The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-17
THAN 4 KLONDYKE.
TRANSMITTING SIT YER uNroGoLD

TRANSMITTING SIT YER INTO GOLD
DR.. Stephen h. Emmens say that He Has
Discovered the Secret the Alchemists
Strove In Vain to Find.
Why should me face almost certain
death by freezing and starvation in the
Klondyke region, after a long and cost
ly journey. when, If DR.. Stephen II.
Emmens Is correct. the precious metal
which they seek can be manufactured
down here in war; ATTITUDES, in a COM
Portable factory or laboratory? And,
after all, what is the use Of making
such sacrifices to obtain a substance
that may prove to be worth only a
trifle more than silver. or, say about
One-twenty-f1fth as much as gold?
1t is nearly or quite a year sine this
modern alchemist startled capitalists,
economists, mine owners and metallur-
gists by declaring that he had found
a way to convert silver into gold. By
scientific men the announcement was
received with calm scepticism or open
derision, although DR.. Emmens was
known to be an educated and expert
enced chemist, as well as a broker. At
that time he was unable to meet the
challenge to produce evidence as to the
quality Of the stuff which he said he
had manufactured. Moreover, such pre-
judice as was thus created in the
minds of well informed persons was
strengthened rather han weakened by
DR.. Emmens' audaciouS attack on
Newton's theory Of gravitation early
in January last. But today he is in
a somewhat better position to attract
favorable attention, although it is too
soon to pronounce final judgmen on his
claims and theories.
DIR. EMMENS' GOLD AT THE AS
SAY OFFICE.
Since April 13, 1897, DR.. Enamens has
deposited at Uncle Sans assay Office
in New York seven ingots, each weigh
ing from seven to seventeen ounces.
These have been examined by experts
of the highest standing. Official reports
declare that the ingOts consisted Of a
mixture Of gild and silver, more than
nine-tenths fine, and that from three
fifths to two-thirds of the precious
metal in them was gold. For instance,
Of the ingot deposited or June 18th,
578 thousandths were gold, $40 were sill
YER and 80 were baser metal. The
whole lump, weighing 1850 ounces was
valued at 5000 81. The ingot deposited
on July 26th was found to show $50
t~housandths Of gold, 200 Of silver and
only 40 of base metal. 1t weighed
14.38 ounces. and it's value was placed
at $222.79 DR.. Emmens declares that
these ingots were all produced by his
| special process, and that the principal,
in fact, 1t would almost be correct to
say the exclusive, material employed
in making them was a lot Of Mexican
| dollars, in which there were nine parts
I silver to one of copper, but no gold.
| This alloy, curiously enough, is said
| to give better results h a perfectly
| pure silver.
One important ink in the chain Of
| evidence is still lacking. No disinter-
ested and competent witness has gone
| into the laboratory, sampled the mate
rails, watched every step Of the pro-
| cess and certified to the identity Of
| the ingots sent to the assay Office with
| the products of DR.. Emmens' art. Sci
| entifically, therefore, the story Is not
! yet entitled to full acceptance. It is In
teresting, nevertheless, to learn what
| DR.. Emmens himself says about the
| matter, INC especially in regard to
| the mode of manufacture. The follow
| ing statements are based on his asser-
tions:
GREAT PRESSURE THE MEANS
USED.
The essential agent in the alleged
/ IL i . Cllo 1111OuS AAS"A
pressure. There is a little fuxing and
| granulation. Chemical treatment with
a mOdified nitric acid is also reSOrted
to. But a prolonged squeeze, enduring
| from a week to ten days, in a machine
which the inventor calls a force en-
| gine," and in which a pressure of 25O
tons to a square inch is said to be ex-
| erted, is the main feature of the oper-
alton. Eventually DR.. Elnmens ex-
81 ho oh1o 70 ~n1x a rrnCc,,ro nf
800 tons to the inch. Some samples of
METAL which he exhibits to illustrate
the gradual change in the substance
while under treatment, show a faint
fiecking Of the white surface with pale
yellow spots and streaks after a GER
| tain time. These grow until finally the
metal is of a uniformly yellowish tint.
At a certain stage Of proceedings, DR..
Emmens says, the metal has been
changed into something which is dis
posed to regard rs a new element, to
which he gives the name "argentau-
rum" Subsequently, however, a large
proportion (rOughly speaking, about 60
per cent? of the mass is "advanced" to
the condition Of pure gold, while the
rest Of the argentaurum "reverts," or
goes bacg again, to the of
silver. The proportion varies slightly
in a series of experiments, so that DR..
/ EII1I1ouS, like d 1IOuScWllS AdhlA
bread, has a little better luck at one
time than at another; yet thus far he
has never succeeded in converting all
of his silver into gold. He has an expla-
nation for the fact, but it is not neces-
sary to go into that at present. Part
of he silver which remains is left in
the ingot and sold as bullion. while
part Of it is separated at the refining
stage Of the process, and is added to
the. raw material used in the later un-
dertakings. The copper which was al
Logged with the silver at the Mexican
mint remains unchanged in the mass
all the time, and appears in the official
assay of DR.. Emmens' ingOts here.
THE OLD AND NEW PHILOSO-
Pliers STONE.
The philosophers stone, or great
elixir" which was sought so eagerly
and at sue appalling expense by learn
ed men in the Middle ages, was con-
| ceiVed to be a distinct substance by it.