The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-07-10
OF RADIuM.
Terrific Force In a Tiny Particle O
tho New Chemical.

Terrific Force In a Tiny Particle of
the New Chemical.
RadiuU is one of the rarest things
upon earth and is never found in the
pure state. 1t must be ASSOCIATED from
the other substances with which it is
combined by long, tedious and costly
chemical operations. 1t is obtained
from a mineral called pitchblende,
found in Bohemia, and during the two
or three years that have elapsed since
it's discovery by Nine. and NJ. Curie Of
Paris they have succeeded in separat-
ing out of tons and tons of %pitchblende
less than two pounds Of radium. That
is all that exists uncombined In the
world, and even that Is not the pure
thing. 1t is mingled with more or less
barium, says Golfers Weekly.
The CURES do possess, however, one
tiny bit of chemically pure radium. It
weighs about half a grain and is said
to be s. Of the ass stzs e: 4 bgsskghge n: oq;
It for 100000 francs. If he and his
wife have a monopoly of this precious
substance they are not getting rich out
Of 1t. The demand is not active. Half
a grain of impure radium in a little
tube is offered in Paris for $1,000.
A thief who should run off with a bit
Of radium as big as a small diamond
would find that he had caught a Tar
tar. If he kept it in his pocket It
would produce an Inflammation that
might cost him his life. If he held it
near his eyes he could easily lose his
sight. If he handled Il much his fin
gers would get sore and might have to
be amputated. NJ. Curie Is quoted as
saying that he would not venture into
a containing a kilogram Of pure
radium, for if he did he would proba-
bly, lose his skin, his eyesight and his
life.
1t gives off light also. Pure radium
shines in the dark, although it is not
hot like a fame; but, most wonderful
Of all, it constantly projects into space
around it streams Of invisible corpus
cles, smaller than atoms, with a veloci-
ty as great as 100000 miles per sec
ond.
It Is this marvellous and ceaseless
| bombardment Of its surroundings that
makes radium % dangerous to handle.
The infinitely minute partitions can.
not, Of course, be seen, but they at
feet Photographic plates, and it was in
that that the existence OF
these tnexplicable radiating streams
was first demonstrated.
A Grim Joke.
The value Of a Joke often depends
upon the viewpoint of the people who
hear it. There was an interesting Incl.
dent during the recent meeting Of the
American Orthopedic association at the
Arlington. when one Of the members
was describing an operation which re.
suited in the death of the patient. He
told all about the first symptoms of q
case of hip disease and Of the opera,
tons that We're performed. 1t seemed
that there were elements Of the case
that were not known at the time of the
operations.
But" he said, calculating the sub.
ject with the greatest candor anG
showing that the doctors interested il
the case finally triumphed by securing
a complete, understanding of the mat
ter. "the mistake was discovered at the
autopsy" E..,
The intense interest of the assem-
blage of doctors was not interrupted
by V a twitch Of a single risible.-
Washington Star.