Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-05

the specimens, to find the spot again if
need be.
Here's another spring.
We filed another can. about three quarts,
You know.
We grubbed up sediment.
And the sun mounted high and started
down the other side. We lunched on goat s
milk cheese, black bread and tnin sour
white wine, found at cottage lost in the
nils. Our pockets were filled with bits of
ore. Our cans were filled with varied min
eral waters. We saw eagle. four rab-
bits. two squirrels, three pretty girls, and
eighty-seven goats. And that is the way
ones goes prospecting in France.
Assaying the Ore.
There are three ways to assay radium ore.
You can do it at home, in your spare mo-
nents.
Being impatient, we tried the toughest
quickest method that very night with four
teen specimens. Dark room, red lantern.
Here are a lot of absolutely tight boxes"
said the doctor. Here are our packages of
extra rapid photographer plates. And here
are slips of black paper the same size, or a
trif1e larger
The boxes are tight to prevent any possi-
BILE ray of sunlight altering into them, ex-
Just like a camera, I added. to show
that l. too, knew. The doctor opened a box.
placed in 1t sensitive plate and covered
1t with slip of black paper.
The doctor placed 1t in the middle of the
box, on the slip of black paper.
Note" ne said, that the black paper is
between the ore and The plate. This is to
chemical reaction. If there is any radiant
matter in the ore. it will pass through the
black paper without fail.'
We closed the box Theoretically. Then we
loaded and closed the others. 1t was mid
night. Now We can go and play the little
horses in the Casino said the doctor. 1T
will take hours for the rays Of there be
any IN the ore to penetrate the ores them
selves. the black paper and affect the sensi-
tive plate"
Great Possibilities.
So We waited through that night, dream
ing of a radiant future. Who may know.
The thing may be fabulous. 1t is possible
that deep down in the crust of the earth
pusa tie with understandable strain and diff
Guilty, under terrible pressure, incalcuiable
masses of radiant matter while for unnum-
bered cycles, through all the fabulous geo.
logical time the scraps that lay on the sur
face have been shooting away their power
into space? We know that the mysterious
gas, heliun, never aceumulates In our at
mosphere. though it Is continually penetrat-
ing to us from the surface of hot springs
and through the crevices of volcanic rocks.
Now, helium has connection with radium,
we know that much.
At Z O'Clock the next morning we de-
yeloped our phOtographs-tO be explicit, our
photographs.
THE method of development is abso-
lutely the same in photography" said
the doctor. Nevertheless here is a devel-
opment bath that gives very good results:
Solution A:
Sulphite (sulfite) of soda. 30 grammes
Pyrocatechine. ................ 10 grammes
Solution b:
w ater law grammes
Tribasic phosphate of soda. 100 grammes
Solution c:
Water observation-disclosures 100 grammes
Bromide of potassium ....... 10 grammes
ITO use the bath we take one part of the
a few drops of G.. The development will be
rather long, between ten minutes and half
an hour"
Nothing There.
1t was longer-because nothing would de-
velop!
After We had sweated half a morning
D. ventured TO observe that possibly our
first specimens contained no radioactive
matter.
Probably" said the doctor. I'VE shall
never know absolutely, because it will not
be worth while to try them more carefully.
We want ores that contain more than that.
in any case Lots of ores have been found
that are not worth working, you know
Suppose there had been the least trifie
of radioactive matter in those pieces of
rock, why didn't it show" l asked.
Suppose the active substance imprisoned
in the center of the rock" replied the doc
tor. ut will naturally penetrate the rock
with terrible slowness and weakly Our
time of exposing would be too short. With
eXtra-rapid plates our time of exposition
will be five or six hours. With less sensi-
tive plates it ought to be ten or twelve
hours; but have been warned not to bank
on any radioactive ores that will not give
decent results with average plates in less
than eight hours. Between five and eight
hours. Weaker ores will be too feeble in
success"
More Refined Way.
Commercial success,
We have not found 1T yet Immediately
we set to work evaporating our mineral
waters. There was beautifully sufficient
sediment in each.
AT the same time we ground in a mortar
small quantities of the sediments we had
brought up in handfuls from the sides OF
the springs. The method of assaying them
was the same, the more refined way the
doctor now showed US to employ with min
eral rocks.
You pulverize them ana work the pow
dered mass into homogeneity.
'Behold the homogeneous massr ey-
claimed the doctor In each case there was
a teaspocnful. Whether it be sediment from
the sides Of the springs or dry extract
from distilling spring water or pulverized
rocks picked up in the road, they looked
alike.
The doctor brought out of his bag-of
tricks lot of little lead rings. These he
placed over the black paper in the pho
tographic box and spread inside them a
layer of the pulveriZed mass.
IF there is radium in them, it is all
through them now that they are ground in
the mortar said the DOCTOR
$50 We shall be sure to have photographs
this time
Sure" said the doctor Observe what
/ am doing.
He took cut of his bag-of-tricks three
little metallic bits of ore, very small. as
big as chestnuts. From two tiny boxes he.
took two powders. and then he produced
two other bits Of ore with one side OF each
ground down and polished
Here Is the real thingr' he exclaimed
I'VE are sure to get magnificent radio-
graphs from themr'
Where did you find them?" we cried
Il bought them in the best chemical EN-,
porium of Paris he replied impressiyelv
STERLING HELLO.
In Queer Japan.
Tho (lma he paa