The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-09-16
Experimenting with Radium.

Experimenting With Radium.
The new substance or force that has
been recently discovered, and is known
as Radium, seems to be as contra
dictory in its effect as liquid air.
Those who have witnessed liquid air
experiments have seen it freeze meat
and rubber until so brittle they broke
| like glass; and have also seen Metals
sputter in its fervent heat like wax
taper against a red-hot stone. We
have read recently in the papers about
a blind child whose eyesight has been
partially restored by Radium, and we
are told by Professor Curie that a per-
sor entering room containing a
pound of radium would be blinded.
We hear prophesied all the blessings it
is to bring mankind when discovered
in quantities, and at the same time
we are told that the man who chances
to discover any considerable quantity
of it, comparatively pure, will prob
ably never live to tell the tale.
We are told, in an article by Theo-
dore Waters in Every ybody's Magazine,
that the first suggestion toward the
discovery Of Radium came when a
Western college professor demonstrated
the fact that many common substances
have the power of storing up sunlight
and emitting it again at night. Com
mon sugar is the most luminous Of
these substances. Not only does the
sugar emit light at night, but the dis
coverer was able to take photographs by
means of it in an otherwise perfectly
dark room. Among the substances
tried with the sugar was Uranium, an
ore, which, as Becquerel discovered,
does not need sunlight to enable it to
give off radiations, but which emits
them spontaneously all the time, night
and day. Following the lead of Bee
ouerel, Nine. and NJ. Curie made an
exhaustive examination of pitchblends
which was radio active. It, was a
!. task of endless separation, of continual
dividing, of constant assayfngs, until
at last nothing was left but the salt
that is now. known as Radium salt.
| He tells us further that:
ssNo one, not even Madame Curie, the
tdiscoverer, has yet seen Radium in
pure state. 1t has been possible to
obtain it so far only in combination
t with other material. It is judged by
| the effect of its properties, which are
Itruly remarkable. It is product Of
pitchblende, which is found deep in
| the earth. The quantity already found
lis SO small that the fgurative price Of
a gram has been placed at $4,000. It
may be that there are large quantities
/ of it stored under the surface some
where, but the man who found a
quantity of it in a state Of anything
like purity would probably not live
| to tell the tale. The particles which
/. fly from it are charged with electricity,
and at night it shines forth with a
phosphorescence which has been shin
! ing since the beginning of all things,
and which will go on shining until the
final extinction Of all matter. A small
quantity of it in the possession of N.
Curie has caused the most painful
blisters when brought in contact with
! the skin. A small particle of Radium
salt was sealed in a glass tube, placed
| in board box and tied to Pro-
fessor Curie's sleeve for an hour and
/ a half. It produced suppurating
sore, which did not heal for over three
months. Professor Curie thinks that
a person entering room containing a
pound IF Radium would be blinded. -
In the light of the foregoing facts
and theories the average man would
think Radium good thing to let
alone. but the scientific see vast
material possibilities in this new sub
stance. Among other things suggested
are the transmutation of metal; solving
the problem of light without heat !;
the perfection of wireless comunica-
tion; the cure of certain phases of
| blindness; new sources Of heat, and,
since il would now seem that there is,
after all. but one substance in the
world (which appears to our untutcred
sense to assume various forms merely
because each form contains special
number of particles to the atom.
chemistry may undergo such rejuv-
enation as will result i'll the most IN
heard-of discoveries.
We confess to being a doubling
Thomas to the extent Of not being
alarmed at the prospect Of deprecia-
ton in gas and electric stock over the
possibility of Radium furnishing per-
petual light 1t is said that small
quantity of Radium salts in the Curie
laboratory, where this wonderful sub
stance was discovered, was sufficient to
render the walls, the instruments, the
very air, radioactive. ''That is, the
walls, the instruments, the air, gave
off radiations of their own merely be-
cause Radium was or had been pre-
sent. Imagine the gain to mankind
when process is evolved for making
those radiations luminous. Ordinary
gas or electric light would nc longer be
necessary. There would no longer be
dark corners in the world. Every
thing that had felt the influence OF
the Radium would shine, and since
the energy of the salt is well-nigh per.
pe.ual, there would never be any need
of renewing the lighting contract. -