The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-11-25
RBD|UN IBE NEW METAL
Declared to be the Greatest
Discovery Ever Made.
A MYSTERIOUS FORCE
VIII Give Light for One thousand
Million Years without loss-!he
Remedy for Many Diseases which
Have Baffled Physicians Only
100000 a Pound

S3,OOO,ooo a Pound
Radiun, metal, force or manifesto
tion, now attracting such worldwide
interest. has been pronounced by emf
nent scientists as the greatest discov-
cry ever made. 1t is the rarest and
most costly material that exists. a
single pound being valued at S2,72l,-
$500. If such quantity OF pure
radium could be secured and placed
IN a room it would kill any person en-
terinc the apartment and remaining
for but a short space of time exposed
to the mere effect of its rays.
"Radium has placed the only ques-
ton mark that has ever been set
against the principle of the conserVa-
tism of energy" says Lord Kelvin.
"Radium will give off its rays tor
one thousand million years and yet
lose in weight only one milligram per
square centimeter in that time, says
Professor Becquerel.
"Radium will cure cancer. says Dr.
William h. Dieffenback of the Flow
er Hospital, of Manhattan.
"Radium will restore sight" says
DR.. Lunden, a German scientist.
"Radium proves that there is no
such thing as matter, as we under
stand it. It proves that everything is
but product Of electrical force" says
Professor Crookes Of London.
'Radium will cure consumption, H.,
says Professor Soddy of England.
These are but few Of the theories
and the facts given by scientists since
radium was separated from pitch
blende by the eminent French sc!en-
lists. Professor and Nine. Curie. 1t is
only a few years ago that they an
nounced the discovery Of the new ma
terial, and yet to-day no single sub
iect. no single material. no single
manifestation Of nature so occupies
the scientific morld as does this curl
Gus gray powder, that gives off light
and energy as persistently as the sun.
With the new material valued at
nearly S3.000.O00 pound, it need
scarcely be said that there is little OF
it in this country. The Flower Fospi.
tai has secured some from Germany
but the best-in fact. the only large
collection-of it here is in the posses
sion of W. ]. Hammer. Of 26 Cor'land'
street. New York. whose extensive
studies on the subject have attracted
the attention Of scientists here and
abroad
Mr.. Hammer enjoys the personal
friendship of Professors Curie. Bee
querel. Crookes. Rutherford and 9th
ers who have given the greatest at
tention to radioactive substances.
81 consider the discovery of radirn
by NJ. and Nine Curie the greatest
event of science he said, in the
course OF a conversation on the new
metal. I'VE are all familiar with phos
phorescence and fluorescerce. These
emanations of light are excited by di
rect contact with physical or light VI
bration but with radium we have 8
new factor.
"Some promising results have also
been claimed by Or. Oudin from its
use in the treatant of lupus. There
are also possibilities in the treatent
Of neuralgia and the diagnosing Of
paralysis Of the optic nerve.
IF tube containing radium is held
to the closed eye or. against the ten
pies. powerful impression of light is
produced. This is due probably 20 the
action of the radium on the phosphore
scence in the pupil of the eye and
possibly also to its action on the nerve
centers
eff pile Of seeds is divided into
two parts and one portion is exposed
to radium for a considerable period
and then both piles are planted. it Is
found that the seeds exposed to radi
um have lost their terminating prop
critics.
Professor Curie informed me that
radium emi:s exactly the same quan
tity of Becquerel rays when exposed tc
liquid air as it does at the normal
temperature of the atmosphere: that
the strength Of radiation is not al
tered
During my visit in Paris last Sep
tember I had the pleasure of visiting
Professor Curie at his laboratory and
seeing some very interestong expert.
ments: and among other things he
showed me tiny tube containing be
tween 2.100 and 500 Of gram OF
radium. This he held up to the light
and stated that it represented the only
samples of chemically pure radium
in the world.
"I asked how he had demonstrated
1t to be chemically pure. and he said
that this was the sample with which
NJ. Demarcay had made his investiga
tions with the sEectToscope and had
shown that there were only present
the lines characteristic Of radium, and
this was the identical sample with
which the atomic weight had been de-
termined to be 223, while that Of ba
rum. with which it is associated, is
but 157.
II asked Professor Curie what was
the value of this tiny tube, which is
about the size of a buckshot. and be
said that the value was anything
which one might place upon it: and on
my asking whether $4,000 would buy
it he said, no, indeed; but he showed
me tiny tube which contained per.
haps three-hundredths Of a gram
which still contained a considerable
trace Of barium. which he was willing
to dispose of for the sum Of 5000
Brooklyn Eagle.
Colonel Inman remem bered that t.
noy+ roor,i,or tho n otoi nho rro6 Cpir n