The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-21

sons Hole connecting with enc CT III,
new metal was begun. All of DR.. Syx4
terms had been accepted. United State
troops occupied permanent encampmen
On the upper waters CO the Snake River
TO afford protection, and as the consign
n,ents OF precious ingots were hurried
east AID west OF guarded trains, tbs
mints al over the world resumed thei.
activity Once mora common none
tary standard prevailed and commerce
revived rs if touched by magic wand.
Artemisium quickly won its way in pop
ular favor. Its matchlcss beauty alone
was enough Not only vas it gladly &C
cepted in the form of money, but its sue
cess was instantaneous in the arts. Dr.
Syx and the inspectors representing the
various nations found 1t difficult to limit
the output to the agreed upon amount.
Ihe demand was incessant.
Goldsmiths and jewelers. continually
discovered new excellences in the wonder
full metal Its properties CT translucerce
and refraction enabled skiliful artists TO
perform marvels. b. suitable manage
r1ent chain of astemisium could be
made to resemble a string Of vari-colorei
gems. each separate link having a tint of
its own. while, as the wearer moved. DEL
icate complementary colors chased one
another, in rapid undulaticn, from end to
end.
fresh charm was added by the new
metal to the personal adornment OF wo-
men, and an enhanced splendor to the
pageants Of society. Gold in its palmiest
days had never enjoyed such a vogue. A
crowded reception ROOM or dinner party,
where artemisium abounded. possessed an
Undesirable atmosphere of luxury and
richness, refined in quality. yet captivat-
ing to every sense. Imaginative persons
went so far as to aver that the sight and
presence of the metal exercised a strange
ly soothing aud dreamy power over the
mind, like the influence of moonlight
streaming through the tree tops on a still,
balmy night
The public curiosity in regard to the
origin of artemisium was boundless. The
various nations published official bulletins.
in which the general facts-omitting. of
course, sucn incidents as the singular ex-
hibition seen by the visiting fnanciers on
the wall OF DR.. Syx's office-were detailed
to crafty the universal desire for infor-
nation.
President Boon not only submitted the
specimens OF ore-bearing rock which he
had brought from the mine to careful an
alysis but also appealed to several OF the
greatest living chemists and minefalogists
10 aid him; but they were all equally mys-
tilted The green substance contained in
the ore. although differing slightly from
ordinary chrysolite, answered all the
known tests Of that mineral. 1t was re-
membered, however. that DR.. Syx had said
that they would be likely to mistake the
substance for chrysolite. and the result of
their experiments justified his prediction.
Evidently the doctor had gone a stones
cast beyond the chemistry OF the day, and,
Just as evidently, he did not mean to re-
veal his discovery for the benefit of science
nor for the benefit of any pockets except
his Own.
Notwithstanding the failure OF the
chemists to extract anything from Dr.
Syx's ore. the public at large never
doubted that the secret would be dis
covered In good time, and thousands Of
prospeotors focked to the Teton noun
tains in search of the ore. And with
out much difficulty they found it. Evil
IDENTIFY the doctor had been mistaken in
thinking that his mine might be the only
one. The new miners hurried specimens
OF the grecn-speckled rock to the chemical
for experimentation, and
began to lay up stores OF the
ore in anticipation of the time when |
the proper way to extract the metal |
should he discovered.
fresh ore proved to be as refractory as
that which had been obtained from DR.. |
Syx. But in the midst OF the universal |
there came a new sensa-
ton.
One morning the newspapers glared |
with despatch from Grand Teton station
announcing that the metal itself had been
discovered by prospectors on the eastern
;lope OF the main peak.
1T outcrops in many places" ran the
despatch, and many small nuggets have
,een picked out Of crevices in the rocks"
The excitement produced by this news
vas even greater than when gold was dis
oYered at the South Pole. Again mad
u.s., was made for the Tetons. The
Fights arua.1 Iackson's Hole and the
horcs OF Jackson's and Jenny's lakes
-ere quickly dotted with camps, ard the
Military force had TO be doubled to keep
If the curious, and occasionally menace
&c, crowds which gathered in the vicinity,
nd seemed bent on unearthing the great
ecret locked behind the windowless walls
the mill, where the column of black
moke. and the roar of the engine. served
S reminders Of the incredible wealth
hioh the sole possessor of that secret
as rolling up.
This time no mistake had been made
urity. had been discovered scattered in
arious places on the lodges of the Grand
eton. In n little while thousands had
blamed specimens with their oan hands
he quantity was distressingly small,
the number and the eagerness
the seekers, but that IL was genuine
rtemisiTim not even DIR. Syx could have
snied. He, however, made no attempt to
my II.
We. H.,
lat i have been deceived. At first III
fought the metal existed only in the
I'm OF The green ere, but Of late have
'me upon veins OF pure artemis UNI in
y mine j am glad for your SAX s. but |
try for my owp. Still. it may turn out
at there is no great amount CT free ar
misium after ALL
While the doctor talked in this man
r close observers detected a lurking
Ger which his acquaintance had not
ticed since artemisium WIS first adopt
as the money basis Of the world.
The crowd that swarmed upon the
ountafn quickly exhausted all OF the
sibie supply OF the metal. Sometimes
ey found IL in a thin stratum at the
tom OF crevices. where 1t could be de-
ched in opalescent plates and leaves OF
3 thickness OF paper. These SUI erfi ,ial
posits evidently might have been
rmed from water holding the metal in -
luton. OccasioEally deep cracks con-
med nuggets and why masses which -,
'ked as If they had run together when ~ ~
,lten- e
he most promising spots were soon =.
1sd out In miners claims, machinery
, procured, stock companies were
med, and behring's were begun. The en- -
lsiasm arising from the earlier finds. ",
the hattering surface indications.
80 everybody to work with feyerish ~,
te and energy. and within two months