The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-09
THE ROENTGEN LIGHT.
Edison Is Going to Photograph
the Human Brain.
GETTING HIS APPARATUS READY
The Famous Inventor Developing the
Dutch Professors Discovery
Properties OF the Rays.

Lewellyn, ~. J., Feb. &-The laboratories
OF Thomas A Edison have been besisged
during the past few days by people VINO
are anxious TO know what progress the
great experimental has made In the Use OF
the Crookes tube and its application to
photography. IL was expected that Mr..
Edison would try to photograph the human
brain today. and as a consequence num-
Der Of newspaper men and artists were on
hand 10 get the results OF the experiment.
The inventor had hoped 70 have some tubes
In readiness for the work Of tire morning.
but Notwithstanding the fact that he and
his efficient corps Of helpers worked all
night, they were unable 10 complete tseir
Iabors. Mr.. Edison confidently expects
10 have All the preparations made by Mon
day. however. Mr.. Edison said today that
he was not spending any time photograph
ing his hand and keys. but was devoting
his entire time TO developing the practical
side of Prof. Roentgen's recent discovery.
Already said he. Il have been able TO
establish the fact that the different mate
rails offer different degrees OF resist
aace TO the passage of the new light For
instance, glass proves TO be a relatively
poor conductor OF rays, while hard black
rubber permits the almost free passage OF
the light Lead is also good conductor.
The principal difficulty which the inyen-
tor encountered in his experiments was the
fact that a sharp shadow OF the material
under test could not be secured unless II
was directly under the tube. This indis-
tlnctness is due to the snallness OF the
tubes which have been used in the expert
.ments, and II Is this same trouble which
has caused the delay In photographing
the human brain and bones OF the head.
The tubes which are now being constructed
are much larger than those used hereto
fore, and by the combined use or severai
-. 80 ~@fsR n
isfactory shadow OF the head bones and the
brain.
Ia answer to question as TO the defi3i-
ton OF the new light, Mr.. Edison sad:
The Roentgen ray is a wave in ether.
More than this / cannot say at the pres
ent time. l consider ii very great uis-
eoVeTy, and have confirmed all the expert
ments OF him who first gave the discovery
TO the world. These experiments with the
fiuorescent light are all very suaple and
beautiful, and / am only trying 10 increase
the power and perfection of the record"
The reporter who visited Mr.. Edison to-
day was shown tube in active operation.
Thep power of the light as aluminanti svery
small indeed. and Ii is this fact which sur
prises the novice. His wonder is much in
creased, however, when he Is told that Ii
is not at all improbable that under favor
able conditions the light might be abso-
lutely invisible to the eye. The fiuores-
eence is caused largely. IL not entirely, by
the glass which is used in the construction
of the tubes. The new tubes which are
being made at the laboratory are about
eight inches long and two inches in diam
eter. The first intention of Mr.. Edison
was to construct tubes of celluloid, but he
now states that he can obtain glass of
sufficient thinness to make ii unnecessary
TO construct the celIuloid tubes. No ex-
pertinent has ever been made at the labor
story which has caused so much interest
as the present one. Every employe of the
establishment shares the enthusiasm of
the chief and all are anxiously waiting
the Developments of Monday.