CORRESPONDENCE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 297, 19 June 1909, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

RADIUM (No. 2.) (To tho Editor.) Sir,-*— Tho news in this mornings papers, that radium is expected to. exist in the "waters under the earth" at Christchureh, makes one hope the £70,000,000 may still be paid off. I fear the creditors will get suspicious, especially as lately it was reported, tho English novel writers had recovered their former grositnoss and defoatctl the Americans. ' " ' Well, now for the mission of radium. Matt., lie, 20v. The repeal of Matt 12c, 39v, in tho case of steam, electricity, glass (lenses), and others. Perhaps Dannevirke may have a radium mine under it, so' l will "hasten on to tho tests for recognising it. It is said glass was discovered by some Phonecian sailors making a fire out of dried sea Meed. Radium was foiuul in a. mineral •called pitch blende, a compound of tho metal uranium, used in Austria for making a species of green glass, and here note all gems are natural glass, with various metals dissolved. The cook makes jellies by ' dissolving cochineal in animal glue. The sweet manufacturer makes yellow, green, red, blue delights for school children, etc. . , \ But this refuse from making green glass accumulated like slag from a furnace, until it: was. found it had the property of taking photographs in absolute darkness. Buy a- lot , of glass plates for the- camera, open ' them in the recesses of the darkest cavern near some of this pitch blende, or anything containing 'radium. The plates will be spoiled; nay, further, if you put the most delicate piece of lace, a fern or so forth on top of a good glass plate, then a sheet of iron, let it be an inch thick, and sprinkle anything containing radium on^top of tho iron, a photograph of tho~"lace, fern or so on would result indopendend of light. \. So you seo how Rontgen, the -German, disco-v-or-ed that raaium IS it fil'S% oousih -to electricity. Radium always seems to me- to bo tho perpetual motion solved by nature ages after she had asked man to test if it was possible. Man did so, and reported it was impossible! Man's remark is made an epigram:- — 0 radium ! you have beeiV and done it, Wo had our long try, * „ But you' won it' I am. et.e, ■H. M. LEYINGE.