Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-21
LIGHT GIvERs.
Phenomena That Serve Some Purposes
but Difficult TO Explain.
Curious Lights Of Different Colors En-
anating from Mysterious Sources.
iyew York sun.l

. medical man said 10 some friends in
an uptown cafe. "A friend Of mine
who lives there sent 20 tho old coun-
try for the younger brother of his
gardener To come over. aud In course
Of time the young fellow arrived, and
10 green was he that there was no end
10 the Jokes played on him, but the
finale came one night when one Of
party asked him IL be knew he was
near the cntranccof Uadcs. He made
llphl Of IL, Of course but the jokers Of
fered to prove IL, aud after dark he
was taken out to a rocky place beyond
the city, where there was mass OF
looseyrained, lightcolored, crystalline
Limestone. known In Salt Lake IA
'Hell-fre Rock There II was ex-
planned that hell was 80 near that by
even knocking on the rock fire would
appear, and handing a hammer to him,
they told him To give the rock n tap,
which he did the blow Immediately
producing blue flame. Then the en-
Tire party struck IL, and amid the blue !
IiVhts the victim started for salt Lake, |
and the next day bad left the city"
HAD some one dDctOred the rock ~
one Of the group asked.
Not at all, was the reply, 1T is
well-kDown limestone, resembling "A
goft sandstone, coloTed somewhat with
oxide OF iron, and 80 pbosphorcsceat
that the slightest scratch or blow pro-
duces light, but stranger yet, differ cnt
colors are produced at will. II metal
or glass Is used TO strike IL n red light
lasting several seconds IL the result.
Rub two pieces together aud white
light appears, while If II piece Is heated
In glass tube IL glows for several
minutes with deep red finally turn
ing white. II was first discovered by
aome miners.
at Ii not 10 remarkable continued
the speaker, that 40 many persons be-
lieve In ghosts, as the ordinary run of
people cannot be expected to familiar
I've themselves with all the phenomena
ofnature, and Il little superstition with
equal parts Of ignorance, well shaken,
produce sometimes the most astonisb-
ang results. ] was called To attend n
,,nse the other day, and found the fam
lily convinced that the man was going
to die, M n 'sperrit had been seen how
ering over him. When ] tried to
laugh them out of 1t they told
me to call Mt night and SEQ for my
self, and so | did. Sure enough,
when looked into the darkened room
there hung over the patient luin-
inous mist, II very fair sort of gnost,
but merely n phosphoresccnt exhaln
ton from the patient, which ] had
some difficulty In proving, and |
doubt II they yet believe mo. Such
cases are by no means unusual, not
only with men but all animals. As
early rs 1857 n work, now rare, was
written on the subject by Fnbrini Of
Leipsic, but ny regards positive expla-
nation of the cause Of phosphorescence
,.T hid. A.,
known then as now. Phipson, the
English chemist, says that he
has seen pink metallic light Ia the
eyes OF a man In total darkness. Ono
of the strnngcst cases OF lipht-giving
higher animals was In the monkey OBJ
served by the naturalist Renlger. In
passing through forest late ut night
he saw two bright lights, and think
ing that II might be some rare insect
attempted to take them I'm net, but
they moved away He fired aud
brought down n monkey that fortu-
natcly was only wounded In the log.
He kept It for some time, and its eyes
were 40 brilliantly luminous In perfect
darkness thnt they illuminated oh
lects within BiN Inches of them, and
coarse print could be read by tho
light. a ease well known To the Ital-
ian medical profession, and recorded
10y Bartholomi, was that of II lady who
suddenly discovered that she was lu-
mlnous Ia the dark. The slightest
friction produced u luminous hale
about tho entire body, so that
she was called mHiicy spiontteas, When
4 woman servant first observed this In
her mistress, she rushed from the room,
acreamiug that she was on fire. The
unfortunate lady was convinced that
abe was the victim either of some su
pernatural visitation or u slow com
bustion but she was not aware of nuy
i'll effects, and the strange condition
gradually Disappeared
CDR. Kane. while I'm the Arctic
regions, had some curious experiences
Strange lights appeared on the handle
Cf his revolver and by many of the
men were considered ill-omens, Phos'
phoreaoent light appears about some
persons previous 10 dissolution. but
only aftor eXtremc and long prostra.
ton. In England and scotland
strange lights Of any sort about per.
sons are called elf cand les. Phcse
ghostly lights are often secn about
iead animal matter the phenomena
having first been brought g the notice
OF scientific men In 1902. Some young
men OF Palua had purchased II leg oi
aud on visiting It In the nigh,
Ia assure themselves of It's safety
found would-he Thief upon his knce'
IN terror, the attractive joint cleaning
with phosphoresenco. Eater, in l6ll
Il poor woman bought n piece of meat
and having occasion TO go into th,
pantry where il WAS in darkness, wa.
horrliied 10 find the moat seemingly
shlaze with light Numbers OF per
aons visited II the next evening
among them Bartholini, the famous
Danish philosopher, who obtained ,
piece of the iircry meat, and found that
the luminosity disappeared when i
hogan 10 purify, In Robert Boyie''
paper In the philosophical Trans
uctions" OF l672 he rcmprk'
npon shining flesh, and speak
oft asa very splendid show, land he
actually read q paper by the rays ~mlt
ted, He expressed much astonish
lnent that, Notwithstanding the light
was very intense, il did not yield up
preciabie heat, either 20 the touch or e
"A .stk. In A.