The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-06-09
CAN GOLD BE MADE?
TREASURY DEPARTMENT TRIES
HARD TO ANSWER THIS.

Ones-von KempeIen's Work Recalled.
The news which went out from Wash
lngtOn recently to the effect that the treas
uTy department, under direction of Score
tary Gage, had for weeks been expert
menting with base metals, with the end
in view Of making gold and silver at but
little cost, calls attention to efforts that
have been made ever since the world
began. The gentleman who this time
insisted that he had discovered the real
secret is f.. c. Brice, citizen of Chi
cagO who has spent several years in sci
entifc pursuits So thoroughly did he
interest the Washington authorities that
Secretary Gage called to the capital
some of the governments most expert
employees in the service of the treasury
department. For three weeks they la
bored, only at last to be disappointed
Meantime Mr.. Brice has not given up the
idea that the two standard money metals
can be made from base metals and he will
continue experimenting until the end.
Not long ago a St. Louis man startled
the world by asserting that gold and sill
yer could not only be made of clay, but
that he had done it. Newspapers were
filled with accounts of this alleged alche-
mist discovery for days, but at last, when
a practical test was made in the presence
of witnesses, his theory was exploded and
the event was put down as another dream.
Such irrational ideas recall to mind the
story of Won Kempelens alleged scientific
discovery, made at Bremen nearly half
century ago. Won Kempelen had never
been man well endowed with worldly
goods during his long residence in that
city. 1t was generally known that he had
etten been put to hard shifts to raise the
NEST trihing Of sums. During this stage
of his poverty great excitement was caused
in the town about the forgery of the name
of a big mercantile house in the city.
Suspicion was soon directed toward Won
Kempelen because he had suddenly sprung
from abjcct want to immense riches.
When questioned. he absolutely refused to
answer any Of the heterogeneous regard
ing the possession of money he was
known to have in Il bank. At length he
was arrested, but, nothing decisive APP
pearing against him, be was released. The
police, however, were not satisfied, and a
strict watch was kept over him and his
movements, They discovered that he left
home frequently, always taking the same
road and invariably giving his watchers
the slip. Finally, by dint of great perse-
verance, they traced him to a garnet in an
old house in an alley, and coming upon
him suddenly found him in the midst of
his counterfeiting operations. His agita-
ton was so excessive that the officers had
no doubt of his guilt. He was placed in
irons and thorough search was made of
his rooms.
Opening into the garrett was closet of
small dimensions, fitted up with some
chemical apparatus, of which the object
has not to this day been ascertained. In
one corner there was very small furnace,
with connected CruCibles and tubes
Liquids that were furiously at that mo-
ment dissipating into air were discovered
IN many bottles. At this juncture it is
related that Won Kempelen tore the iron
cuffs from his wrists, seized the cruel les
and broke them on the floor before the as
tOnished officers knew what was happen
ing.
The prisoners person was closely
searched and a powder of an unknown
substance was found, together with some
antlmOny. Then the rooms were gone over
with much care. Finally in the mans
sleeping apartment was discovered a trunk
filled with metal that rCsembled brass. The
supposed brass was in small, smooth
pieces varying in size from a pea to that
OF dollar But the pieces were irregular
IN shape, looking very much as lead does
when molten and thrown on the ground to
cool. The idea Of its being gold never for
moment entered the officers heads. Their
astonishment may well be imagined
when, on the following day, it was known
all over Bremen that the supposed brass
was the purest kind of gold. Won KEN
pelen then told enough of his story to
warrant his instant release,
He claimed to have realized in spirit
and in effect the old chimera of the philos-
Opher's stone. Further than that he would
only say that pure gold could be made at
will, and very readily, from lead and clay,
in connection with certain other substances
in kind and proportion, the character of
which he declined to divulge. Speculation
was, Of course, busy for a long time. At
that day the gold discoveries were being
reported from California, and many per-
sons were prevented from coming to this
country by the mere apprehension that
gold would so materially diminish in value
on account of it's plentifulness by the Won
kempelen discovery, as to render the risk
of coming so far in search of the article
made by nature doubtful experiment.
for the chemist had said that gold would
soon be of no more value than lead and of
far inferior value to silver. But Won KEN
pelen soon died-died with the secret, if
secret it was, still in his heart. But be-
fore his death silver had increased in price
more than so per cent, and lead in Bremen
was worth nearly its weight in gold. Elk
change.
Had to BE Sawed Out.
A freight train "a Ovau a novy n CNouv,