MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSIVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 530, 6 December 1928, Page 13

MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSIVE

CURIOUS WAR FRAUD BETTER FOR TOY’ PISIOLS An audacious war-time fraud is recalled by the death at his London house of Sir Theodore Cook, author, journalist, and editor-in-chief of the “Field” since 1910. Early in 1917 Sir Theodore’s private room at the offices of the “Field” was raided by detectives at the behest of the War Office, and it was revealed that the raid concerned a new explosive. This led to the exposure of a mysterious “Mr. Blanche,-’ inventor of the equally mysterious “halakite,” a “high explosive,” which was to have won the war for the Allies. “Halakite” proved more suitable for toy pistols than heavy guns, wnile English factories, supposed to be turning it out at 25 tons a day, were found to be non-existent. The inventor was asked to produce the apparatus with which he made the powder and could not do so. He said it was in Paris, amj messengers were sent to find it. The court suggested it must have been buried. Eventually the inventor retired from the inquiry, “halakite” was declared of no military value, and the plant for making it non-existent. Sir Theodore Cook’s good faith and patriotic motives were not questioned, and no further action was taken. Lost £90,000 In 1925 it was revealed in bankruptcy proceedings that Sir Theodore had lost nearly £90,000 in foreign ventures. He lost £45,000 in a pre-war scheme for providing Leningrad with water and drainage, and another £42,000 in a plan for electrifying Italian towns and railways. Iu this latter case it was again an American who declared he could secure a big Italian contract. He got the money aud disappeared. Throughout his life Sir Theodore was adventurous. He was at times a tutor, was penniless on the shores of the Pacific, was an Old Blue with rowing records, captained the English fencing team when he had only one eye, wrote an imaginative book on architecture, composed music, was a skilful speaker and had an affection for strong tobacco. He died at 61 years of age.