The evening times., 1896-03-17
Prof. SmiIIie Msds Experiments
at the Smithsonian.
WAS ENTIRELY SUCCESSFUL
Excellent ShadowRraph of Two Rep
tiles, ,ClearlyShowingthe he vertebrae,
Procured After AN Unsuccessful At
tempt To Photograph CrystnIs-De-
scriptiOn of the Work.

AhO' '"Neeh oStosNis Va
through opaque bodies, and h as pictures OF
two snakes with the vertebrae In each
clearly defined as the result of his Iabors.
lie is highly gra,ified over the outcome OF
his pioneer experiments and will continue
his efforts in that direction.
When the announcement OF Prof Rocnt-
gen discovery was made to the public Prof.
Langley. OF the Smithsonian, directed Prof.
Smillie TO take up the ma tier so far as the
apparatus of the Institution would permit.
The first stumbling block was the absence
OF a Crookcs tube, an absolute necessity
FOR carrying on the work.
Prof. Smillie tried u Geisler tube. but
without success. When the electric cur
rent is passed through th is the effect is most
pleasing 10 the eye. but the tube is filled
with gas that makes it impossible to
produce the \ rays.
Then one Of Crookes' radiometers was
tried. The effect was more beautiful
than in the Geisler tube. as the little sparks
OF lightning played on the tips of the vane.
But the experiment was unsuccessful be-
cause the tube contained TOO much air.
Prof. Smillie sent for Crookes tube.
The demand has been SO great for th ese
thatit was days In coming. The Ibotogra-
pher had to walt. Finally 1t arrived. Two
experiments were tried. The first was on
a mass of chemical crystals with scatter
ings of gold and lead intermixed. Only
half an hours exposure was permitted, and
the experiment was not success.
TWO SNAKES PICTURED.
1t was then decided to attempt the
shadowgraph upon Hanimalsubstances. Two
snakes were procured-one a young rattle
snake about ten inches in length and the
other a garter snake fully two feet long.
Both reptiles had been preserved in forma>
line-an antiseptic which, unlike alcohol,
prevents the albuminous parts of an AMI
NAL substance from turning white.
The snakes were placed upon a piece Of
aluminium some twelve inches long by
eigh. inches wide, and with one corner
cut off and one side left rough as IL
broken The shorter snake was placed in
crooked length across the aluminium plate,
and the other reptile was coiled to
diameter of six inches or less. The figures
"l'' and ''2'' were marked beneath the
respective snakes on the metallic sheet.
To the left of the rattler a small piece
of celoniIe was placed ON the aluminium.
This is Il carbonate of LIME formation, quite
transparent, and resembling mica in ap.
pearance.
The aluminium plate and its contents
were then placed over an ordinary i'm
preston plate OF a camera. and all were
laid upon a table. The pasteboard shade
that is always drawn when the sensitive
camera plate is exposed was left in place
throughout the experiment, SO that the
II Ial In
the subjects, the aluminium. and pasteboard
before they reached the plate.
CRoOKEs TUBE DESCRIBED.
The Crookcs tube was suspended from
glass bar about two feet above the table
upon which lay the apparatus described.
The tube is q comparatively simple piece
OF laboratory furniture. The one used by
Prof SmilIie was approximately four and
half inches long. At one end IL is
buIyed out to a diameter Of three-fourths
OF AN inch The next two inches and half
are scarcely half an inch across, ana the
remainder is drawn out into narrow
tube in order TO produce as nearly a per-
feet vacuum as is possible.
The bulged end of the tube is made OF
uranium glass, and 1t is through this that
This pa art of the glass has greenish color.
and while translucent, is not transparent.
The rest OF the tube is of plain glass, but it
IS opaque to the y rays
The cathode wire of the electric machine
pa sses into the tube on the top OF the bulb
of uranium glass. The anode wire enters
the other end of the tube before the fine
neck is drawn. The poles are three inches
apart, and have platinum terminals.
After everything had been placed in readi-
ness, Prof. Smile turned on the electric
current from an ordinary battery. The
current passed through an induction coll
last before it entered the tube, and this
gave it high intensity, and 1t measured
about 5 amperes and 10 volts.
BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS SEEN.
The most bea autiful effects were seen.
Under these conditions the electric sparks
take on the characteristic Of lightning,
and q miniature electric storm delighted
the beholdcrs. The flashes darted through
the vacuum from one terminal to the other,
and we're cast out from the uranium glass
in sheets of diverging rays of white light.
The current was SO powerful that partl-
cles of thu platinum terminals volatized and
cOIitlenScO Oh tIie Iusluc VI tbc Shiss'
The current was trifle irregular at
times, but solid hours exposure was
made. Then the light was turned off.
Prof Smillie lifted the aluminium sheet
with its snakes, its celonite and Its white
lead numbers. The pasteboard shade was
dra wn and the sensitive plate exposed.
The experiment had proven successful.
The powerful rays had penetrated the
flesh of each snake, and passed easily
the aluminium and pa steboard, and
left two hazy shadows OIL the sensitive
plate-one winding shade some ten inches
long and the other Il coil of greater length.
The cbalky bones had afforded greater re-
sistancc to the almost invincibc light, and
a darker shadow, with breaks showing the
sections of the vertebrae, ran through the
centers of the two shadows. II is true the
Impressions were here and there trifle
but the entire lcngths of the two
reptiles could be easily traced.
RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT.
In addition to these wo shadows the num-
oers - and .'2'' appeared in the respect
I've places they had occupied on the alumni
num sheet. The white lead had proved a
barrier to the X-rays. So. too, had the
transparent celonite. and a black, rectan-
,ular spot at the edge OF the sensitive plate
show wed that this point had been inin,edi-
atcly beneath the mineral.
Theexperiment had proven too hard how
ever for the Crookcs tube and its future use
'ulncss was ainios entirely destroyed. More
nbcs have been ordered. and the trials will
Do continued.
1--WE will not make many attempts to take
he shadows of animals" said Pref. Sniillie