The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-12
Scientific Men Still at Work on
Problem of TransmutatiOn
of Metals.
HAS ATTRACTED MANY
SINCE BEGINNING OF HISTORY
Suicides Follow Result of Elk.
perimentS to Make Silver
From BaSer Metals.
BY RALPH JOHNSON.
re To The Tribune.

BY Leased Wire To The Tribune.
NEW YORK. June 1.-THE fact that
u hard headed successful New York finan-
cler has lost his life In the search for the
philosophers stone In the second decade
OF the twentieth century seems incredible.
yet il is the very general belief that c.
C. Dickinson, one of the leading mem
hers OF the younger set In high finance,
was killed as the result OF experiments
made with the idea that 5assr metals
through chemical processes could lie
turned to silver. Not only This, but in
quiry develops the fact that there are
perhaps scores OF men OF scientific at
tainments who are working the prob
lem OF the transmutation of metals which
has attracted Missionaries almost since the
beginning OF history, and certainly SINCE
men began TO delve into the secrets "a
nature. Superintendent kingsoury Fos-
ter of the United States assay office could,
If he would, tell many interesting stores
OF men who not only have been and are
in fact now engaged in this search, but
who have confidently believed they have
found the magic process. Fifteen years
ago according TO old records In the oe-
partment, a man named Hiram Rush en-
tered the chief assayistS little ,len and
planked down on the work bench s:ales
a yellow nugget that weighed nn ounce
and a half.
Gold From Sea Water,
ST made that gold out of sea water"
sir; extracted every bit of IT froln
ton OF brine dipped out of The ocean Ut
Perth Amboy and epaporated by a sys-
tenn all my own" The assay revealed that
Hiram Rushs ounce and half OF nugget
was really 80 per cent gold. investiga-
ton further disclosed that Hiram Rush
was an old hermit chemist living on the
Perth Amboy shore, who had actually DIS
covered the presence OF gold IN sea water
and had actually extracted gold from 1t
with the aid OF Il giant vat be Ind con-
yal nd 1iar s-ri, n md
evaporating apparatus which he held in
secret 10 his death. But further investi-
CATION showed that the poor old chemist
had never extracted that whole nugget Of
gold from single ton OF sea water; IT
was found that he had applied his process
to watts full OF the water daily. dipping IL
up from the ocean for that purpose day
by day-and from years work and many
hundreds OF tons OF water he had finally
accrued half an ounce of gold. Then. one
day, with the madness OF his alchemy
grabbed up the precious mite of sea water
gold and had melted 1t down with the gold
ring that had been his mothers on her
Wedding day day, HIS POO poor, st unstrSng brain, ,
all his gold was from sea water. he had
carried his prize in triumph TO the as
saylst.
Disguised With Alchemy.
1t was not long after this that very
great scientist, now in the employ Of the
government, went TO the assay office
with a specimen of gold he had trans
muted from a Mexican silver dollar. He
thought he had discovered so much gold
in fusion in the Mexican dollar that he
could afford the gilt by his own process.
sell back the silver and alloy at but
slight loss, under the purchase price, and
still have left nearly Is cents worth OF
pure gold. He figured that his process
actually transmitted some Of the original
silver and alloy into the more precious
metal He discovered his mistake when
the assay showed his gold to be mostly
alloy-worth about an eighth of a cent
TO the dollar piece. and costing cents
TO extract. He had the sense TO drop his
dream and go back TO the government
service. and they say of him that he's
so thoroughly disgusted with alchemy