Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-21

/
| STAND IN BAY WINDOW DURING A
THUNDER STORM WHEN SHE WAS HALF
BLINDED BY A FLASH, WHICH LEFT HER
| SILHOUETTE ON THE TIN.
| From the y. Y. Sun August 18th.
| A silhouette of pretty Lillian Paul's profile
fixed by flash OF lightning without human aid
| on lacquered tin tray few weeks ago, has
| excited very great interest in Plainfield since
/ some account of the phenomenon has appeared
| in the newspapers. Photographer Langhorne,
| of Planfield, took negative of the pictured
| tray yesterday for exhibition.
| A heavy thunder storm visited Plainfeld on
the night of July 18th, accompanied by rain
and hail, and many telephones were burned
| outby the lightning. Lillian Paul, daughter of
J Mr.. {. u. Paul. sat up late that evening in her
| fathers house, in West Fourth street, to await
the return OF a belated servant. The vivid
| lightning caused her some uneasiness as she
sat alone In the parlor, but she is not a timid
| girl.
After all the other members of the family had
fetlred Miss Lillian went out into the dining
room Tor glass of water. In a bay window look
Ing out toward the north was a small stand,
ana ON lhls lay a cleaning tray about which
reflections from the lightning flashed inces-
sanity, almost like flame. Miss Lillian was
startled by the spectacle, and as she reached for
the tray to remove it there came flash of ex-
IRENE brlliancy. which caused her to stop and
turn partly away blinded by the light Hastily
Seizing a table spread the frightened girl threw
III over the tray, and, thus covered she put it
under the table and hurried out OF the room.
ne record OF that one dazzling flash was found
next morning when the tray was uncovered,
Tor III bore upon its center an image OF the girls
face.
Electricians are busy with the problem thus
presented TO them. Leo Daft, the inventor of
the electrical motor which bears his name, has
examined the tray, and now proposes to try
some experiments with electricity upon a
similar tray, to determine, III possible, by Just
what chemical action this curious effect has
been produced. The tray is of tin, about four
teen inches in diameter, and is stamped in
imitation of alligator hide. 1t is heavily lac
Quered to resemble brass; aud it has q high
polish Miss Lillian's profile appears in an
entire Change in the surface of the yellow lac
quer. In color it is light buff, and it is with
out the gloss which covers the other parts OF
the tray. The edges of this discOiored surface
are softly but distinctly outlined especially
shoulders. A curious feature OF the picture is
the TACT that where Miss LillaD's eyes would
naturally be placed in a portrait, the lacquer is
untouched by the iightnings flash.
Inc hrst Theory entertained was that the
electrical bolt had burned the young girls pro-
file i'll the lacquer, but it is argued that "a cur
rent OF such power would have burned the tray
ana stunned, ii II had not killed, the fair sitter
IN loves studio Then, too, il the image had
been burned by the direct influence OF the cleo
trIcsil current, why would not the surrounding
parts OF the Tray have undergone the change
ana the profile the center Deen left in bur-
nlsned lacquer?
Electrician Daft has this explanation of the
phenomenon To- offer: He believes that the
picture was produced by oxidation under the
undoubtedly contains among its ingredients
DlchroIlate OF potassium, sometimes called
dragons blood, upon which the intense light
may have had its effect He holds, in fact,
ihit the picture was printed by light and Tot
by neat, and that the flash reflected from
the lace to the inside of the opposite window
pane, and thence thrown upon the tray, pro-.
uucinS an actinlc portrait. such a change in
Tue appearance OF the lacque containing in its
cotOrlnS matter ingredients sensitive to light,
might take place in the course OF a long time
over the Whole surface OF the tray from the
effect oil "a diffrsed light, and this curious flash
OF Jersey lightning has according TO this the
DRY, simply done i'll a fraction OF a second, by a
brilliant effort directed 10 d small spot on the
tray, what the rays of the sun would have
taken months to accomplish over the whole sur
face. Both Mr.. DAFT and Mr. Bnrr of the Scien-
tJtc american, VINO lives in Plainfield, will try
by experiments TO produce similar effects ON
iacquered trays.
Miss Lillian, who is about eighteen years old,
Is now IN Canada on a summer visit, but she
VIII have photograph OF herself taken there
while she stands as nearly possible in the
posture in which the flash OF lightning caught
white dress, with lis INT folds OF tulle about her
shoulders, and this may explain the certain
vagueness of outline in the lower part OF the
picture. Her hair, which is dark, Is short and
curly, and Is brushed up and back from her
Iorenead. She does not wear it tied in knot
behind us the picture would seem to indicate,
and this Is explained by her own suggestion
thdt while reading in easy chair before
going into the dIniug-rOOm her hair may have
Oeen mussed anu pushed up, as shown by her
electrotype