Three Of New
Orleans Bank
Robbers Caught
NSW ORLEANS, WP)—'Three of
the bandits who staged the biggest
bank robbery in years were cap
tured before the sun had set Fri
day. but two others—described as
“the brains of the outfit”—re
mained at large Saturday with al
most half of the $114,000 loot.
Police superintendent A. A. Wa
ters said $65,000 was recovered
after arrest of the three, leaving
$49,000 in the hands of the two
“brains.”
In view of the remarkably
clever handling of the robbery
and in light of the daring arro
gance of the missing bandits, of
ficers said the pair might have
climbed aboard an interurbanbus,
lugging in a suitcase their share
of the haul.
Buses are being halted and
checked in Alabama and Missis
sippi as well as in Louisiana.
Detective chief Joseph Scheur
ing identified the men in jail as
George W. Ricketts, 23, of Chal
mette La., his nephew, 21-year-old
Timmie Ricketts, of New Orleans,
John Hassemback, 23, also of New
Orleans.
Scheuring said a suitcase packed
with $35,000 was found in the
house where the Ricketts were ar
rested and that $30,000 was found
in a paper bag in Hassenback’s
room. Police said the latter had
hidden the bag in a hole in the
floor, then had pushed a heavy
stove over the hole to conceal the
small fortune in currency.
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Man-Made Emer
alds Defy Tests
(By Rannia Taylor)
<</P) Science Reporter)
SAN FRANCISCO — Synthetic
emeralds which fool everyone but
experts now are available to the
jewelry trade to $10 to $90 a karat
or less than one-tenth the cost of
the natural article.
They are made of the same stuff
as natural emeralds which in gen
eral are more expensive than dia
monds. They can be distinguished
infallibly from natural emeralds
by only one of the half dozen
known tests.
They defy even the spectro
scope! because they are chemical
ly identical with, natural emeralds.
These new gems are the result
of a process developed by a young
San Francisco chemist, Carroll F.
Chatham who turns out emeralds
by the quart. However, it takes
quite a while to make a quart—
about 10 months.
Like emeralds from the mines,
most of the crystals are either
impure, too small or of poor color,
unsuitable for jewelry. As speci
mens for collectors they are worth
about $1 apiece.
But a few of the larger crystals
turn out well. They can be cut
into stones of anywhere from one
half to 10 karats. Chatham values
the 10-karat sise at $900. The
market price for a natural, perfect
10-karat emerald is around $25.
000.
Equipment now is being install
ed which Chatham expects to pro
duce some crystals as big as golf
balls, from which 200-karat gems
might be cut.
The general principle which
Chatham follows is based on the
natural phenomenon of crystal
growth. First they have to be
broken up into their constituent
molecules or atoms. In the case
of metals and gems this requires
either tremendous heat or pres
sure or both.
Nature provides the necessary
heat and pressure in volcanic ac
tivity and in the disintegration of
mountains. But nature habitually
is careless about purity. For that
reason metals seldom are found
in pure form. Pure gem crystals of
jewelry size are even more rare.
Chatham improves upon nature
by starting with virtually pure
substances. The basic ingredients
of emerald are beryllium oxide,
aluminum oxide and silicon, and
a few trace elements, mostly
chromium and iron.
The beryllium and alumnium
oxides are dissolved in water. The
water is evaporated off leaving
the chemicals to form pure crys
tals. Silicon is provided through
another process.
The pure substances are put
into a small, specially built fur
nace along with a tiny bit of real
emerald for "seed." Hairsplitting
regulation of temperature and
pressure determines the size of
the crystals that will emerge.
The one invariable telltale fea
ture of Chatham’s emeralds is a
slight darkening in the interior
which can be seen only under a
microscope.
Man-made emeralds were pro
duced in Europe before the war
bui were too .-mall and too costly
for practical use, Chatham said.
The synthetic emerald is the
second recent American achieve
ment in the field of man-made
gems. The Linde Air Products
company recently began produc
tion of synthetic star rubies and
star sapphires.
Chatham's next goal is synthet
ic diamonds, one of the dreams
of scientists since the days of al
chemy.
Wm. O’Neill Joins
Board Of Regents
FAIRBANKS, (/P)—Gov. Ernest
Gruening today announced the
appointment of William A. O’Neill
of Anchorage, to the University
of Alaska board of regents, filling
the vacancy created by the death
of Thomas Donahoe, Anchorage.
O’Neill, a mining engineer, is
the first graduate of the univers
ity to be named to the board. He
was a member of the class of
1934.
Gruening also announced that
Herb Hilscner, pioneer Fairbanks
resident, free lance writer and
manager of the Fairbanks dog
derby and ice carnival, has been
appointed a member of the Alas
ka Development Board from the
Fourth Division. He replaces Les
lie Nerland, Fairbanks, who de
Lack Of Freight
Delays Sailing
i _
SEATTLE, OP)—Sailing of the
Alaska Steamship company
freighter Coastal Rambler again
has been postponed due to insuffi
cient cargo offerings, the company
said today.
The Rambler now is posted to
sail for Alaska ports Jan. 23 in
stead of Jan. 15. She was previ
ously scheduled to sail Friday for
Ketchikan, Juneau and Seward.'
Meanwhile, cargo previously
intended for the Coastal Rambler
sailing will be diverted to the SS.
Denali which is scheduled to sail
Jan. 17, company officials said.
clined to serve another term.
Both appointments are subject
to confirmation of the Territorial
legislature at its next session.
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ERIC NELSON
WATER WORRIES?
Phone Main 113
• • • because we ve
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F or cleaner clothes tand no w ater w orries, simply
call Main 113.
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and DRY CLEANERS