The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-13
TO TRANsMurE SILVER INTO GOLD.

Solving the financial question is the
great task now before the American
people. One part of the people says
that its proper solution is to maintain
the present gold standard and intro
duce no more silver into our currency.
Another part says that the proper So
luton is to give to silver the same
rights in our mialfs lGlaE gold has. Now
comes distinguished scientist with a
new solution, which is no less than the
transmutation Of silver into gold. If
he can Go this he will have solved one
of the greatest problems that confrontS
governments. This scientist is no less
person than DR.. Stephen H. EN-
mems, the inventor of emnensite, the
powerful explosive, and denonstraGor
of the existence OF X rays in sunlight.
In an interview on the subject the
other day he said. among other things:
We have discovered, while working
on lines that are familiar to all chem
ISIS, that silver and gold are not ele-
mentary bodies, but are forms of a
hitherto unknown element, and that
gold can be produced from silver at
will.
Gold is universally believed to be
practically indissoluble, but we have
found a way to dissolve it, as sugar
dissolves in water. l cannot make
public now the processes which we pro-
pose to employ, but BioXam's quota
ton, which refers TO the discoveries of
Lea Of Philadelphia, contains the germs
of the discovery, as have said.
We already see our way to practical
success. We have discovered a salts
factory method OF varying molecular
density, and what remains to be done
is to control the time factor Of the pro-
cess. BY reducing the time we shall
reduce the expense of the tTansmuta-
ton, and when it is considered that a,
cost of even $40 an ounce will leave an
enormous profit. it will be seen that we
have an ample margin ait our disposal.
There is, accordingly, a, serious prob
ability of silver becoming marketable
at a greatly enhanced price. When it is
known to be in reality a form of gold,
or, rather a raw material from which
gold can be produced, Its intrinsic value
will be that of gold, after allowance is
made for the cost of conversion and
for such profit as the pateIltees of the
process may consider reasonable.
l know that this seems wild talk, he
continued. The subject of transmuta-
ton of metals has been the dream of
alchemiSfs for ages, and has always
been looked upon by the public as a
wild fancy. But chemists now know
that certain changes of so-called ele-
ments are practically impossible Leu
has succeeded in converting silver into
a form having the color and many of
f11a 1,-+;>> - r-r..
thus attained is NOT an alloy 1t is
the simple metal itself. Lea has also
succeeded in so changing silver as to
make it soluble in water The solution
is red. Other chemists have succeeded
in preparing from metallic gold a red
LIQUID, and Investigations have led TO
the inference that the color of both
liquids is due to the presence OF
metal in a infinitely divided condition.
Whether this metal when removed
from the liquid and aggregated into a
condition of ordinary bulk, becomes
gold or silver. we chemists maintain
viii depend entirely on the density
of the aggregation Silver and gold
have the same atomic volume; they
belong to the same sub-group; they are
found invariably together in nature. all
of which points to a common origin.
If silver can be changed into gold
then there will be no longer any silver
question, save that of obtaining the
silver to be transmitted. Still we fancy
THAI if all this can be done the gold
bugs will cry out that the coin of the
realm is being debased.
Until the time foreshadowed by DR..
Emmens arrives we shall still advocate
the policy of free and unlimited coin
age of silver as the only correct and
satisfactory solution of the financial
problem in the United States.
The Democrats of Wyoming will soon
hold a convention and nominate a con