Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-18
LIGHT UNIVERSAL.
Can Even Be Extracted from
CimmeFian Darkness.
CATHODE RAY WILL DO THE TRICK

Remarkable Results Of Experiments Made
BY Dr.. Emmens-Finds Also That the
Ray Can He Refected-Possibility That
Dark Room May BE Lighted Out Of Jts
Very Darkness by the Development oi
the Strange Beam.
NEW YORK, Mnrch 1S.-Several impor-
| tant discoveries have been made in con-
nection with Y rays by Stephen H. EN-
| mems. Of this city, who claims to have sue.
| cccted in obtaining the rays from the
ordinary sunbeam, and has taken ex.
cellent pictures Herewith. He has also,
he believes, succeeded in rejecting X rays,
which heretofore have been considered
impossible Of reflection. This opens up a
remarkable field, for it means that the
rays can be concentrated and with proper
apparatus be used to produce photographs
instead Of nero shadowgraphs, as at pres.
ent. DIR. Emmens has found what he 90.
lieves to be the X ray in absolute dark.
ness, and has caught its effects on q sensi-
tive plate.
Some Remarkable Possibilities.
His experiments convince him that the
< ray is as universal as gravitation itself;
that there Is a correlation between it and
all other forms Of radiant energy, and
that it may be changed under proper con-
ditions into those other forms. He is now
trying to turn the X rays into ordinary
light, and If he succeeds wonders may be
worked later. 1t may be possible to light
dark room by using the waste radiant
energy Of the boiling tea kettle or the Or
dinary radiator, or by collecting and turn
ing into ordinary light the X rays of the
darkness itself. DR.. Emmens is tho we'll.
known inventor Of "Emmensite," the
powerful explosive adopted by the United
States government for military purposes.
In his X ray experiments he was assisted
by his son, Newton w. Emmcns. They
began with ordinary Photographic plates
which, inclosed in vulcanite plate e-holdcrs,
they exposed to the direct sunbeams
One Of the Emmens Experiments.
They placed various objects on the plate
underneath the vulcanite screen and they
found that after sufficient exposure pic.
lures Of the objects were produced on the
sensitive film. The ordinary light con-
tained by the sunbeam was stopped by
the vulcanite, but the X ray penetrated it
without difficulty. Two visiting cards,
oHe CONTAINING tne name Newton w.
Emmens" and the other "Mrs. Hattie C..
Emmens." were inclosed in plate holder
over the sensitive film with portion of q
Christmas card. After an exposure of
thirty-six hours it was found that the
rays had penetrated the vulcanite plate.
holder and the cards, and had produced
excellent pictures of all the cards on the
plate. The outlines were as clear and dis
tinct rs If they had been photographed.
and the names on the visiting cards stood
out as plainly rs on the cards themselves.
Evidence Of the Reflection.
While the rays had gone through the
plate-holder and the cardboard without
difficulty they had been stopped by tho
ink in which tho names were printed,
causing every letter to appear in white
on the negative. Many of the metal orna-
ments on the Christmas card had proved
transparent to the rays, while Others had
proved Opaque. But the most important
result Of the experiment was the peculiar,
ity of the outline shown by the shadow
graphs. The edge of each card that faced
the sun more than the other edges pro-
duced n heavy dark shadow which dis
tinctly proved that more light had fallen
along those lines than anywhere else on
the plate. OF this there could be only
one explanation-namely, that the rays
striking the edge of the card Were reflect
ed downward and thus concentrated on
the plate along lines coinciding with the
side of the card facing the sun.