The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-05-01
ARTIFICIAL gems
DIAMONDS OF ANY SIZE BEING
MADE in NEW YoRk--RuRlEs
AND CORAL ALSO.
Bio Railroads Cutting Down Expenses
Reduce Number and Increase
Size Of Trairs-Dropped
Over 10000 Men.

New York, April so.--'As a result
of the efforts of chemists and scien-
fists to equal nature in the production
of precious stones, New York dealers
are now concerned with the question
Of artificial gems to an extent thought
impossible q few years ago. The art!-
fetal products are not confind to the
field of cheaper or sm-precious jew
els. Scientific workers in fact can
now produce artificial diamonds in al
mos, any size but so brittle Is the new
product that it flies to pieces in the
process of grinding and polishing.
Crystal of carborundum which is the
most favored MARTIAL for the produce
tion Of artificial diamonds are cheap
since they can readily be produced
in an electric furnace from sand, coke,
sawdust and common salt. The crys-
al thus produced scratches ven tie
ruby and sapphire and is conceded to
he next to the diamond in hardness
Its one defect is it's brittleness and
this chemists are working to over.
come. But it Is not only In connec'
ton with diamonds that this work is
being carried on. Genuine coral has
| become so dear that the chemists be-
gan experimenting early last fall to
produce it artiflcially. Within few
days an artificial coral had apperei
n the jewelry stores and is guaral
| teed to be not only of the IDENTICAL
color of the finest Japanese pink coral
| but also to have the same weight,
| feel" and temperature, so that ex
perts are defjed to detct the imitation
from the real. The importers of gen
uine coral deny, however, that the
imitation is so chose as all that. lmi
Nations of platinum have also apparel
] and if matters continue to progress
along these lines of effort, 1t may soon
become practically impossible for any
On to be sure of the genuinness Of
Jewels. This invasion of the field OF
| the most exclusive jewels by "faks"
| hat cannot be detected opens new
and interesting possibilities for
charges and recriminations as to
N character of the gems worn by
New York's 400" who occupy the
famous diamond horseshoe" of boxes
at the grand opera.
Railroads Retrenchins.
| Very quietly and with an evident
purpose 10 disturb the industrial sit.
alton as little as possible, the rail-
Dads here are putting into effect ex.
ensive retrenchmenrs for the purpose
Of making their income balance with
Increased operating expenses. Finan
ial houses that keep posted on such
matters receive almost daily informa
ion of the closing OF shops or reduc-
ions to part time, the laying off Of
employees and the cancellation Of or
lers Two of the systems running out
If this city have dropped between
Twelve and fifteen hundred men in the
)ast thirty days. More important
still from the viewpoint of the travl'
lg public Is the Announcement of two
II the big trunk lines that thy are to
| discontinue several of their fas'
trains to the west and southwest. The
,ttempt is to be made to apply to the
'elatively Improbable passenger
4 business the same methods that have
been successful In keeping the freight
,raffic on remunerative basis in the
face of rapid incrase in operating
cost-that is wry decreasing the num
Der of trains and increasing their size
| Another factor has been interiected
into the discussion OF railway rates
tby the statement made this week by
the vice chairman OF the committee
On railway mail pay that the road;
lare being held up by the national gov
eminent through the post office de
nartment to the extent of 100000, o0t
| ! year by the exaction Of services in
1.-The transportation Of mail for when