The Lost Diamond Maker.

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 1, 2 November 1908, Page 32

The Lost Diamond Maker.

The wonders of science are so great that it is unsafe to deny the possibility of anything affirmed, no matter how apparently strange. This is a commonplace. The consequent truth that the wonderful power of scientific invention may be a facile cause of illusion seems to have escaped the notice of mankind. The notorious case of Lemoine, the diamond maker, is an opportune reminder. Everyone knows how he got £60,000 out of a shrewd millionaire by offering to make diamonds, how he deposited his formula with a bank, how he bamboozled his man for months, how he fled, leaving an insolent message, and how his formula, after much resistance under the law was eventually produced. Here is the scene that followed the production. The envelope containing the much-can-vassed formula wan opened in the presence of Sir Julius Wernher, his counsel, and MM. Bordas, and Klind, experts in precious stones. M. Le Poittevin produced from a strong box a large envelope bearing five seals. The envelope having been duly recognised by Sir Julius Wernher and other persons present, the magistrate broke the seals and took from the envelope four large sheets of paper covered with

writing. These lie proceeded to read. At the first words his auditors began to look at each other in amazement, llie formula was nothing more than a clumsy compiled statement of certain facts of elementary chemistry such as are taught to children in primary schools. As the reading advanced astonishment changed to sheer stupefaction. According to one account, this is the formula: — 1, the undersigned, Henri Lemoine, declare that to make artificial diamonds, it is sufficient to employ the following process.— (l) Take a furnace; (2) take some powdered sugar carbon; (3) place the carbon in a crucible; (4) place the crucible in the furnace and raise the temperature to from l,7oodeg. to l,Boodeg. Centigrade in order to obtain crystallisation; (5) when this high temperature has been attained, apply pressure to the cover of the crucible. The diamonds will then be made, and it remains only to take them out. This, being translated, means simply: "Take carbon, crystallise and submit to sufficient pressure, you will have diamonds." Yet this is the man who was hailed by the Paris press as "Our National Alchemist." The press, however, is one thing, but a hard-headed millionaire who made his money by going through his horses on a South African diamondfield where they skin your eyes! How was he had? The wonder of science got him, very simply. He -wanted a scientific report. "My dear sir, give away my show! Impossible, but I will make you diamonds. ' '