3/29/2008

American Alchemists: Delmar DeForest Bryant, "Adiramled"


This image of the stone of Joshua is not taken from Adiramled's works (which are unillustrated as far as I have seen), but I believe it is thematically appropriate.

I take the quoted biographic information from this Alchemy Forum thread:

Bryant wrote a number of books in the years 1901 to 1911, some of whose titles are given below, and also published a monthly newsletter-magazine titled "Adiramled." During those years he lived in Ohio; East Orange, New Jersey; New York City; and South Haven, Michigan. and owned publishing companies variously called, "Adiramled Publishing Company," [...] Adiramled (Bryant) moved to New York City, as of December 15, 1901. He moved to East Orange, New Jersey as of September 1902, an area described by A as "the loveliest suburbs accessible to Greater New-Yorkers." Plans to "establish a vast home-with farm attachment for raising food, together with industries of various kinds to give employment to a lot of people. It will be a kind of co-operative commonwealth-a realization of Bulwer's and Bellamy's Dreams...." By November 1903 is publishing from South Haven, Michigan "practically a suburb of Chicago" (Adiramled, November 1903).

[...]

In June 1901 Adiramled writes knowledgeably about prime matter

In October 1901, Adiramled writes of receiving his astrological chart from J.K. Newman of Omaha, Nebraska, (1811 Lake Street)

Adiramled once lived in Chicago (Page 4 of Adiramled, January 1902).

From the Adiramled Newsletter, April 1902: "The magic medicine of the ancients was in the form of a very subtle spiritual oil...a grease...The Universal Axle Grease." "...It was in looking down into the crater of an extinct volcano that I beheld evidences of the very Wonder I am presently alluding to. "Here at the foot of this very mountain I gathered the pieces of Lav which I pulverized into the oleaginous Sand on which to experiment with a view of extracting this Oil. "Since then, I have discovered that there are places in America where it can also be obtained of excellent quality but in extremely small quantity. "So that thus far, it has taken an enormous amount of labor and patience to obtain it. "I am at present studying on a chemical process to manufacture it from common loam by a treatment with Carbon and my experiments bid fair to succeeed. "Naturally while I am studying, I am teaching, because the thing is entirely too good to keep wholly to myself..."

He was a friend of John Hazelrigg and cites Ethan Allen Hitchcock.
From "The Unfoldment":
The Sages all assure us that the Thing called Philosopher's Stone is a thing "seen by all but recognized by few." They say that it is a common element, or rather the Quintessence of all elements, Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and that virtually it is contained in all things, but more in some than in others. Again, they say that its simplicity is so great that if openly declared it would be utterly incredible.

There is a sampling of his apparently extensive bibliography online:

Anyone with any information at all about this fairly obscure American alchemist, please don't hesitate to leave a comment!