The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-22
Prof. Duke H. BashfOrd Gets
Kansas ShaIe Secret.
Says 100 Products Can Be Made
From 1t.
SUGAR, STOVE POLISH.
These Are Only Two of the
Things He Can Make.
Stuff Called Gold is Something
Else, He Says.

who insists that there is no gold in
Kansas shale, is coming to Topeka TO
open a laboratory and promote the
manufacture of q great variety Of pro
ducts from this same Kansas shale.
Prof. Bashford insists that he can man
ufacture 100 valuable commercial pro-
ducts from the shale. among which are
the following:
Hydraulic cement.
Mineral paint.
Axle grease
Shoe backing.
Artificial sugar.
Fuel equal to coal.
kindling.
Stove backing.
It may seem that Prof. Bashford is
drawing it a little bit strong, but he
insists that he worked night and day
in his laboratories all last winter and
knows that he can make the things he
claims to make.
It might be that people could accept
the cement and paint allegations, and
on pinch they might also get down
the axle grease story But when It
comes to artificial sugar, and artificial
coal-weli, Prof. Bashford will have to
do some showing.
Prof. BashfOrd announces that he has
discovered that the substance which
chemists and aSSayerS have been geL-
ting out OF the shale, and calling gold
is really not gold at all, but a new
combination of metals forming an ele-
mentary metal
The only way to tell the difference
between this new metal and gold is by
the specific gravity test. Prof. Bash
ford says that by this test. gold has
metal of 161z.
Apply any test you will" says Prof
Bashford. and the new metal an
sWers all the requirements of gold with
the one exception of the specific gravity
test. This new metal is a combination
of a great many metals, including zine,
copper. aluminium, iron, etc It is,
believe, an elementary subject, the
same as gold, but it is a compound ele-
mentary subject. 1t may be that it
could be used commercially as a substi-
tute for gold. believe that it would
deceive any JeVelef and most chemists.
The only trouble is that there is no
process by which the gold can be ex-
tracted at small cost. 1 don't believe
that any process viii ever be found for
extracting this new metal in CONNER
cial values
What do you think of Prof Fahrig's
work. was asked Of Mr.. Bashford.
I am informed by a party who is on
the inside that Prof. Fahrig is getting
absolutely no satisfactory results from
his tests. l think he is not competent
to do this kind of work He does not
know any more about this kind of
chemical work than you do about the
canals of Mars. But he is getting good
pay for his work. I want to see JUS
! tice done, and | am willing to come out
and say that 1 do not believe there is
any gold in the Kansas shale This
course satisfies my natural love of
| right and justice better than the other
| way do a great deal of work simply
for the good of the people, because /
4 want to see justice done to all couI3
/ get thousand dollars for simply say
ing that there is gold in the Kansas
| shaie.
What makes me especially displeased
] IS the way these people are sWindling
| the poor into buying stock in some Of
ThaCP "a v,f75s ,k.e- 7
/ say that some OF these men whom you
consider the leading business men of
/ Topeka are just as crooked as it is posi-
! Bile for men to be. They are promotf$g
! the gold shale syndicates and they know
/ there is nothing in them"
WI hat do you think of Prof Chas.
Gage and his proeess fer extracting gold.
/ installed at the Beatty mill ?"
L think Gage is far from being an
! honest man in this work said Mr.
Bashford, but I don't care to say any
more on the subject, because am not
anxious to stir up libel suits"
Prof Bashford says that he now has
| his laboratory equipment stored at St
Joe, and that he expects to move to To-
peka within few weeks. and locate
/ permanently In this city. He will devote
/ all his time and attention to inventing
new articles which can be made out of
/ the shale. Prof Bashford is very con-
fdent that the shale is a wonderful
financial proposition.
People are crazy for gold" said Mr.
Bashford today They are not willing
to look for the really valuable features
Of the Kansas shale- say that there are
| millions of dollars in Kansas shaie but
not a bit Of gold. The wealth which will
be extracted from the shale is greater
than has ever been imagined, but it will
not be in the form of gold.''
Prof. Bashford claims to have grad
| uated from Oxford university, and to
! have crossed the ocean 81 times. He
has been a great traveller, and claims
how bod
Barney BarnatO, the South African dia-
| mond king. L was coming home from
South Africa with Barney when he kill
4 ed himself said Mr.. Bashford today.
7 had been down there testing artificial
| diamcAds Tor him. he leaned over the
edge of the ship and said: Did you ever
! think how easily it would be to go under
the waves and end it ALP and then
threw himself into the water and drown
ed before we could rescue him. wrote
the story of the affair for the London
Times. I have a personal acquaintance
with Alfred HarmsWorth the great Eng
lish journalist, and Mr.. Harmsworth is
trying to get me to establish a neWSpa-
per. and publish in it some of my form
ulas for testing various substances. I
may decide to do SO some day. I was
one of those who discovered saccarin
the substance which is 500 times SWeeter
than sugar. A pound of it is equal to
600 pounds of sugar. / discovered
acetylene gas two years before any one
else, ana nave the papers to prove 1t.
I was living at Cudahy's home in Omaha
when his boy was Kidnapped. I had
been doing some chemical work for
Cudahy at his packing house. I have
been employed in testing wines in
France, beers in Germany and fiavoring
extracts in Italy"
Prof Bashford is said TO believe in the
doctrines OF Buddhism of which religion
re has been a deep student while travel
ing in oriental countries.
"