The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-05
MECHANICAL MARVELS.
Now Being Accomplished with
Wonderful New Materials
4 Rsmaxkable Compound That Takes -
the Texture Of Any Substanoe-
Some Of the Wondees
.-E. Performed. =,

has discovered a substance which can
be made to resemble any metal o.
marble in color and texture, it can
be nodded into any form, takes high
polish, reproduces the patterns Of the
toughest stone or most delicate lace, Is
| acid proof, imperishable, unbreakablc,
| and is probably destined to bring aboIt
. revolution in arts and architecture.
The compound which has been the
result of years of study is metalloid
in it's nature and has been named pro-
team plastic, from it's adaptability to
every metal and stone with which it
is brought in contact and also from the
innunerable uses to which it can be put.
The astonishing changes by which 1t
will take on the texture of any sub
stance is its greatest advantage, ana
it is by this means that it can be made
to resemble gold, silver. copper, iron,
steel, brass, glass, granite, marble, onyx
and numberless other minerals. The
laboratory in which are kept many mod
els Of this new discovery is on one OF
the busiest streets of the capital. Scat
tered about the room are molds of the
plastic in every form; here a cameo
Of gold, there a bas-relief OF bronze,
while on long table is arranged .
collection of figures in every known
metal; iron and shining gold resting
side by side with marble and mosaics
IF highest polish.
All Of thu objects are made Of the
same substance. the changes In its ap-
pearance and color being brought about
by chemical formula, which is known
to the inventor alone. !;
The plastic is metalloid, as by its
nature it parta.kes OF the nature Of a
metal. Prof, Woods, however, states
that the base Of this plastic Is OF very
finely powdered stone known - steat-.
lite, variety of soapstone known to
commerce. This, with other elements,
be places in crucible and subjects to
\ heat of nearly 600 degrees, adding at
pleasure the substances with which
he varies his formula to produce tho
different effects.
This liquid, which is OF about the
consistency of thin molasses, Is poured
into q mold and as soon as cooked is
ready for market. BY mixing pc
culiar compound containing gold dust,
the work will come out with . golden
surface, it will be, not gilded wood, or
marble, but metal as hard as gold,
of the same color and possessing all the
properties of the most precious ores,
except that It is not quite so heavy.
But it will not cozrode and viii last
forever. a.
With this golden metal, which Il one
third cheaper than real gold, we could
have our home fashioned into bowers Of
oriental luxury. Tho houses Of ths
future can be filed with golden stat
ues exact copies Of the ancient Greek
srt the tables and service can glitter
with yellow luster, and even the doou
and windows may be made to seem
parts Of Aladdin's tabled palace.
The daintiest lace will be reproduced
on this golden surface with every fiber
of the thread showing in its outline
as fine as q hair the bowls and the
thousands of utensils can be equal to
the dishes Of Midas Of old.
If we wish to have homo which Will
flash back the sunshine from Parian
marble. this counterfeit compound can
be mixed in certain consistency and
we have but to pour it into a mold and
there we have the shape Of the purest
of stone Of what we wish. No cutting
for days with slow saw by tho old
process; no filing away of the precious
stone, but what seems to be the fairesa
of Italian marble will spring up out
of the crucible and cool into beauti-
full shapes within our sight in q few
minutes.
Silver and other metals and rocks
and granite blocks can be initiated ex.
actly the same way, for when the plas-
tic is removed from tho molds it will
be found to have copied the color and
the texture Of the metal or stone to
perfection. It will resemble steel 80
closely that an expert could not tell
the difference. It is hard and yields
to the file as slowly as the real metal.
In bronze work or statutes it viii DO
invaluable.
The brick of which houses are now
built can receive . coating Of this COM
pound in any color stone or metal
wished and will last forever. For
burial caskets. particularly in such
countries of low, marshy land as New
it will spring into instant use.
In water piping and sewering it viii
be found invaluable, as no dirt can &C.
nor can any acid oorrode its
surface. Neither can it be broken any
moro easily. than iron.-Philadelphia