Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-08-30
Trade Secrets Held at Enormous Prices

in guarding valuable processes as are manufac-
turers. For example, the Chinese government Is
the owner of the secret Of making veriniillon rso'
which is held by many experts to be the most
beautiful shade of red in the world. No one mas
ever been able to produ ce q like vermllllon.
The Turkish government, it appears, possesses
q similar secret process of inlaying precious met
ais in the hardest steel. The work is done per-
fectly and defies all atte mpts ut reproduction
In 1913 it was announced that a distinguished
chemist Of the imperial technical school OF MOS
COW had solved the problem Of making artif1clal
rubber, and that he could sell the new product Mt
about 30 cents II pound. Yet the price OF rubber
remains pretty much the snme, II not more. The
reason may be found by examining the patent
Office records. In the last decade many hundreds
of patents for artificial rubber have been taken
out. Substitutes have been made from petroleum,
from coal tar, turpentine, peat. from nitrated lin
seed oil and by treating cereals with phynln.
The latter invention created n considerable sen.
sation SO long ago as 1905, yet, judging by the
constantly increasing demand for the natural
product. 1t has had little effect upon the real rub
Der market.
The chemist, working in his laboratory, can
take any substance and analyze 1t, that Ia, break
1t up into its original constituents, and tell you
what they are and how much of each element
the substance In question Is composed OF; but
when 1t comes TO building up the original sub.
StOOCe OuI u Il PRIME CpiiSttuVhtS "S 10 ~ SS"'
for the most part. BY dint Of long and patient
experiments or perhaps by pure chance he may
succeed in reproducing some few natural products,
but that IL as far US he can 60.
Indigo blue took many years to Synthetic. A
German chemist accomplished 1t at last. but the
curious discovery was made that II blended with
the natural product made from the indigo plant
the color obtained was bot, more durable and
brighter than that made BY either dye alone. 50
artificial indigo has not yet ruined the indigo
planter.
outta Pereha Becomes seareer.
Artificial camphor has also been produced. 1t Il
now made from plnetree turpentine. But the
chemist has not vet succeeded In synthetixinl
gutta percha. This commodity yearly becomes
scarcer. Enormous quantities are required Tor va
rious purposes, notably the covering Of submarine
cables and the making Of golf balls. A FORUM
awaits the man who can make artihcial gutu
pcrcha ut q price that will permit It to compel
with the Juice Of the Dichopis gutta.
Cork Ia another substance Of everyday use tina
, seems to defy the inventor. The only substitut
for cork ia paper treated with parannn wax: nu
D such a cork could not be used for a bottle OF WIN
/. SO far nothing has been artincially made to con
q pete with the bark Of the cork oak.
At Delhi, In India, stands nm ancient iron MOI
{ ument which. though exposed to all weather
r never rusts or decays. Yet 1t has no protecu,
' covering. Here IL n secret which would be si'np
a invaluable to the world, which has been discover'
!. by some Indian artihcer Of old and most unto
|, ~tunately lost. At a meeting Of steel and In
n men In London. the chairman said that they cou
h face the future with complacency II they cou
n rediscover the secret. To shipowners alone
n would mean a yearly Swing Of millions. Ru
II the great enemy Of the steel ship and she h
NJ constantly to 20 into dock to have her hull coat
N with an antic0rrosivc solution.