The record-union., 1898-07-30
GOLD MADE FROM SILVER.
SAYS HE ANTICI-
PATED EMMENS.
A French Chemist Produced a Lit
tie Gold in Mexico Fifty
Years Ago.

In a recent issue of 'L'Hyperchimie,'
the organ of the Societe Alchimique de
France, reference was made to the ef-
forts of DIR. Stephen H. Emmens to
convert silver into gold. And it was
announced that the American had been
anticipated fully fifty years ago by a
Frenchman named Tiffereau. The at
tention of DR.. Emmens having been
called to this story few days ago. he
remarked:
Yes. the story is true. Tiffereau is
still living, and 1 have had correspond
ence with him. He feels exceedingly
grateful to me for corroborating to
some extent, the statements he made
forty or fifty years ago in his own
country. He had been regarded a
charlatan-not downright impostor.
mind you, but misguided and self-de-
ceived enthusiast.
'Tiffereau was in Mexico when he
made his experiments. He went thither
from France, and practiced the art of
making daguerreotypes, partly for rev.
enue and partly to hide his chemical
and metallurgical researches. He has
been kind enough to send me a sample
of the gold which he made while in
Mexico. 1t dates from 1917. He is now
an old man, you see.
'One point of difference between his
method and mine is that he combines
his silver with nitric acid, first having
reduced the metal to fine grains with a
file, while | rely chiefly upon tremend-
Gus pressure to effect the conversion.
Ifffereau also placed his stuff out in
the sunshine, and he is now inclined to
holt -
of the process. He says that he con-
sumed about fourteen days in the oper-
alton. / have tried his method recently,
but thus far without definite results.
"Tiffereau has had a hard time of it
at the hands of his fellow w-countrymen.
Away back in the sixties, under the
Empire, he tried to get Frenchmen in
terested in his system and to persuade
them to help him to realize something
out Of his ideas. He was hooted at 1t
was said that his gold, if he really got
any at all, was what is known as part
ed gold All Mexican silver contains
certain minute quantity of gold He
was told that he merely got rid Of the
silver and saved the gold.
"A test was arranged finally. 1t was
to be conducted by the officials of the
Il
experiment should be conducted with
absolutely pure silver, instead of Mex
lean silver Tiffereau submitted to this
requirement., From the point of view
of the French officials the result was
unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, it is a
matter of record that their silver con-
tanned a little gold before they got
through, although they began with
UTI hayr hnl fn 1A OH oil
pure metal Ever since the odds have
been against Tffereau, and he
has been unable to interest financiers,
chemists or other persons of influence.
When the news of mya work reached
Tiffereau, therefore, he felt that he
was in a measure vindacated have
promised TO cooperate with him dnan-
cially. if he can induce any Of his fel-
low-countrymen to go into the business
now.
Il have received letters of inquiry
from several other foreign chemists
within the last few months. They live
in France, Switzerland and Italy, and
have been experimenting, or are about
to experiment, along the same lines
with myself
DR.. Emmens has just taken step
which has no direct relation to his ''ar-
gentaurun'' enterprise, but which is
likely to bring him intp. fresh premi-
nence on the other side of the Atlantic.
AS President of the Research Society,"
a new American organization, started
ito encourage free inquiry into the
facts of Nature" he makes this prop
osition to the Royal Society of Great
Britain:
The desira bility Of Antarctic explora-
ton is conceded by all who have looked
into the matter. AT the present time
it seems to be almost impossible TO
raise the money for a fresh expedition
to follow up the pioneer work under
taken year ago by the Belgians. DR..
Emmens suggests, therefore, that a
general committee of six members be
appointed, one by each of the follow
ing organizations: The Royal Socie-
ty, the Royal Geographical Society, the
Research Society, the Royal Academy
of Sciences in Berlin, the Academic des
Sciences of Paris and the Royal Acad-
emy of ST. Petersburg.
This general committee, having met
in London, is to collect the necessary
data, plan am expedition, raise the
money and choose an Executive Com
mittee of five (an Englishman,
Frenchman, a German, Russian and
an American) to accompany the expe-
dition and decide all questions that
may arise. The plan and scope Of the
explorations would be determined, in
advance, by the general committee.
DIR. Emmens suggests that an at
tempt be made to raise 81 600, 900. He
agrees to provide 100000 on behalf of
the Research Society, and to endeayor
to secure 100000 more on this side Of
the Atlantic, thus leaving only half Of
the total amount to be provided in Eu-
rope, say $125, 900 by each of the four
foreign countries named.-New York
Tribune.
THE SLEEP PROBLEM.