The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-13
Rig FORTUNES WON BY CHANCE.
Debt the World Owes to what PeO-
pie Regard as Accidents.


(From the Washington Times.)
1t is curious to note how some of
the articles of trade, conductive to
human luxury and convenience, and
which are in general vogue today,
were originally produced. For instance,
it was an alchemist who, seeking to
discover mixture of earth that would
make the most durable crucibles, one
day found that he had made porce-
lain. The origin of the still popular
blue-tinted paper came about by a
mere slip of the hand. The wife Of
William East, an English paper-maker
accidentally let blue bag fall into one
Of the watts of pulp. The workmen were
astonished when they saw the peculiar
color OF the paper, while Mr.. East was
highly tncensed over what he consider
ed grave pecuniary losa His wife was
so much frightened that she did not
comics her agency in the affair. After
storing the damaged paper for four
years Mr.. East sent it to his agent at
London, with instructions to sell 1t
for what it would bring. The paper
was accepted as a "purposed novelty
and was disposed of at quite an ad-
vance over the market price. Mr.. East
was astonished at receiving an order
from his agent for another large in
voice Of the paper. He was without the
secret and found himself in a dilemma.
Upon mentioning it to his wife she
told him about the accident. He kept
the secret and the demand for the novel
tint far exceeded his ability to supply
1t.
While Marshall Jewell was minister
to Russia he found out. by the exer-
else of his olfactory nerves, or, in
other words, his sense of smell, the
secret of making Russia leather. In
stead of using tallow and grease in
the dressings of skins the Russians en-
ployed birch bark tar. BY careful in
quiry and literally following his nose
during visit to one of their large
tanneries he found the compound in
a mammoth kettle ready for use. He
reported his discovery and the result
is that genuine Russian leather goods
are now made in this country
The art of mezzotinting was suggest
ed by the simple accident of the gun
barrel of a weapon in the hands of a
sentry becoming rusty with dew.
The process of whitening sugar was
discovered I'm a curious way A hen
that had gone through clap puddle
went with her muddy feet into a sugar
house, leaving her tracks on a pile of
her tracks were the sugar was whiten-
ed. Experiments were instituted and
the result was that wet clay came to
be used in refining sugar.
1t Is stated by the Roman writer
Pliny that the art of making glass was
accidentally discovered by some mer-
chants who were travelling with nitre,
and stopped near a river issuing from
Mount Carmel. Not readily finding
stones to rest their kettles on they EN-
ployed some pieces Of their nitre for
that purpose. The nitre gradually dis
solving by the heat Of the fire, mixed
with the sand, and transparent mat
ter flowed, which was, In fact, glass.
II was a French bead maker named
Joaquin who rediscovered the manner of
preparing the glass pearls used at pre-
sent which APPROACH as near the nature
as possible without being so expensive
He once noticed. at his estate near
Passy, that when the small fish called
ables or abletteS were washed the
water was filled with fine silver color
ed particles. He left the water stand
for some time and obtained from Il
a sediment which had the luster OF the
most beautiful pearls, which suggested
TO him the idea az making pearls from
II. He scraped off the scales OF the
FISH and called the soft shining powder
which was diffused In the water eg-
sence Of pearl, or essence d'orient. He
succeeded In coating the interior OF
glass beads with the substance and
amessed a large fortune. This was,
according to some accounts, in the
reign Of Henry ". and Jaquins heirs
continued the business down TO a late
period and had considerable manu-
factory al Rue de Petit Lion az Paris
il required from 5000 10 10000 iish TO
make a pound OF the essence OF pearl.
II is related BY Mercure Gallant tlge0)