New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-28
RADIUu AND TRANSPORTATION.

Sir William Crookes. who has always been
more or less of a believer in the convertibility
of one chemical element into another, found his
faith strengthened by some of the phenomena
which attend the behavior Of radium. Under
the influence of recent discoveries he closed an
address to the international conference of chem
lists in Berlin last spring with a highly imagi-
native vision of the possible end of the universe.
He thought 1t conceivable that all matter might
go back once more to the common primitive
form-the "protyle" of the Greeks-from which
it sprang. Sir William Ramsay, a much
younger but a reputable chemist, has now been
indulging in the same sort Of talk, although the
precise degree of confidence which he reposes
in the possibility is not made clear by the cable
reports of his address in London this week.
Ramsay is best known to the unscientifc public,
perhaps, by his participation with Lord Ray
leigh in the discovery of helium in terrestrial
mineral, and by his isolation of argOn and sew
eral other previously unknown gases from the
atmosphere. Hence whatever may be thought
of his powers of reasoning, his technique in
chemical work is at least as trustworthy that
of almost any Of his professional associates.
Within certain limits he speaks with authority.
Sir William Crookes based his conjectures
mainly upon the hypothesis that the heat emit
leu ny Tdulul0 was pIOuuCl VI uecdy vi ulSlu-
tegration. Sir William Ramsay's inspiration
comes from a set of researches conducted by
him in cooperation with Mr.. Soddy, and first
announced about three months ago. Mr.. Soddy
had noticed that gaseous emanatons were
given off by radium and that among these was
a little helium. Sir William Ramsay assisted
in the Identification, as did also Sir William
Higgins, the venerable astronomical spectre
scopist Since helium was recognized only in
the solar spectrum until a few years ago, the
testimony of the expert last named was re-
garded especially convincing. All of these facts
were published last August. During the sue
ceeding weeks further experiments have been
made in which one new observation seems to
have been noted. After helium had been sep
arated from radium, sealed up in a tube and
placed in storage for a month or more the pres
ence of the gas had become imperceptible
There was a mysterious disappearance, which
Sir William Ramsay interprets as transmuta-
ton into something else.
AS The Tribune has on previous occasion
pointed out, the evolution of heIum from ra-
dunn is susceptible of several explanations The
gas may have been occluded by the metal Just as
hydrogen is by platinum. The association may
have existed for millions Of years before it was
broken in a laboratory experiment Other n.y.
potheses might also be suggested which would
deserve credence until shown to be impossible
The notion that there was an actual conversion
of one substance into the other should be held
in reserve until these were effectually disposed
Of So. too. with the vanishing of the gas
The phenomenon is puzzling, but it is hasty to
assume that the heum had been transformed
into something else until more convincing proof
is advanced. All of this work should be checked
by independent tests. Even so shrewd worker
as Ramsay may have been fooled by failure
to detect the imprisoned gas. In other hands
the same processes might give other results In
any case, the possibility of finding other inter
preta tons should not be ignored. Perhaps Sir
William has not been accurately reported. but
if he has been prematurely drawing the conclu-
sions imputed to him it will hurt his reputa-
ton. Sensationalism is ruinous to the standing
of scientific men.
incidentally, the lecturer touched upon fact
that was already coming to be recognized
American pitchblende, though not altogether de-
void of radium, contains less of it than some of
the European ores. For the present therefore
the attempt to extract the metal from the for
mer has been abandoned. Austria seems to
have monopoly Of the most satisfactory pitch
bende, and shows a disposition to check the ex-
portation Of it. Already radium is quoted at
nearly $4,000,000 an ounce, and 1t may prove
still more costly in time Importers of it in this
city temporarily declining to place orders
abroad, being uncertain about future prices
How long the situation may last cannot be fore
told, but it would not be surprising if a reaction
came within a year or two.
AS yet radium is little or nothing but a scien-
tifc curiosity. The world has gone crazy over
1t, as it did over liquid air. and, it must be ad-
mitted, with better reason. Radium is likely
TO throw new light the nature of matter
even If it never develops much practical use
fulness. Just now the chief demand for il
comes from chemists and physicists for pur-
poses of study. The only important application
thus far attempted is to the cure of deep seated
cancer. One Of its forms of radiation is thought
to be identical with that of the R0ntgen tube
which exercises a healing influence on certain
skin diseases, but which cannot be introduced
into the body at great depths. Well, thorium
also gives off that same radiation, less power
fully than radium, but more intensely than