The Press., 1902-11-27
FATAL DISCOVERIES.
THAT BROUGHT THEIR
 oRielNAToRs TO THE GRAVE.

Scientific Secrets That Have Been : Hurried With the Men Who Pos-
 scssed Them and That Were the
 Causes of Their Tragic Takins on.
 The maxim which states that silence is golden has cost the world some of the greatest discoveries of modern times, for not few of the inventors down to posterity as public benefac- tors have been killed by their secrets before they would consent to diyulge them to their fellow beings.
 In 1895 all Europe was startled by the discovery of new explosive called fulminite, which, it was believed, would revoMtionize modern warfare. It was the invention of an Exeter scientist named Sawbridge, and sam- ples of the explosive which were test ed by the government revealed the fact that its power was three times. greater than that of cordite and in conse- quence it would treble the range of rifle bullet. The German government offered Sawbrfdge f2O,OOO for his in- vention, which he periodically refused until the home authorities had had the first option of purchase. But just as the latter were about to seal con tract with him the news came that his laboratory had been blown up and him. self with it. Unfortunately he left no records whatever, and although some of the leading experts of the day minutely examined the debris they failed to discover the secret, which is probably lost forever.
 About half century ago an Italian priest named Luigi Taranti discovered a method of making stained glass, the coloring of which was declared equal to that made by the ancients, whose secret has been lost. Taranti aban- doned holy orders and set to work to he received in the secrecy of his work shop at Ostia. near Rome. The finest stained glass windows in Italy were made by him, and he guarded his se- cret we'll. for when year later he was found dead of blood poisoning. set up by the pigments he employed, it was realized that he had carried his secret with him. The cleverest workmen were called in to examine the ingredi- ents. but they one and all failed to penetrate the dead mans secret.
 The person who could make compO- sition billiard balls equal to those of ivory would quickly qualify as mil lionaire, and it Is not an impossible task, for 1t has already been done. Some years ago Scotch manufa ctur- CT put composition billiard balls on the market which were as good at but only third of the price of those al- ready in use He refrained from pat enting his invention and made all the balls himself. even his family being prohibited from sharing his secret. But just as he was beginning to taste the fruits of his experiments he was one day mortally wounded by an acci- dent in his workshop and died before he could make any statement. EX- perts were given specimens of the balls to analyze, but in spite of the fact that they succeeded in tracing the materi- als used they have long since given up all hopes of being able to discover how they wereput together.
 The only man who has yet been suc- cessful in taking photographs in color was martyr to his discovery, the secret of which is lost. Some years ago Dr. Herbert Franklin of Chicago submitted q number of colOred photo graphs-of somewhat crude nature, it is true-to the leading American scientific institutions, and the encour- n Hn &ho< he built himself a laboratory, proof against the wiles of spies, at cost of $12,0OO, wherein to perfect his in- vention. In the preparation of his plates he used charcoal fire, and one day when at work he omitted to open the ventilators and was found asphyx- lated. He had refrained from divulg- ing his secret to any one, and in con- sequence, although some partially fin ished plates that hid the secret re mained, the way they were prepared to this day.
 Another victim to his secret was Adams, the inventor of tallium, the greatest discovery in the metals of the age. Adams was confident that metal could be produced which, although as hard as steel. was only half its weight and price, and after five years experi- menting with an electrical process tal- Hum was the result. The invention was taken up throughout America, and orders for thousands of tons of the metal began to pour in from the lead ing railway companies.
 But it was too late. The enormous mental strain he had undergone, coupled with the sensation of finding millions within his grasp, took away his reason, and he was confined in an asylum. He left no records to explain the process. and no amount of per- suasion drew the secret from him, which perished locked up in his brain when two years later he died help less lunatic. London Tit-Bits.