The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-29
WALKING ON RAD|UM
Connecticut People Over a
Great Supply of Explosive
HOW ITS TO BE Coffin
And What the Amount Could
Do If Applied.

New York. Nov. 2s.-There is much in
terest in the subject or radium.
! No longer may Connecticut properly be
called the Nutmeg state" Somewhere
under its rock-ribbed hills and valleys
there is, according to the scientists. bed
of radiln; sufficient in value to pay the
| national debts of England and America,
| says a writer in the New York World.
Comprising in extent about 900 square
miles and lying under thousands of feet
| of rock, sand and shale. it shoots its in
| finitesirnal particles through the earth's
crust as though the obstruction were a
| sheet of tissue paper.
| The section in which this amazing min
eral has made its presence known COM
| prises that part of the state between
Bridgeport, New Haven and New Milford,
northward to the Massachusetts, line.
1t has been rather incompletely pros
| pected by Mr.. c. P. King. a Boston min
eralogist, and many traces of radium and
uranium ores have been found.
The radium is thinly distributed, with
possibly not three centigrammes of the
pure metal to two hundred tons of earth.
| But nevertheless it is sufficient If gath
| cred together and estimated at the pres
ent value of radium. 81 100000 a pound, to
make it's owner twice as wealthy as a
Rockefeller and Rothschild combined.
1t also contains sufficient power to kill
an army if the troops were for short
time exposed to its rays.
1t is not likely, however, that more
than few drains OF the pure substance
| will ever be collected from the great bed
where it~has lain since the formation of
| the world.
1t would require mining apparatus a
| hundred times more powerful than any
now in existence to dig through the thou
sands of feet of granite lying above the
pitchbiende and concrete strata which con-
tain the radium.
In the month of April Mr. King paid a
visit to Connecticut and found traces
of uranium. At that time he expressed
confidence that a great deposit OF the
weir mineral existed somewhere around
| New Milford and New Haven.
| Then .ne professors of the Sheffield
! Scientific school at Yale college took the
matter up. At New Milford there Is a
| spring 1900 feet deep.
Its clear waters bubble UP through
! the stones of the Devonian age beneath
( which it is thought the vast radium bed
| is located.
At the request of Professor J. j. Thomp-
son. who was visiting Yale college at the
time, Professor L. P. Wheeler, of the
| Scientific school. procured a quantity Of
| the water of the New Milford spring for
the purpose Of making a test.
| In an absolutely clear and clean vessel
| the water was boiled away until nothing
visible remained. Nevertheless, upon the
sides of the yessel-there was an infiini-
tesmal quantity of matter which Profess
sor Wheeler proceeded to test for radio
activity.
An ordinary gold leaf electroscope was
placed on the table and the empty vessel
was brought in contact with it. An i'm
mediate huctuation Of the electroscope
took place and radioactive discharge
was noted
The scientists were amazed. That the
discharge of the delicate machine had
been caused by the effect of radium on
the deep spring water there could be but
little doubt.
1t was evident, too. in a certain sense
Il
| tive inhabitants as every body was in
the habit of drinking the radium waters.
After establishing the presence of radio
activity In the spring Professor Wheeler
turned his attention to the lake and sur
face waters around New Haven. The
first experiment was made with water
taken from one of the lakes used as a
reservoir
A quart measure OF the liquid fitted
with an alright cover was placed on the
furnace. In a few moments thousands of
small bubble formed on the sides Of the
vessel and drifted slowly to the top.
When the steam and gas thus generated
| were brought near the elecuroscope the
| electroscope was discharged. Here was
shown the presence of radioactive gas.
The water was then taken out and aft
er the gas had been expelled was aerated
by dropping and allowed to stand for six
teen DAYS before il was again tested. IL
had entirely lost its power of radio-ac-
tivity.
This. more than anything else. would
would seem to indicate the presence OF
great radioactive body far beneath the
surface OF the arth. 1t was plain that
substance dissolved in the water.
II may become possible in the future
when the value of radium in medicine and
in the science OF life has been fully proven
that the widely distributed radiun1 beds
under the Connecticut hills win become
available. What science needs in it's on
ward march science has nearly always
discovered a way OF procuring.
Although much has been said and writ
ten about radium since its discovery by
Professor and Nine. Curie very little is
known Of its specifics value as cura-
tive agent.
RadIurn has the appearance CT fine table
salt but il makes amends for It's CON-
mon appearance BY its very remarkable
properties.
II transcends all other discoveries Of the
past decade in it's importance and revolt
tiouary possibilities After separation
from its surrounding matter il requires
a month 10 begin TO give out light and
heat But when once started il viii con-
tinne 70 hoTnbs-d the universe with IT.
hniresrnal particles % matter for million.
OF years without cessation or dininutfon-
II gives cut Creates; heat when sub
jected to creates. cold Il has been
proven that typnosd baciii die in its rays
II has been tried successfully in cases OF
cancer. Through It's use Mr. William J.
Hammer. Of this city. caused Lille sps,z-
nadel. blind girl 10 gee occulists. how
eyer. saw that the sensation q sight was
caused merely ~ the bonbartnsui CT in
anitesmal particles against the optic
nerve.
II kept fo- sh0r, while near THE ski