The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1897-10-13

utlc uOcuOr answered. HIS questions
and discussed the question from a
scientific as we'll ASA selfish point of
view the director of the mint began
to feel very uncomfortable. The
idea Of having a New York labora-
tory dump SO, 600 ounces Of gold into
the mint each month and 60 on indeti-
nitcly as long as Mexican silver holds
out, and then, perhaps, take our own
silver dollars, which Mr.. Preston
calls "43-ccnt dollars,' and convert
them into gold until the treasury
vaults are bursting with the yellow
metal as they now are with the white
metal, gave him q night mare of
gold bugs and silver bugs changing
their colors at will to upset all the
financial theories that have been de-
yiscd with gold as a basis.
Before DR.. Emmeps got through
with his talk the director Of the
mint ,oegun to take him seriously.
He was not a crank not theorist.
Hc was a scientist, who asked no one
to believe in his theories. He has 4
process for producing gold from sill
yer, and he has the test OF the assay
Office to say that the metal he pro
duccs is gold from 900 to 100 fine
ness and worth $l3 an ounce.
He processes to be ready to supply
the market. He may be 'salting"
his laboratory, but as be does not
want to sell it the question is as to
whether he will keep up his produc-
tion and increase it until he equals
the klondlc. Prescott was puzzled
| but seyivus.
Dr. Emmcns says he has submitted
his argentaurum gold to such scicnt-
lists as William CrOokes, discOycrcr
of the X ray, and other European
chcmists, and they agree that he has
made remarkable discovery. lIc
says: ...-
$50 far as my own observations
have gone, ! am led to believe that
ordinary silver consists Of groups O.
particles having molecular stability
Some Of these groups are capable OF
disintcgration and Encouragement il
the form Of argcntauruln, and this
latter appears to be altogether un
\ stable. at the least provOcation, Sc
to speak, it rcvcrts into silver or ad
vanccs into gold. This seems to OK
| plain why the chemical analysis o.
gold found in nature invariably show
/ the presence Of both silver ant
! gold"
The doctor says it is agreed among
chemists that the difference bctwccf
gold and silver is difference Of spc.
citic gravity. 1t rs not color, iol
Corey Lea OF Philadelphia some timt
ago treated silver in Il way to give j
a yellow color 50 that it looked lll'
gold. Chemists called this allO
tropic silver" but, call it what the,
would, it was as s.Vcl0v as gold, ant
by his process DR.. Emmcns says h
has given silver the same specific
gravity as gold. lie has simpl
packed the silver closer by beating
and whether he lf,s converted silvc
. into gold or not, nc has prod1csc
metal which commands a price a
gold, and he hopes in time to produc
a metal which will readily sell TO
$50 an ounce, while fine gold sell
for S2c an ounce. Tn other words ht
believes his machine is capable o
producing from silver s0mcthin
i more. valuable than gold, and that
what worries Director Preston, VIII
is the arch-cncmy sat silver, an
should nc live to see DR.. Emmcn
, convert the white metal into some
thing that would sell tor half 4
, much more than gold he fears tina
either the world would come to Il
, end or there would be no place on
! for gold bugs as an autOcratic claS;
for there would hc true himctallisn