The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-21


Like a Dream, Came in "A Heaven
Sent Vision TO the Rev. Mr.. Jerne-
gan Speeding Southwark For His
Health, and lie Has HarncsSed
Father Neptune.
From the New York Herald.
Middletown. Conn. Nov. 14-Countloss
millions in gold viii Doe taken from the
sea in the near future. if the astounding
statement made by A B. Ryan of this city
to-day is true. Coming from a more Wis
ionary man such tale would only excite
laughter. Coming from Mir. Ryan, it
causes wonder here.
His announcement. in brief. is that he
and the Rev. Prescott +. Jernegan now
possess that long sought secret, the pro-
cess Of precipitaung the gold contained In
sea water; that operations on limited
scale are already yielding $lO0 day,
and that a fortune greater than all the
gold ia the world is now within their
reach. Ryan. who is hard-headed bust
ness man, says all skepucs Will be CON
WINGED of the truth OF his words before
New Years.
The ocean, he says, has been harnessed
by man and must now go on turning out
gold just as long as he and the clergyman
choose to keep Father Neptune in the
traces. ana coin the yield. They are keep
ing the old man Of the trident at it.
Dreams are commonplace in comparison
with this.
1t sounds like a dream, but IT'S no
dream" says Mr. Ryan. although admit
tedly it all began with a heavenly vision
seen by the Rev. Jernegan while he sat
in parlor car on his way to Florida for
his health in 1886. He constructed a rude
apparatus to test the matter in accord
ance with the revelation, and, finding that
it was successful, revealed the tremendous
secret to Mr.. Ryan, who furnished means
TO make tests on larger scale. and final
ly to establish the plant necessary to ap-
ply the invention to gold production.
There is gold in all the salt water here
abouts, too, Mr.. Ryan says, and his story'
finally clears up the question of 'the mys-
ferrous black sloop' which has been seen
so often along the sound recently, and
which, because burglaries were often dis
covered after its appearance was thought
1.-THE black, rakish craft" and in place
of the pirate interest supplies another
quite as inviting. The sloop, he says
was used in testing sound brine for gold
and successfully, too.
Mr.. Ryan told me to-day-he talks like a
man who has only golden truth to tell
that fifty men are at present engaged in
fencing in two tide water mills in Passa-
raquoddy bay, Maine, where twenty self
acting machines are now at work ana
yield 800 worth of gold every twenty-four
hours.
The only requisite to this heaping up of
gold, Mr.. Ryan says, is the establishing Of
additional mills which, he says, can and
will be done at small cost in comparison
with the tremendous returns.
The average yield, Mr. Ryan saws. Is
from one-half a grain to a grain of gold
from every ton of sea water, and from
one to two grains Of silver from every ton
Zach grain OF gold is worth AZ cents. which
means, he says, that a cubic mile of brine
there is about 800, 10000 in gold-and salt
water, he adds is cheaper than dirt.
But salt water is salt water only to
those who do not possess the secret which
the preacher shared with his former des-
con, and they will guard it well-by force.
II necessary-says the Middletown man
who now smilingly announces that the
process they control will make them as
rich as they care to be and permit them 10
revolutionize all sorts of conditions now
existing
Already, he says. a company. Organized
with a capital of SO 10000, has spent $50.
900 in perfecting the crude invention of
the preacher, and the gold already won
from the sea along the Maine coast
proves that, once extensive operations are
begun, the profits will be more enormous
imam those from any enterprise conceived
by man.
The name of the company, which Mr.
Ryan announces, suggests that electricity
plays part in the heaven born wealth pro-
ducing process which he and the Rev. Mr.
Jernegan are guarding, but beyond that
and statement that the gold clings to
the sides and floors of the tide mills as the
tide GIBBS and flows, the man who is about
to wrench Father Neptunc's hoard from
him will not discuss the details of his
scheme.
That's our secret" he says when
pressed closely on points touching the dis
covery; or, as the clergyman says, the rev.
elation.
The Rev. Mr.. Jernegan, who enjoyed a
good reputation here as an evangelist and
a preacher of the doctrine of holiness. used
TO think as most of men do yet, that the
sea would not give up its gold until il gave
up its dead, but now he is one of the front
proposition that he and those with whom
he shares his secret can make millionaires
at Will, as king makes knights.
To deal with a few known facts in the
case / may say that Mr. Ryan will start
for Maine tomorrow and that Mr.. Jerne-
gan began his journey to the gold bearing
waters of "Quoddy'' no later than yester-
day. The company, it is announced, is
incorporated in Portland Ne. and has
already taken the precautlon to station
armed guards about it's gold tide mills
along the distant bay In order to restrain
encroaching fishermen, whose greed and
curiosity might lead them TO attempt to
obtain the secret of the process by force
The officers Of the company, ! have been
told are these: Mr.. Ryan of Middletown
Conn, president; and the directors are tho
Rev. Mr.. Jernegen and Mr.. Tullar Of Mel
rose, Mass, and Messrs. Usher and Rus
sell of Newburyport. MIR. Wlswan OF
Boston Is said to be the active manager OF
the enterprise
Mr.. Ryan, who returned from Maine re.
Gently ana who sets out for that state TO.
morrow again, said TO me to-day: 'orht
secret is ours, ana We propose 70 guard It
We have purchased two tide mills on tn,
coast of Maine, where the tide rises an(
falls twenty feet, and have so far put il
a series of twenty identical self-opera tins
machines thrOUgb which all tho ne, 80 %,