, 1896-04-02
WITH THE NAKED EYE.
The Wizard" Fathoms Eight Inches
of White Pine.

block of wood eight inches. This mar
velous feat was accomplished at Mr..
Edison's laboratory In the presence of
a Journal reporter, who was permitted
to test the experiment for himself. The
bones of the hand could be plainly seen
through the intervening wood.
Mr.. Edison declares that it is simply
a question of further experiment and
more powerful light when the human
eye will be able to see through solid
metals, brick walls, sealed letters and
the human body. Mr.. Edison believes
that there is no reason why physicians
may not look into our heart, lungs and
stomach.
Mr.. Edison has been at his expert
mem. practically day and night since
the discovery of the Roentgen rays was
first announced. His aim has been to
do away with photography in pene-
trating solid substances, and to per-
feet his apparatus so that the human
eye can do the work of the photo
graphic plate.
1T is simply said Mr.. Edison, "a
question of perfecting the apparatus,
To that end | am working"
For the purposes of his experiments,
Mr.. Edison makes a "luorescent
screen and fastens it to the bottom OF
an empty pasteboard box iha. is ov>
cred with black paper. The box is
about six, inches square and seven in
ches deep, but its proportions nave
nothing to do with the actual results
of the experiments. In the top of the
box. Immediately above the screen.
there is cut a round hole for the eye.
This completes, with the Crookes tube,
the entire apparatus that is necessary,
and that was used by the reporter in
looking through the solid body of a
magazine and blocks of wood of vary
ing thickness. Pressing the eye close
ly to the peep-hole in the top of the
box, and holding it as close as possi>
BILE to the tube from which the cathode
rays were being discharged, a white
space could be distinctly seen through
rhe solid bottom of the box. That was
the first experiment.
Now" said Mr.. Edison, pass your
hand along the bottom of the box, so
that it comes between your eye and
the light. Can you see anything?"
A shadow was distinctly visible
thyn,r1, Tho tt;,l,o-, - ,otloonl
Every movement of the fingers could
be clearly traced.
Now, then, put up h e magazine"
The magazine, the current number
of the Cosmopolitan. was put up in
front of the box, and the reporter look
ed again. Srhe white space was seen as
clear and distinct almost as it was
when the bottom Of the box alone in
tervened between the eye and the glass
tube. The working of the fingers and
every movement of the hand could be
as distinctly made out.
Mr.. Edison picked up a block of
wood. which was a cube eight inches
long. six inches wide and six inches
high, cut from the end of a beam that
had once been used as a supporting
timber.
Mr.. Edison held up the block in
front Of the Crookes tube, and the re-
porter, after screwing his eye into the
peep-hole of the pasteboard box just
as closely as he could brought the
fiuorescent stream in range. The bot
tom of the box was set solidly against
the further side of the block Of wood
and the electric current was turned on
in the Crookes' tube. The reporter
stared as hard as he could with his one
eye, keeping the other closely covered.
Nothing was visible. Everything re-
manned black and dark. The block of
wood was moved away and still there
was no ray of light or semblance OF
light.
Cant see anything, eh?" Mr.. Edi-
son inquired.
There, we'll try it again" The
block of wood and the box were placed
in position and the reporter looked.
At first 1t appeared as II this expert
ment. too, would be a failure. But just
at the moment when this seemed to be
a fact a faint simmer of white began
to come up out of the dark. This grew
stronger and stronger. and soon the
patch of light showed with almost as
much strength as 1t had shown when
only a couple of inches of wood inter-
vened between the eye and the light.
did you see %anything?" Mr.. Edi-
son asked.
Yes; a shadow"
TRY it again. Take your own
hand"
The reporter passed his hand across
the face Of the block Of wood and
clearly saw his hand and fingers.
The reporter had looked through u
SOLID mass several inches in thickness.
After that everything seemed possible,
and Mr.. Edison's declaration that the
time would come when a person could
look through a brick wall no longer
has = single rae Of the improbable
about t.-New York Recorder.
Old papers In any quantity at this
omcs. = cents par hundred.
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