Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-04-14
NATURE RIVALED.
Diamonds OF the Purest Ray Are
successfully Initiated
hetallargists.

Estailargists.
Charles Gregory Stevenson, noted
uineralogist and mining engineer of New
York. is among the Mardi Gras visitors
n present in the city, and barring some
unexpected call will remain until after
the carnival. Mr.. Stevenson has lately
returned from Honduras, where he was
sent 10 make an elaborate Investigation
Of the mining properties OF The vel
known Scotch English syndicate Il tae
Olancha district. a high compliment 10
an American engineer, as his report VIII
determine the question of a financial OPP
Grafton of the first magnitude.
Mr. Stevenson has been associated sew
cral times i'll the past with John Hays
Hammond, the distinguished American
engineer who played such a conspicuous
role in the TTanSvaal, and reference to
him led the conversation naturally to the
Kimberley diamond mines, with which
he was once prominently identified. In
that connection Mr.. Stevenson made
very curious and interesting statement.
lit is my honest belief" he said, that
a practical method of making artificial
diamonds was discovered about FIVE years
ago and suppressed for commercial con-
Siderations. | am not joking, but am
perfectly serious, and l am by no means
the only person who entertains that opin-
ion
When asked for his reasons Mr.. Sic
vensOn said:
Il don't wish to get into a controversy
on the subject, but have no objection to
giving ven the known facts. In 1895 or
thereabouts German metallurgist
named Hertz. who had been experiment
ing at Heidelberg in the artificial pro-
duction of crystals, claimed that he had
hit upon a method of making diamonds
on a commercial scale. OF course, he
didn't tell how he did it, but it was I'M
derstood that he fused carbon at very
high temperature and then subjected it
to enormous pressure. AT any rate, he
showed crucible crusts that contained
pure white crystals, alleged to be dia
monds, that weighed over a carat.
I'm order to understand the matter
clearly" continued Mr.. Stevenson, you
must know that artificial diamonds have
been made for great many years, but
they were never large enough to be of
any value. Maisson, the distinguished
French savant, often produces them III
his laboratory by mixing pulyerized car
bon and melted iron in an electric cruc
bic. BY means of very large electrodes
he runs up the temperature to over 1000
degrees Fahrenheit and then drops the
crucible into a tank of icewater. The
result is tremendous contraction or
squeeze, which is supposed to reproduce
the volcanic process of nature, and when
ne TAXES Out the shattered WRECK OF the
crucible, small diamonds, about the size
of pin points, are found in the frag
mentE.
The same thing, practically. has been
done by DAlmy, Acheson. Hoffman,,
Faure and lot of other chemists, but
All OF their diamonds were microscopic
The Heidelburg crystals, on the con-
trary, were of commercial size, and, be-
ing that large, there was no reason why
they should not be larger, up to indefi-
mite proportions. The supposed discov-
cry was received with general skepti-
cism, but steps were actually taken to
organize company for the purpose of
pushing it, when suddenly the whole
thing was dropped and nothing more
was ever heard of it. All this has been
4 printed long ago and not taken very Sc
rl0usly, but 1t IS singular fact that the
81 German metallurgist and all his asso-
III ciates have since blossomed out as CAPT
81 tallsts aid are living in luxury at differ
81 ent cities on the continent.
graduated at the School of Mines
m Heldelburg. Mr.. Stevenson went on,
land | get this from responsible peonle
z# who were right ON the ground. They all
B believe that the crystals exhibited at the
"a outset were bona fide diamonds and that
n those interested were paid heavily to
suppress the formula. There is a good
deal OF eorroboratiye evidence, by the
N way, IN support of the theory. The dia.
y mond syndicate, for instance, was or
E ganlzed directly after the events | have
narrated and extraordinary efforts were
made to work out the Kimberly deposit
as rapidly as possible. 1t has known
Il limits, and, apparently, nothing has been
spared TO clean it up and get the gems
on the market
But would it be possible to offer n
large enough inducement to suppress
such discovery asked the reporter
why not?" he replied. 'aThe induca-
yyonfd lIU no oil
pose a man discovers a way to make dia
monds by the wholesale and begins ia
turn them out for sale. The gems would
instantly drop to zero in price, because
everybody would know that it would be
only matter of time when they became
as common as window glass. Conse-
quently he would have a very small show
of making money in that direction. But
consider for moment the tremendous
incentive to keep the process quiet. The
ne Beer syndicate is capitalized for f10,-
4 100000, otherwise $4,000. 000-away be-
low the natural value of the property
Last year the diamond importations 10
TINS country alone were over $4,000. 900
from which you may form an idea OF
the probable stock on hand. 1t is no ex-
aggeraton TO say that the discovery of
a method of producing diamonds artifi-
a clally would jeopardlZe concentrated in
terests of over S100 100000. You can
Il draw your own conclusions The discov-
Il erer would have no trouble realizing a
II few millions-enough to satisfy any or
binary person-without ever lighting a
I'd NE or charging Il cruclble.
n 1T is a matter Of only short time.
81 however, when the process of diamond
n making will be generally understood
81 nat is as certain as anything can be in
"a scientific representation and is made SC
n ny the development of the electric fur
a mace. We know that the crystals can
Al be produced by great heat and great
q pressure and 50 many people are work
"a ng at the problem of applying both in
81 the right combination that the secret
"a Is practically sure to be dragged to light
before long. Meanwhile the Kimberley
mines win probably be exhausted. Their
81 depletion in the course of a few years
would have been certain but for the
n boer war, and as there are no other great
~ known deposits the dealers are not apt
81 to suffer much. The losers will he the
IA people who own the gems. New Or
# leans Times-D Democrat.