Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-19


on the accomplishments of
DR.. Edward Acheson, by
Sidney johnson.
In part Mr.. johnson says:
is dead, it is a pretty good
scheme to send the flowers while
he is alive and well and able to
enjoy them.
No life story is more romantic
and reveals the ups and downs in
life, its lights and shades. its tr&g-
edies and its successes, any more
than that of Doctor Acheson.
By his brain materials that were
worth a thousand dollars n pound
twenty years ago are now produced
for twelve cents a pound.
His two great inventions are car
borundum and graphite made arti-
ficaliy.
DR.. Acheson's great achievements
have all been the utilization Of ac-
cidents." to use his own modest
phrase.
Edward G. Acheson was born at
Washington, Pa, March 9. 1886.
The boy improved every oppor-
tunity to study. He saved up his
pennies, and We find him going to
a boarding school at SeU1ckley. and
afterward to an academy at Belle
fonte.
He had his ups and downs, most
ly downs, not realizing that all the
time ne was getting an education
and finding out a great number of
things about mines, oil wells, coal
pockets. rai1roading, the manage
ment of men, and the use of ma
chinery.
In 1880, no name loomed so large
on the horizon of American affairs
as that of Thomas A. Edison.
He heard Edward Acheson an
ply lOl WIZ n, anu ilC gave MIN d
job in the drafting department at
Menlo Park.
In 1881, Mr.. Acheson went abroad
and spent some time in the service
of Mr. Edison. But he wanted to
get back to America and tackle
some big, difficult propositions. and.
if possible, work with the chief.
so back to America he came, again
finding work at Menlo Park Fame
was not long in coming to him.
On the Lookout.
Somebody told him about the
value and the need of good abra-
sive, and that there was no article
in Nature that would cut the dia-
mond.
So Acheson was on the lookout
for an abrasive that would super
sede all others He got the thing
in his head first, and then he dis
covered certain crystals on the
point of a carbon. Then it was
that he began to save these crystals,
and from this the idea of carbo-
rundum was born.
These first crystals were sold at
the rate of eight hundred dollars a
pound
The same thing Is being pro-
duced now for ten cents a pound:
and the world is producing ten mil
lion pounds a year.
1,,I,,
Acheson mixed coke with sand, and
turned through these a powerful
electric current. The electricity
leaping between the poles, twenty
feet and more apart. with the sand
and coke between, vaporized the
sand, and this cooled in the form of
csrborundum crystals.
This was DR.. Achesons first
great and far reaching discovery.
The second invention. which. in
some ways, is greater than the
first. came when a degree of cleo
trio heat was applied sufficient to
deoompose the carborundum, Just
as the sand had formerly been va
ported. When this was done. the
substance was found to be pure
graphite. Here we get a fulfill
ment Of the law that the opposites
of things are very much alike.
Graphite is a substance that has
been long known as black lead 1t
is discovered in limited quantities.
diffuSed over the whole world. Very
seldom, however is il found in suf-
ticient quantities so il can be mined
TO advantage
Graphite made artihcially is the
undisputed invention of Dr. Ache
son. 1t is not an imitation graphite
II is the production by man in
very short space of time of the
same article that nature has taken
thousands Of years to produce
The hrst business of the Acheson
Ora phite Company was to make
rods of electrodes for use in cleo
trio furnaces. Next, graphite was
used for filing dry batteries.
Next. it was discovered that
graphite was a very efficient pig
ment for use in making paints for
painting metals