New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-15
GOLD MADE FROM SILVER.
TIFFEREAU SAYS THAT HE ANTICIPATED
EMMENS.
A FRENCH CHEMIST PRODUCED LITTLE GOLD
IN MEXICO FIFTY YEARS AGo-HlS METHOD
DIFFERENT FROM EMMENs's-A PROP
osITIoN TO FOREIGN SCIENTISTS

ence was made to the efforts Of Dr. stephen II.
En,n,ens TO convert silver into gold. And it was
announced that the American had been antci-
pated fully Hfty years ago by frenchman
named Tiffereau The attention OF Dr. EN-
mems having been called to this story a few
days ago. he remarked:
Yes the story is true. Tiffereau is still Nv
Ing and have had correspondence with him
He feels exceedingly grateful to me- for cor
roborating TO some extent. the statements ne
made forty or fifty years ago in his own coun-
try He has been regarded charlatan-not
downright im?ostor mind you. but misguided
and self-deceived enthusiast
"Tiffereau was in Mexico when ne made his
experiments He went thither from France.
and practiscd The art Of making daguerreotypcs
partly for revenue and partly to hide his chemi-
cal and metallurgical researches lie has been
kind enough to send me a sample o: the COLO
which he made while in Mexico 1t dates from
1S47 He is now old man. you see.
"One point of difference between his method
and mine is that ne combines his silver with
nitric acid first having reduced the metal to
fine grains with a file, while rely chiefly upon
tremendous pressure to effect the conversion
Tfereau also placed his stuff out in the sun
shine. and he is now inclined to believe that
this is an essential phase of the process. He
says that he consumed about fourteen days in
the operation. have tried his meth d recently,
but thus far without definite results
"Tinereau has had hard time Of IL at the hands
Of his fellow countrymen. Away back in the six
IT, under the Empire he tried 10 get Ere nchmci
interested in his system and to persuade them to
help him 10 realize something out Of his ideas.
He was hooted at II said that his gold II he
really got any at all. what is known as
parted gold All Mexican silver contains a
certain minute quantity Of gold. He was told
tina, he merely got rid Of the silver and saved
the gold
"a test was arranged finally. 1t to be
conducted by the officials Of the French mint.
They insisted that the experiment should be
conducted with absolutely pure silver, instead
OF Mexican silver. Tifereau submitted t. this
requirement From the point Of view u the
French officials the result was unsatisfactory.
Nevertheless il is a matter Of record that their
silver contained a little gold before they got
through. atho ugh they began with what they
believed TO BE- absolutely pure metal Ever /
since the odds have been against TNer"au. and /
he has been unable h interest iinanciers. chem
lists or other persons OF influence.
When the news e my work reached Tinereau. |
therefore, he felt that he was in a measure
INDICATED. lave promised 10 cooperate with |
him financially II he can induce any Of his
Il have received letters of inquiry from sew |
eral other foreign chemists within the last few !
months They live in France. switzerland and
Italy. and have been cy3erimcnlins or are
about 70 experiment. along the same lines with
myself"
Or Emmens has just taken step which has
no direct relation to his "argenteururn" enter
prise but which is likely 10 bring him into fresh /
prominence on the other side Of the Atlantic. !
AS president Of the Research Society," new
American organization, started TO encourage
free inquiry into the facts Of Nature" he makes
this proposition to The Royal Society Of Grea,
Britain:
The dcsirabty Of Antarctic exploration Is
conceded by al! who have looked into the mat
ter AT the present tine il seems to De almost
impossible t. raise the money FOR fresh expe-
q ton 70 fellow up the ponce work undertaken
a year ago by the Belgians DR.. Enmens sug-
gests, therefore, that "a general committee Of six
members be appointed one BY each Of the fol-
lowing organizations: The Royal Society," the
Royal Geographical Society. the Research So
cety. the Royal Academy Of Sciences in Berlin.
the Academic Jes Sciences Of Paris and the
Royal Academy Of st. Petersburg
This general committee. having met in Lon
don is to collect the necessary data. plan an
expedition. raise the money and choose an ex-
ccutve committee Of five Ian Englishman. a
Freedman. German. a Russian and an Ameri-
cam to accompany the expedition and decide all
questions that msy arise. The plan and scope Of
the explorations word be determined. in ad-
vance, by the general committee
DR.. Emmens suggests that an ATTEMPT be
made to raise 81 100000 He acrees to provide
$looOo0 on behalf Of the Research Society. and