The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-07
CATHODE RAYS HIS TOYS.
Edison Experiments with the Form
of Light Discovered by ROentgen.

From the New York World.
Thomas a. Edison has no need to ask
Am I a wizard2" The scientific world has
proclaimed him so. And II is therefore no
wonder that as soon as Prof. Roentgen's
almost miraculous success in photograph
ing through opaque organic matter had
been announced by the cable Mr.. Edison
set himself to work to find out what there
was in IL and how II was done.
HIS experiments began last week, and the
results he gave to a World reporter as fol-
lows:
This matter is by no means to be call
ed an invention, though IL opens up vast
vista to science 1t Is new development
in the field of physics, and while II is as
yet in its infancy there is no doubt that
even In it's present state of development
1t is capable of great amount of practi-
cal good
In surgery. for example. l am convinced
from my own experiments that bullets,
dislOcated bones calcareous deposits. etc,
may be accurately located by the use of
photography and the cathode ray.
What is the cathode ray2 That is DIFF
ticult to explain; but you must understand
that the electrical poles are called cathode
or positive and anode or negative.
Now, the cathode pole sends out rays
OF energy which travel IN a straight
line. unlike light. which travels in an un-
dulatory or wavelike path. And these
cathode rays are capable of producing an
impression on bromide plates.
IF any one were to ask me why this is
so l can only answer / do not know, but
my own experiments here in my labora-
tory as Orange have demonstrated this
fact, although l have had no communi-
cation with any one on the other side
Now, let me try to explain how these
photographs are obtained. IL you place
a highly sensitized plate in a camera oh
scura and suspend in front of IT an object
that is impervious to the rays of ordinary
light you can get on the plate shadow
due to the rays of the sun.
Now, suppose that instead OF the sun $
rays and the glass front to the box you
| have the cathode ray and wooden front
| to the box. The cathode ray penetrates
| the wood just the sun does the glass,
and with similar results.
I'm all the experiments made on the
other side l have noticed that they used
what is known as Crooks tube, which
1 is of glass
zone reason for my lack OF perfect
success thus far has been that have
been using battery. But l am fixing up
! a dynamo. When l have a sufficiently
/ powerful engine / am sure that there
will be no question of obtaining a good
| photograph of a mans hand, showing
only the bones, or a similar result with
anything else in which the exterior Is
pervious to the cathode ray and the mat
ter inside imperVious. expect TO have
my dynamo in operation by Tuesday at
| the latest.
Scientifically stated, the results OF
this discovery show that there is form
of energy which has been supposed to
exist and is now demonstrated.
THE technical description of the cause
that produces this effect is that 1t is a
disturbance of the ether
do not ask me what ether is, for / do
| not know; but just as sound travels
through grosser material air so do light
electricity and magnetism travel through
| ether
"AIi of these agents are undulatory in
| their movements from point to point;
| while the movement of the cathode ray
| is vibratory only. For example, take a
| piece of rope and fasten one end to a
| wall, then 90 off certain distance and
| shake It. 1t will move in waves; that is
| the undulatory vibration Now pull the
same rope taut and II Vibrates, but does
not undulate.
ut may be of interest to know with
reference to Prof. Roentgen's discovery,
| that some time ago in experimenting
with the rays from an arc light I found
certain rays that would pass through
| quartz and not through glass"