The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-09-22

usual properties. In the same
dame Curie and Dr.. Schmidt in Germany
observed that thorium is also radio
active, as his property was termed by
the brilliant woman chemist. Becquerel
provided that the rays from uranium can
penetrate thin metallic screens and dis
charge electrified bodies.
The next year, Sir william Crookes
in England obtained a uranium compound
which was freed from It's active constr
tuent. In 1888 Baskerville in America
fractioned thorium into parts OF different
activity and Rutherford in Canada o.
tanned fro mthorium a preparation a
thousand times as strong "a the original
thoriuIn.
The character O. th
was then studied by Elster and Ceitel il
Germany; Lord Kelvin IN England; Ruth
erford in Canada; Beattie N France, and
Smoluckowski in Russia. a discussion Of
that work would lead me too far into
technicalities. Suffice it 10 say that
eventually the Cures, BY working Up 2
Of uraninite fIomBohemIa and colorado.
eventually secured compounds OF the new
element, radium, which possesses each
unique properties as TO cau-e 1t to be
the marvel Of the Age. Tne chlorIdes and
bromldes have been made which sponta-
rcous.v give out light which pcrl~ts m
definitely a far as we know. The tenn
teraturp OF a radium bromide preparation
Of 10000 activity (metailic uranium be
ing taken as the standa1d ar cne) j
about one and a half degrees C~antigrade,
Or say three degrees Fahrenheit, above
the surrounding air. We might say It
has a good fever all the time, for this
difference appears fairly constant at TEN
perature from 100 degrees c.. TO zoe de-
grees c., approximately the temperature
OF liquid cir, as recently shown.
in their Photographic and electric eff
fects the B~ecuuerel rays approximate the
X-rays. Both possess the faculty Of pene-
trating all matter. but capacity Of rene-
tration is very different. the latter being
the stronger, at least for the greater part
of radiations from the radium prepara-
tons. \ further discussion Of this would
carry me intoa somewhat involved con-
s.deration of abstrGse matters III
physics"
Doctor, you say these compounds are
at a higher temperature than the all
which surrounds them; how's ,hat?'
Professor Curie recently at the Royal
institution in London gave a demonstra
ton Of the truth OF that statement. The
heat evolved from the purest radlum salt
is sufficient to melt It's own weight Of
water in an hour and the radiu1n appar
emily has not lost one iota Of It's heat OF
energy. Lord Kelvin recently said that
the discovery Of the Becouered radiation!
had placed the first question mark agains-
the principle of the conservation Of en-
ergy, since that principle had been eunn-
ciated. Naturally, many ingenious eXpla.
nations have been offered to account fol
this unusual phenomenon. We need no
say anything about them, however. a.
nothing has been settled upon as salts
factory as yet"
North Carolina is rich in mineral pro
ducts; are any of these radio active sub
stances in cur State?"
North Carolina has produced som'
uraninite, but not a great amount L
furnishes almost all of the monazite tina
is used in this country and much i
shipped abroad. Thorium IS extractet