THE CALL OF THE STREET 327 



had carbon in one of its simplest and least stable 

 combinations, roughly one equivalent of hydro- 

 gen to three of carbon, that if to a measured 

 quantity of the gas the chlorine equivalent of its 

 hydrogen content were presented under proper 

 conditions of isolation and pressure the chlorine 

 and hydrogen would combine, leaving the carbon 

 in condition to crystallize. 



I had brought my family back to Elizabeth 

 and fitted up a working laboratory and a small 

 machine shop in my house. My office hours were 

 so few that I had much time for experimentation 

 and I started in to work out our crystallization 

 of carbon theory. The gases were made, meas- 

 ured, and mixed in proper proportions and I 

 forced them into soda water bottles at increasing 

 pressures until for the sake of safety I enclosed 

 the bottles in wire cages. Some were kept in 

 darkness and others exposed to sunshine and I 

 watched the growth of one diamond with in- 

 tensest interest until I discovered that instead of 

 a diamond it was only a slight defect in the bottle. 



I got a more powerful pump and stronger 



