The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-28
BIZ Clement Fezdndie.

makes the goluS anu III ouSHI W
be an easy job for us to cart off whole
load of it. Why, the windows aren't even
fastenedv'
AS he said the words, Dago Jake, with
a deftness that betokened long experience,
noiselessly pushed up the sash, and a
moment later, the two burglars had
entered the room.
SIT can't be real gold them" whispered
the young fellow called Shrimp. ''You
can bet your life the window wouldn't
be left open, if this was the real stuff"
cts gold all right, Shrimp; know, be-
cause | got hold of some of it and had
it tested. Old Doe. Hackensaw makes it
himself, and as he can make it by the
CARLOAD, he doesn't think it worth while
to have it watched. Besides, he thinks
that no one, outside of his own men,
knows the secret. He doesn't know that
some of the fellers have blabbed. But
hush! / hear somebody coming. Let's
slip behind these boxes in the corner"
The two rogues had scarcely time to
conceal themselves before the door
opened, and Silas Rocket and Professor
6dCk6nSdW 6uL6f6u Tie IOOIH.
Eyes, Silas,' said the doctor, continuing
the conversation he had already begun.
81 have found it! / have found the
Philosophers Stone that the old alchem-
lists vainly sought-the secret of making
gold, and better yet, the secret of trans
forming any element into any other"
"Wheww whistled the reporter, "That
is discovery and no mistake! If under
stand you, you have found means of
changing the common metals into gold?"
Doctor Hackensaw's lips curled con-
temptuously. EYES," said he, "but that
is only minor part of my discovery.
Personally wouldn't give snap of the
fingers for hundred tons of gold. This
room we are in, is chuck-full of gold
that l made from lead, and yet l am go
ing to change it back into lead again."
"Whatv'
eyes," continued the professor, pur-
posely misunderstanding his companion.
can atom of gold is nothing but an atom
of lead with two helium atoms knocked
out of it. Or, as another man states it, if
you expel one alpha particle from lead,
you get mercury; and if you expel beta
particle from mercury you get thallium.
Then expel another alpha particle from
thallium and you get gold.
"Well, have accomplished the change.
This room contains several million dol
lars worth of gold-but as | said before,
I'm going to change it all back into lead
again.
what in the world are you going to
do that for?" asked Silas, in surprise.
Simply because this gold would do
more harm than good if tried to make
use of it."
"a little of it would do me a lot of
good' remarked Silas, whose pocketbook
was always empty.
"Silas," said Professor Hackensaw,
solemnly, 81 am now able to manufacture
gold in any quantity desire, at the cost
of a few dollars per ton. And yet l am
not going to make any more of it, because
it would be bad thing for the world if
gold were produced in large quantities.
Gold is now very valuable currency,
or as means of exchange between ma
lions. If made in quantities it would be
useless for this purpose, and its value
for other purposes would by no means
compensate for this loss. Cheap silver
would be very useful for the manufacture
of electric wires, because silver is better
conductor of electricity than copper. But
gold. though it would be useful as a lin
ing for kitchen utensils and other purposes
of the sort would be of small use in the
arts, no matter how low the price. The
benefits derived from an unlimited supply
of gold would not begin to make up, for
mankind, the loss of gold as money or
means of exchange.
"Then, too, the manufacture of gold
on large scale, would bring about a
financial crisis, such as the world has
never before experienced. The present
financial conditions in Austria and
Germany will give you some idea of what
would happen. Why, | had not sold Il
million dollars worth of my synthetic
gold before | was visited by confidential
agents from the different governments of
the world, begging me to desist unless
wished to be the ruin of hundreds of
thousands of families"
81 can't say that | understand you,
doctor?"
as it possible? Why, you see, all our
bank notes are on gold basis. And all
bonds, loans, rentals contracts, ct cetera,
are made either on the basis of bank
notes or of gold. Now gold, at present,
rs worth nearly twenty-one dollars an
ounce If | manufactured it at twenty
five cents per pound, it would be worth
only one one-thousandth of what it is at
present. In other words, man having a
thousand dollars in bank-notes, bonds,
money in the bank, or other credit, would
find he could buy only oneedollar's worth