The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
IF SCIENTISTS WERE DISHONEST
Discoveries They Have Made That
Might Have Been Put to Bad Account.

Pearson's Weekly
1t is a lucky thing for society at large
that scientists are seldom, If ever, lowered
with criminal instincts. For, supposing the
converse held good Surprising, for in
stance, that Professor Dewar, the discov-
erer of liquid air, had been an Anarchist.
In that case he would have had ready to
his hand a secret and deadly explosive
which would be infinitely more powerful
than dynamite. while needing neither fuse
nor detonator to set IL off. All that would
be necessary would be to fill steel bomb
the bigger and thicker the better-with
LIQUID air, and Theoretically close it. Imme
diately the interior contents would begin
to expand as the imprisoned and tortured
atmosphere commenced slowly to return
from its liquid to gaseous state; and this
expansion would continue until If the bomb
could be made strong enough, the well-nigh
inconceivable pressure of 1900 pounds per
square inch would eventually be developed.
Then the envelopng walls of steel. even
if foot or more in thickness, would inev-
itably fly into innumerable fragments. and
with an explosive violence which would be
sufficient to wreck anything and everything
within a radius of probably thousands of
yards. Indeed, 1t has been estimated that
a single gallon of liquid air could. given GER
tain conditions be made equal in destruc-
tiveness to 10000 tons Of gunpowder. Or as
sumo on the other hand. that he had been
a criminal of the Palmer type-a secret
posoner In liquid air he had at his COM
mand far more deadly toxic agent than
even prussic acid, and one, moreover, which,
had he chosen to keep his discovery to him
self, he might have inconceivably used with
almost perfect impunity. For even the very
smallest quantity of liquid air, administered
internally, would prove almost Immediately
fatal eating its way with vitriolic swiftness
into the victims Utmost vitals, destroying
tissue muscle and bone, and yet leaving no
trace of itself
Marconi again, the inventor of wireless
telegraphy, took all the world into his con-
fidence as soon almost as his marvellous
discovery was first lighted on. But what If
he had chosen to keep his knowledge to
himself and utilize ii, as he could easily
have DONE to further dishonorable ends of
his own?
1t is quite conceivable that he might have
made millions on the stock exchanges and
bourses of Europe and America, for by
means of his tiny instruments, while the
cables slept and the telegraph offices were
closed, he could have transmitted and re-
ceived-through his accredited agents, of
course-exclusive information of vital i'm
portance.
Or supposing that Professor Roentgen, the
discoverer of the X-rays. had been a pro-
fessional thief. He would have had at his
beck and call a something which no other
member of the fraternity had even dreamed
about-a something which would have en-
III ff,S hnx ma "A W "a IL
ables were in this or that receptacle, or the
amount of coin person had in his pocket
his purse or his satchel. His rays" would
have been to him, in fact. a sixth sense,
possessed by no other living creature in the
whole wide universe.
The story of the man who found out how
TO split Bank of England notes into two
parts laterally. and who was So honest and
so disnterested that he went forthwith
and made a present OF his knowledge TO the
directors of the institution in question, is
well known. In the main, the details are as
usually stated. although IL is doubtful
whether the discovery could nave been
turned to any practical account II even the
discoyerer had been a rogue in embryo in
stead of an honest and law-abiding citizen.
1t is a fact however. that only year or
two back a similar but far more dangerous
discovery was accidentally stumbled upon
by a poor alien engraver, who freely made
a present of his knowledge to the Bankers
Association This man found out a method
by which he could initiate the water mark
ing on letters of credit and other similar
documents. III was siihpiS hSthou, anu
easy of application by even the veriest tyro;
and there is no doubt that had he chosen
TO do so he might have swindled the Lon
don banks out of hundreds of thousands of
pounds. Since then. IL may be mentioned.
perforations have been universally substi-
tuted for the old-fashioned water markings,
so far as the indication of the amounts is
concerned.
Then. again. there is the very typical case
of NM. Frenzy and Verneuil who first dis
covered how to produce valuable rubies arti-
| electric furnace.
developing the terrific temperature OF 5000
degrees centigrade these two eminent Sci