The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-02-04
STORY OF RADIUM
SUBSTANCE is WORTH JUST FIFTY
MILLIONS A POUND
TOTAL SUPPLY AN ounce
Only One Plant in United States for
the Productio. of This Power
Which is Expected to Rerolutionize
Science and Medicine-History Of
Its Discovery and Development.


In little, brick building in the
village of Sellersville, Pa, an hours
ride by trolley from Philadelphia,
there is located the first radium man
ufacturing plant in the United States,
or in the Western hemisphere for
that matter. The second will soon
be in operation in Colorado, but the
initial honors go to the little plant in
the century-old settlement in the
keystone state.
Radium is quite the nose expen-
sive, and likewise the most mystic
rious thing that the worlds science
has knowledge Of at the present time.
1t is also the most difficult and the
most costly to produce. One gram Of
radium is worth, at the lowest esti-
mate, 100000. It takes about 4SS
OF these grams to produce a pound;
hence the velue of pound, If there
were that much in the world. would
be worth s50,000.000
But the world does not possess a
pound of radium, and it will be
matter Of a great many years before
it does. In fact it Is doubtful if the
entire ore field Of Colorado will pro-
duce much more than a pound of this
material. At the present time there
is not much more than an ounce Of
radium in the world, as 1t is rated
at about s3,o00,000 an ounce. avoir-
A"noic. the entire supply is worth
about s3.5O0.o0o.
Just what raGium Is remains a
great deal Of mystery. Although a
component part Of the earth since its
creation. it was only very few years
ago that Nine. Curie. the French
scientist and her husband succeeded
in isolating it. Scientists have dis
covered some Of the things this Won
derful new power can do. but the sum
Of it's activitie- is a problem which
Will require the work Of several gen
erations to establish.
It is still in the experimental
stage, and It was not until a year
after Nine. Curie had collected the
first radium the worlds history
+ha+ its wonderful curative powers
become known.
Prof. Henri Becquerel. great
French physicist. who had closely fol-
lowed Nine. Curie in her work. jour-
neved to Tondon tn give lecture on
radium. In his waistcoat pocked he
carried a vial containing few specks
of the powerful mineral. Unknown
to him. the mysterious light rays.
which he clement gives off, pierced
the glass and his clothing and enter
ed his side. According to the now
established radiura law. red streak
appeared on his flesh IA days later.
and he suffered great pain from it. 1t
developed into deep wound. with Sc
-'-'e nnmn1ica-iors. and he was COM
pelled to take lis bed. 1t was sew
eral months before cure was effect
ed.
Scientists and physicians imme-
diatelv reasoned that such power
full agency could be harnessed for
bodily Welt. re. and since that time
ore long series of experiments with
~adium and the human hody have
been made. They know little more
now thaa when they began, but it is
tolerably certain that the invisible
-ovs will halt cancer. and perhaps
establish a permanent cure. While
scores Of Other human ills have
proven snsceptib1e to its influence.
Radiun was first made from the
mineral known as p;'chblende. great
Quantities of which abound in Aus
tr.a. But later discovery establish
ed the fact that the new force existed
in greater quantities in carnotite.
yellow mineral found In INSIGNIFICANT
Quantities outside the United States.
It is present in small quantities in
eoveral states Of this country, but
running through Colorado and Utah
has been found the richest radinm-
bearing region yet discovered. This
carnotite is now being mined in the
oaradov valley. in Colorado, and now
the entire stock Of radium is being
derived from this ore.
Carnotite is usually found in pock-
~ts of sandstone deposits. The secur-
;-e Of II is a difficult task. and when
it is known that it takes many tons
~ tho orc 20 produce a single gram
Of radium, the work becomes exceed