Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-12-28
MAKING DIAMONDS
BY A NEW PROCESS,
Man Connected With the Standard
Underground Cable Works Said
to Have the Secret.

After a series of fascinating ex-
periments, marked by several violent
explosions, in which his life was en-
%dangered, Chief Engineer Henry w.
Fisher, of the Standard Underground
Cable Company. has succeeded in
making real diamonds in an arc fur
mace. The gems are larger than any
Of the artificial diamonds created by
NJ. Henri Moisson, of Paris, in his
laboratory. They are the first ever
produced in the United States. Fish
er is now experimenting with heat
tests in the hope of finding the crit
ical temperature at which the gems
Of large size are formed. The NOM
ent he realizes his expectation there
will be an end of the South African
Diamond Trust, and everybody can
indulge in a ''sparkler" at a moder-
lte price.
The arc furnace in which the Fish
or gems are produced is formed by an
electric arc in air between two car
bon electrodes, similar to the arc
light. The heat is raised to $500
degrees centigrade which is above
the point where carbon volatilizes
when under atmospheric pressure.
Process of Manufacture.
In this furnace Fisher places a
small quantity of soft iron and pull
verified graphite, covering the COM
pound with charcoal. A current of
1000 amperes and 500 volts is then
lnder-the terrific heat generated.
s insulated from the heat with as
NpGfnc Frhn ftrnonn Sc of Gpa hYtnIr
ined with magnetic. The graphite
electrodes protrude through the
walls, the ends terminating on either
ide of the crucible, around which
owdered coke is packed.
When the current has been turned
n long enough to fuse the iron and
raphite (carbon), a spring releases
he crucible, which drops through a
ole in the table and is plunged in
family into a tank. of ice cold water.
The seething mass, thus precipi-
ated into the bath, u%ndergoes won
'erful metamorphosis. The iron
ontracts and in turn this action ex-
'rts a sudden and mighty pressure on
he graphite. The fused graphite
distributed throughout the molten
METAL is crystallized in the isometric
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mall size, having precisely the den
ity and other characteristics hat
distinguish this costly gem from all
other crystals.
Hard to Regulate Temperature.
THE temperature of the arc fur
lace." says Fisher. lis very hard to
egulate, and in this way lay the Sc
ret of diamond manufacture. That
6 rhnVn NAV No n nApfat, a,stsaaI
emperature to which the graphite
must be heated in order that it may
We crystallized when it is chilled by
contact with the water"
The current number of Electricity
publishes an account of Fishers ex-
Deriments, with photographs of the
nyriads of tiny gems imbedded in
he hardened mass of chilled iron.
Nhe diamonds are c~olorless, trans
aren't and crystalline.
In order TO avoid danger from the
explosions incident to plunging an
incandescent body in a fluid Fisher
arranged a pivote trap of asbestos
lnder the crucible. In one of the
initial experiments the crucible, in
is descent, turned partly over, and
spilled it's white-hot contents into the
IRON pot holding the water. Strik-
ing the vessel at the waterline, there
vas a binding flash, like miniature
lightning, followed by a violent
'eething of decomposing water. The
inventor had a narrow escape. The
molten metal actually burned a hole
through the iron pot. Fisher then
devised a graphite tube for dropping
the crucible through.
AS an instance of the unexpected
results of different degrees of heat,
On substances, it may be mentioned
that sand and coke. when fused to a
,ertain point, form "siloxicon."
Heated more, they unite in white
stuff" Heated still more, they un-
lite into ''carborundrum.' At a still
higher heat, only graphite results.