The evening times., 1896-02-25

m modesiiy To the fact that twelve years ago
he sueceeded in causing the invisible in
fra red rays of the solar spectrum to pass
through sheet or hard rubber.
He found also that these rays would go
trough glass that was smoked so blackly
as to be perfectly opaque to ordinary light
rays Aud this was not all. by, means OF
the wonderful instrument known as the
Bclomcter he passed moon rays through
rubber and measured. their heat Oh the fur
ther side.
Noattempt was made to photograph with
these rays. However, photographs have ac-
tually been taken recently by means Of
moon rays. Lately, too, SUCCESS has been
obtained In taking photographs with the
invisible infra-red rays by special pro-
cess that has no relation to the Roentgen
idea. 1t is a fact we'll known that only a
small fraction OF the rainbow, or solar spec
trum is visible to the human eye. That frae
tton consists of a few bands of colors, with
violet at one end and red at the other.
| Imt beyond the violet is a region of un-
seen rays which has been studied by pho
Biography; for, though they produce no i'm
preston on the rctIna OF the eye, they
have no chemical properties which affect
the photographic plate.
BEYOND THE RED.
However. below the red is far more ex-
tcnsive reeiOr OF invisible rays and colors
never seen by mortal eye. Taking the
| solar spectrum on scale that makes the
| visible part Of 1t three feet in length. Mr.
| Langley has followed it into the dark
ness beyond the red for "A distance OF forty
feet.
.f..laN sa a fr,sa
cold extremity of the rainbow. the red is
toward the hot end. In fact. three-fourths
of the suns energy is represented by the uu-
seen rays beyond the red. Upon these infra-
red rays the farmer chiefly depends for the.
raising Of his crop. and they are of essential
importance to human life and II the activ
ities OF mankind.
The nature of the suns radiant energy is
to great extent n mystery as yet. Only i
small part OF 1t is manifested 10 the eye.
and very likely iteomprises many kinds Of
rays, whose activities are not now dreamed
OF.
The X rays OF Roentgen are actually an
unknown quantity, as their name implies;
the discoverer does not pretend To say what
they are. They are termed electric, because
they proceed from the negative electric
pole, or cathode. But. according to the
theory universally accepted. sunlight itself
is an electromagnetic phenomenon.
MEDIUM OF TRANSMISSION.
The velocity or light is exactly the same
as the velocity H electricity through the
same medium Hence il follows HAT elec-
tricity and light mnsf be movements of the
same medium-DameiyJ the so-oaIled lumi-
niferous ether, whici. occupies all space.
Said Prof. Alexander Graham Bell yester.
day:
Il think 1t. very likely that Roentgen
siiadowgraphs will b. made before long by
means OF suns rays. The question is, are
these rays TO be found among the rays of the
sun? Are they part of the radiant energy
of the solar orb? Nobody can say as yet.
All that we can say is that they may be
searched for hopefully. The greatest in
tcrest OF the rays comes from the fact
that we are SO entirely ignorant about them.
.It is reasonable to imagine that there
may be numerous kinds of rays proceeding
from the sun of which we know pothIn & at
ALL If We succeed In separating them out,
so to speak, they may do extraordinary
things. A new world of Investigation has
been opened up. To predict what we shall
discover would he as absurd and futile
as IL would have been for Columbus to at
tepmt to make n map of North and South
America when he first reached land on the
Western Hemisphere.
QUALITY OF THE Y RAY.
"Rocntgen's discovery shows that an |
electric discharge from negative pole
passing into n V acuum tube produces a very
remarkable effect. It strikes the glass and |
makes the latter luminous. From the |
luminous space on the glass the rays
seem to proceed. and these rays have the |
power to penetrate bodies hitherto supposed |
to be Opaque to rays OF all kinds.
"They pass readily through flesh. but
are stopped by bone. and thus can be made
a shadowgraph representing the skeleton
hand or even the skull OF living person.
In the same way the X rays will go through
a sheet of aluminium, which is to them y
window
1--WE are told that X rays are due to
sra diant matter But what is radiant mat
ter? That is what nobody can say. IT
seems actually to be fourth state of
matter. which hitherto we have known only
In three states-sOlid, liquid and gaseous.
s.Think of the advantage in general way
of being able to explore the interior of solid
bodies. Internal diseases need no longer be
mysterious and only to be guessed at by
the outward symptoms exhibited. Obscure
LESSONS will be revealed actually to the eye
OF the physician. who willlikewise be able to
discern the precise character OF the fracture
Of bone.
sit is the difference between seeing
thing and feeling for 1T in the dark. But
the idea applies to many things besides the
human body. How advantageous to the
engineer to inspect by such means metal
aud other materials iutended for purposes
Of construction. Thestrength OF gun may
be known with accuracy by simple process
Of photographing.. and the government will
not he obliged to spoil armor plates for ships
worth 81 ZOO apiece by firing at them for
q test.''
MR.. LANGLEY DISSENTS.
The notion that suns rays may be used
FOR making shadowgraphs is accepted also
by Prof. II. A. Hazen and other scientists
u Washington. Anopinion in dissent is ex-
pressed by Mr.. Langley. Said he:
"A prime character of the SUMS rays is
hat they are susceptible to refraction-that
S to say, they may be bent. TbcX rays
If Prof. Roentgen, exhibit no such capa-
,ility. They may be bent by means Of a
magnet, but not otherwise. This is to my
mind a good rea son for believing that rays
cannot be found among the rays of the sun.
,upposing this to be true, suns rays cannot
,c employed for making shadowgrapbs."
II.