor T1berluS a BoDlet
made of glass. a substance then recently
discovered, which, when thrown on the
ground or squeezed in the hand, did not
break, but was elastic as steel. The
only gobletS in those times were made OF
metal. The only ones used in Roman So
ciety were made of silver or gold. Conse-
quently the emperor thought that il the
secret of making glass gobiets which were
unbreakable became generally known the
trade of the gold and silversmiths of Rome
would be ruined. and he therefore ordered
the immediate execution of the artisan who
invented the method of producing malleable
glass. The order-as were most of the or
ders of an imperial despot-was promptly
carried out and the man S secret died with
him, nor has ii since been recovered
GREEK FIRE.
The Greeks, so history tells us were in
the habit of using in their naval battles a
substance which, when thrown on to the
water, burned and set fire to the ships of
the enemy. This substance went under the
name of Greek fire, but unless it was the
metal potassium modern scientists do not
know what it was, and even that element
would not answer the purpose unless used
in very large quantities If, therefore, the
famous Greek fire was potassium the
Greeks must have been acquainted with
cheap and easy method of obtaining it, and
ii they had that recipe il is lost. TO return
to the Romans once more, Locusta, the
head of the college of poisoning founded
by Nero, knew of poiSonS which would kill
TO order, so to speak-that is, which would
kill in a minute, day, d year or longer
and leave no trace. Apparently this recipe
came down to the middle ages, for the
Borgia family could do similar feats. Their
victims would perhaps be presented with
pair of jeweled gioveS or a beautiful
bouquet OF flowers, put after putting on the
would die within the day Occasionally a
visitor would be requested to open d cup
board; he did SO and was poisoned through
contact with the handle, although there
was no visible puncture Caesar Borgia
again had a ring with a bezei shaped IKE
a lions head. Ii he shook hands with one
of his victims while this ring his
finger rapid death was invariably the re-
suit; but fortunat ely these Psychological
VI. Caesar ands Lucretia Borgia.
The English OF early times did not know
But they certainly knew of IL drug or of
something which would protect the skin
from heat. Editha, the daughter of God
win, plunged her arm into IA caldron of
boiling oil and brought out the holy stone"
Iherefrom. She could not have done this
without some such help. But although the
secret of it is dead to us, it is most GER
Lainly known to some of the Eastern con-
urers of to-day: for feat similar to the
N almost every country OF the Orient
The Italians and the ancient Romans. toe,
Tor that matter. had a method of mixing
+ cir colors so as to render them imperish-
able. A glance at some of the old Roman
pictures the British Museum will show
hat the colors of pictures painted nearly |
Zoo years ago are almost as fresh. especial |
Y the reds. they must originally have |
been. Raphael Van Dyke, Rubens-n fact, |
I'll the old masters-possesSed Il similar
ret. What their recipe was is not known,
put certainly modern painters cannot mix |
heir colors SO as to make them stand the |
est of centuries. Fifty or sixty years, at |
he best, is what they will stand without |
showing marked deterioration.
VIOLIN MAKERS.
Another class of old masterS-the violin |
akers-had a recipe which is lost forever |
t for varnish which, besides preserv-
ng the instruments, sank into the wood |
md mellowed it, In spite of repeated eff !
orts. however, the modern violin manu-
acturers cannot make similar varnish,
md it is principally for this reason that
he' instruments though very good can
Tot rank even with mediocre "Strad' or
Amati. When Cortez conquered Mexico he |
ound the AZtecs civilized race. He found |
hem masters of architecture and skilled in |
netallurgy. He found, too, that they were
lble to treat copper in such man. /
Ter that it could be hardened ana |
empered like steel. We have seen speci- |
mems of this copper cutleTy-whch is pure |
copper, almost chemically pure-which are |
qual in fineness of temper and hardness |
o the finest steel produced by our much !
'aunted scientific processes of to-day Men /
lave worked for long time on this sub |
ect, for if copper of this kind could be |
many purposes; but. so far. little or nc sue
ess has attended their efforts, ard the reci-
re remains a secret. The inlaying of sword
blades with gold. at which the Indians We're
It one time expert, is another lost recipe,
or even they cannot do it now, and only |
few examples of gold inlaid swords and
laggers now remain to- prove that at one
ime somebody possessed the secret for
huS identifying them without damaging
heir efficiency. In the middle of last CEN
ury there lived in Il Welsh village black
ninth who possessed recipe for welding
teel without spelling its temper He was
bile to weld sword blade in half an hour
n such a manner that the join was quite
INVISIBLE, and the edge, temper and bright
less were as perfect when the weapon
irst came from the factory. But he in
rarably worked alone and would not even
t work; and although he was offered large !
ums for the secret of his recipe he never
iVulged it and il died with him.
During the last two centuries even there
lave been recipes lost. For example, we
annot now make china they used to
make it. A piece of imitation Crown Derby |
ouId instantly be recognized such, first,
" the color. which cannot now be repro
uced and secondly. by the glaze which
he the old potters used. and of which the
ecipe is entirely lost to us. The same APP
lies to Lowestoft, Bow and Chelsea ware
1.-The glaze cannot be reproduced. For Il
was made and when that was
,nown the question arose, how was the
Portland vase-now in the British Museum.
nd the only specimen of that kind of ware
1t was not made on the |
anne principal as the WedgeWood ware for