New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-13
AT WORK ON THE X RAYS.
DIR. PUPIN HOPES TO BE MORE SUCCESS
Full WITH STATIC MACHINE.
HE THINKS PROFESSOR ROENTGEN HAS NOT MADE
KNOWN ALL HE HAS DIsCovERED-soME

by experimenters in this country seem exceedingly
favorable The problem IT would appear. that must
be solved before the discovery can find any COM
merclal application is that of obtaining sufficient
intensity Of the unseen Hight to penetrate such an
opaque substance as the bone OF the human BODY
Both Thomas A. Edison and Professor Pupln' VINO
are probably the most indefatlgab.e experimenters
with the rays in the whole country. are deVotihg
themselves solely TO the work OF securing ms
greater Intensity The methods by which DR..
Pupin hopes 10 achieve this enn nave "''e''S "'''
described In The Tribune
In a comprehensive sense they consist or
static machre and vacuum tube, WITH the UNION
50 arranged in n corcave form as To FOCUS me
cathodc rays the opposite side or the huip' 10y
this means greater Intensity OF the cathode
1uorescence Will be directed 10 IN" area
whence will proceed the Rontger rays producing
In the latter II Is hoped similar Increase OF III
tensitv that viii BE more effective than hitherto
I'm obtaining Photographic effects.
HOW LONG SHOULD PLATES BE ENPoSEDF
I'll. question OF the proper time during which tho
plate should be exposed is one also to wnich pr'
pupin IS giving considerable attention h'A'
MANY experimenters. DR.. Pupn IL OF the op'h'"
NAT instead OF the many unsatisfactory results '
Ing due a. IS said. - unicr-eXI"'lre' 'he 'N'''
reverse Is the cause THIS point however ne con-
nlently hopes 10 determine u"''"e ''' 'N -"
DAYS
Smoking " the substitution Of the new ar
ranremen:s for his previous methods. bI. Fup'h
sail Yesterday: II impressed with the ""d
that a simpincation Of the apparatus empower
o,d n ,csseulng q III time o. exposure are De-
srable IN the practical application OF TIM. is''N-
err, and my efforts arc directed 10 tn attainment
~ both these ends. The prospects, ! think are
favorable and the static machine which am
putting up Will he cons! !erabIe ""E'''r upon
the complicated apparatus have. IN common win
others thus far used The reason believe ''"'
better results can be obtained with these marni'''
C b.caus. a much higher potentially can b. OBJ
tanned thereby. and the discharges can 10 "t "
much more disruptlve character. Although can
not AS yet speak very definitely upon ihe point
my observations lead me t. ~ BELIEF INA, th'9
IS the r.gh. direction IN which cNpernehie.s
should push their operations.
THINKS ROENTGEN HAS NOT TOLD ALL
at IS certain that results As satisfactory as 'Aosc'o
tanned by RGntgen have not We been gainei M TINS
country and the Logical Inference Is that onis'n mas
not told US all he has himself discovered Conse-
ouently Il VIII BE- necessary for scientists inter-
e.ted in the development Of The discovery to rely
upon their own researches entirely. and II VIII
only be by continuous moiincarors that We may
expec: TO Increase KNOWLEDGE o, the new
radiance
According 10 a dispatch from London an interest
ing discovery has just been made IN Rome IN ''n-
nection with the new radiant force Professor
Salvioni. or Peruga read i paper before Tho Rpm-
Medical Aca lerny 1 few days ago. In when b." de-
scrb.s an optical instrument IL his own Invention
which enables the human eye b. means ~ D" E'ni-
gen rays 70 see through anything which those RAYS
can penetrate. Il IS sa!d that Professor ShF'pm
produced his Inv nton ana hy l's means those "ho
were present were enabled 20 see the con-
tents Of closed aluminium box. Unfortunately
no description OF the instrument or Of me methods
used s. given IN tho dispatch
DR. Pupln said ycstcrl lay IN commenting upon THIS
new development: professor Stlv.oM does hoi APP
pear to have achieved anything out ~ thc ordinary.
Such a result is quite easily accomplished an4 |
havc performed the same experiment myself More
over RBntgon himself Was aware ~ this pin
nomcnon even before he discovered the Photographic
effect II was IN fart this very thing winch l'i him
to his first experiment with the sensitive plate II
YOU take a nuoresceui screen and place. say. an
aluminium box containing Opaque substances bo-
tween the R0ntgen rays and The screen ana then
focus your eye upon the epot whore The rays hit
the screen YOU will be able distinctly 10 see an I'M
preston Of the articles inside the box upon me
Mate or screen OF course it may be that Pro-
foeeor s,lvonl has succeeded in pcrfcciing I'M
nrnved system FOR the better pgosuctipn OF ms
effect but until further particulars AMI Information
are available no opinion can bee formed IN thi.
nothing that can be called new or Startling.
SEEING THE UNSEEN.
Dr. william j. Morton. to whom inquiries were
olso addressed on this subject SAID the result OF
Professor Savioni's experiments WAS one mat was
perfoctlv feasible and one that had been obtained
nv other scientists. He added: If Professor sal
vionI has obtained perfection in this direction 1t
would be fitting climax this wonderful disoov-
orv-to know that In addition 70 being able TO
photograph the unseen. to use paradox.cal phrase
we are able TO the unseen. But. as nave SAID
such an actually Is to my mind quite possible.
'R0ntgen In his communication does hot seem TO
% uS irr'mstancrs are not refractble Bat
fraction. though not yet dernon%trhted, may nave
who have devoted themselves 10 ms plFucu'ar
phase OF research ! firmly believe that we sn nya
upon may be based the ordinary laws OF Light ana
lenses" , - T., ,, ..
posed attempt to photograph mans BRAN yester-
day. being occup9u ~ ucs o U11 ,hnsn,n one
result of the present excitement over the Rontgen
Ed,son in vast numbers from people who allcgc that
they have bullets in their bodies ana are seeking
oe 'b upi,l army Of cranks that have suggestions
and ideas 10 give
THE ALUMINIUM DISKS BECOME HARDENED.
one result OF some of the experiments was noted
Yesterday in breaong up tube that had been used
a number of times. The aluminium disks. which
were the electrodes. found to have beer har-
dcned or tempered In some unknown way. Ordinarily
these disks soft as lead, or nearly so. and
are readily bent with the fingers In any way. The
ones that had been used were found 10 be so hard
that by applying the ut,nos, icrce oil strong man
Mr. Edison was asked about this phenomenon and
said that he was unable to offer any explanation
except that perhaps some of the molecules of for
eign matter had been freed from the aluminium and
had been projected through the molecular inter-
slices Of the glass He added that perhaps IT might
be found that aluminium was not as simple as gen,
orally supposed. but that ii might be chemical
compound.
Another interesting fact brought out and
that was that a tube fixed at low vacuum after
being used for some hours became changed Into one
OF high vacuum. This. Mr. Edison thought indl-
Gates the passage Of the molecules % the residual
air by decomposition through the glass lie could
not account the phenomenon In any other way.
An attempt made to test the distance ut which
the rays would penetrate by funnel eight feet
long The exposure was fOrty-iive minutes. and the
result showed that there was some action but not
enough TO be entirely satisfactory Mr.. Edison will
repeat the experiment with a much longer exposure
PROFESSOR HERING's EXPERIMENTS.
Professor d. w. Herring. OF the University OF the
City OF New-York. yesterday closed n successful
series Of experiments at University Heights with