The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-02-13
||1 So i! 81
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THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY.
Wonderful DiscOveriesfOf Prof.
81 81 5g3H ROentRen S5ss II

Wonderful Discoveries Of Prof
ROentgen.
The thoughts Of the scientific world
are still bent on Prof. Roentgen's dis
cove ccoyery. The general hope is that a
new form Of radiant energy has been
found, which will supply key to
novel and beWildering series Of ma
ture's marvellous secrets. The value
Of such q discovery from a scientific
point of view would be inculculable.
By some, the new light is looked upon
as some form Of electrical energy.
It does not act like radiant heat or
luminous waves, but in many respects
resembles the Hertzian waves that
are noticed in electrical experiments.
The main difference between this ra-
5diant energy and the Hertzian waves
seems to be that the former passes
through aluminium. The Wurzburg
professor, himself, has not yet solved
the theory Of the phenomenon. In re
peatlng his experiments recently be-
fore Emperor William he confessed
his inability to account for his demon
strations, and called the rays pro-
Visionally X rays. The possibilities
OF the new photography appear to be
extending. In the first experiments
the rays did not produce objects hid
den by solid matter thicker than 1
inch, but since then the photographs
through the inch aluminium plate, and
the set of books, and the Pesth photo
graph Of parts of the human body
larger than the hand are said to have
been taken. It is now stated that
the inference from the latest expert
ments is that nothing is absolutely
impenetrable to these strange rays.
There are only varying degrees OF
transparency or opacity. Prof Rotz-
gen lately took a photograph of large
metal plate which had been broken
in various pieces and welded together,
and so carefully joined that the lines
OF fracture were imperceptible under
the strongest ordinary light The So
called x rays made them as plain
as day on the photograph The bene-
fits to be looked for from this dis
covery in the general advancement of
science, and more particularly of sur
gical pathology, have already been
discussed at length, but perhaps even
more striking are the proofs now
spoken of as incontestable that it will
revolutionize methods in many depart
merits of metallurgical industry. 1t
is discovered that lead as we'll as
aluminium is transparent to Cathode
rays, and that alloys all vary in den
sity by rules which are being rapidly
established and tabulated Carbon
can be readily distinguished from iron,
and imperfect fusions in bronze and
other compounds can be detected at
once, so that an ideally simple way Of
testing great blocks or bars of metal,
as in cannon, railroad wheels. rails,
bridge sections, building skeletons,
arlnor plates, and so forth seems at
land. The newest experiments war
rant the expectation that this method
Of testing will be of value i'll practical
" every branch of metallurgy. Am
erican scientists are likely to take
prominent part in determining the
exact value of Prof. Roentgen's dis
| covery. A New York professor de-
clares that he can produce similar re-
suits by means Of a light which he
discovered many years ago, and ex-
periments are now being prosecuted
in the same direction in some of the
foremost laboratories Of that city.
Among the mass of gossip concerning
the new process received from Europe
is the statement that the discovery
of the Photographic power of the
cathode rays was due to an accident.
In experimenting with a Crookes tube,
through which a strong current was
passing, but which was covered with
a cloth. Prof. Roentgen happened to
bring his hand between the tube and
some sensitized Photographic paper.
Finding lines on the paper for which
he could not account, he hunted for
| the cause, and found that the bones
of his hand mad been reproduced by
| the rays from the tube. Prof Ger
| mark of Graz, has succeeded in photo
| graphing without it's fleshy integr-
ment the living skull Of an editor who
| offered his head for the purpose When
the editor saw the result he positively
refused to allow the picture to be re-
| produced or shown to any one except
men of science. The report goes that
he has not slept wink since he saw
his own deaths head.