DIAMOND MAKING.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9085, 2 March 1908, Page 2

DIAMOND MAKING.

No stranger story has been told for many years than that relating to the alleged discovery of ;> recipe for diamonds by M. Lcmoum, cho French ©ngin*w arrested recently a charge of defrauding Sir Julius Wernher, the Sotith African millionaire. According to Lemoine’s story he has studied the manufacture of diamonds since he grew up, and lias succeeded in making marketable gems, not the microscopic crystals which chemists have been able to make for some time. He was introduced to Sir Julias for the purpose of raising funds to enable him to continue work, and the millionaire was so satisfied with what ho saw that he advanced money to put up a largo workshop, and as security the secret formula for the_ process of manufacture was deposited in a sealed envelope in the Union Bank, London. But Sir Julius ceased to communicate with“invenfcor, and the the latter transferring his services to another financier, ho was arrested at Sir Julius’s instance on a charge of fraud. This is Lemoine’s story. Sir Julius says that he witnessed a series of experiments which seemed to him conclusive, and arranged to take the diamonds manufactured by the process In order to prevent the Invention flooding the market. When Lemoine, however, ceased to deliver diamonds, and kept making demands for money, he grew suspicious, and took Mr Hoates, an expert, who came specially from the Cape, to witness an experiment. Thereon a singular thing happened. The experiments made before Mr Hoates entirely failed, and not a single, diamond came from the crucible. Lemoine blamed a low electric supply for this result, and offered to repeat the experiment Sir Julius had first seen. Sir Julias demanded a conclusive experiment, but Lemoine refused to make it, and thereupon Mr Hoates advised Sir Julius that the alleged-discovery was a fraud. ' When Lemoine was being examined by the magistrate he offered to repeat his experiment beore experts if lie was on bail, but the magistrate refused to release him. Then he offered to hand over all his property, including (350,000 francs worth of shares, to Sir Julius as security, on condition that he was released, Sir Julius to.become the possessor of all if his experiments failed. To this the millionaire, would not agree, but suggested the opening of the sealed envelope. Lemoine’s reply to this was to send instructions to the bank that the envelope .was on no account to be opened.