The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-12

=
was quite as content and happy as she
was before Fanny came
To be continued-)
PROF. WILLIAM CROOKEs.
His Researches Made Possible tho Dis
coverieS OF Roentgen.
Scientific American
The recent remarkabse discoveries OF
Prof. Roentxen when engaged in expert
mental work with a Crookes tube have
brought prominently before the world the
name OF William Crookes. q name that
was already famous in the world of SCI
ence- There are. indeed. few. X any,
among the scientific Aaders Of the latter
half OF the nineteenth century who have
had = more brilliant and varied career than
the author OF the vacuum tubes which
have made possible the recent startling de-
| yelopmenls In photography. He was born
| in London in ls2, and at an early
age turned his attention to photo
graphy- After course 1t the
Royal College OF Chemistry, under
DR.. Hoffman. during which. at the age or
II. he gained she Ashburton scholarship.
he became in due time senior assistant to
his tutor. His rise was rapid. and at the
age OF = he was appointed superintendent
Of the meteorological department Of the
Radcliffe observatory at Oxford In 1853
he founded the Chemical News. and five
years later he became editor Of the Quar-
| terry Journal Of Science.
Prof. Crookes had a natural hove for
original research In Isl. while examining
the residues from suiphuric acid works.
he discovered the new metallic element
ahallium. This was followed BY his cleo
ton as fellow OF the Royal Society. 1t
was his delicate speciroscopic inyestiga-
tons in connection with the newly dis
Id Haxx
studyof the rare earths.' which has proved
SO fruitful In his hands" The mining
world is deeply indebted TO him for drawing
attention to the value of sodium amaigam
IN the extraction of gold At later date
he called In the aid of the alternating
electric current. This agent. acting in con-
cert with various mercuriai salts. and par
dicuiariy with mercury cyanide. has rem
deed possible the extraction Of gold from
highly refractory ores. In 1872 he was at
work on his investigations on Repuision
Resulting From Radiation. to which QueS-
ton his attention had been drawn by his
observing the action OF heavy pieces OF
g.ass which he was weighing in a vacuum
balance. which. by the way, was his own
invention. In 1871 he invented the otheo-
scope: and in the same year Science signi-
fed its Indebtedness to him by electing
him a meInoer of The Royal Society. In
paper before the society he stated that he
had succeeded in obtaining a vacuum SO
nearly approaching perfection that the
pressure in it was only .00V0Oi Of an at
mospnere." These experiments led 10 very
important results. Tor IL was found that
in such an extreme vacuum gases pass
into an u.tra-gaseous state. which PROT.
CrooAes termed a state OF radiant mat
ter and further. these extreme vaeda
opened up the way for the incandescenI
4alnp.
A March number of the electrician of
| 1891 says: Prof Crookes house in Ken
| sington Park Gardens. electrically lighted
| in lsc-, was, We believe. the first house in
London fit1ed up with the electric light
| II may be interesting to state that the
wires were chiefly laid with his own
hands. To meet the difficulty Of obtain
ing carbon nlaments Tor the glow Lamps.
not possessing the structure Of the mate
rial from which they were made. Prof.
| Crookes dissolved ceiiulose In . strong
solution Of ammonium copper suipnaue.
dried up the solution into sheets. dissolved
cut the copper. and used the horn-like ma
teriaI remaining for fflaments. The lamps
in the inventors house. fitted with such
fi!anSents, remain still in good working
condition" In 1850 the French Academy
of Sciences conferred upon Prof. Crookes
an extraordinary prize of 3.oeO francs and
a gold medal. in appreciation OF his re-
searches in molecular physics ana on "a
diant matter. His studies OF the rare
earths' have led Prof. Crookes to the con-
clusion that 1.-THE bodies which have gen
eri.y been accepted as elements are not
primordlaEy distinct or independent. but
have been formed by a professor evolution
remotely analogous to that which we now
recognize as having been at work in the
formation Of organic species" These views
were put forth in his presidential address,
before the chemical section OF the British
1 A.. 81 Tk...n Ar efz
of Elements" and II is undoubtedly his
most splendid among many brilliant con-
frjbutions TO the philosophy of science. In
ISIS the Society Of Arts. and In 1885 the
Royal Society. gave him medals. the first
for his improvement in apparatus for the
production OF high vacua. and for his In
yention Of the radiometer." and the latter
society for his investigations on the be-
havior OF substances under the influence
Of the electric discharge in 4 high
vacuum"
In addition to his extensive work in the
laboratory. Prof Crookes has been a vol
luminous contributor TO the scientific ir
erature of the age Among other works
he has written "A Handbook Of Dyeing
and Calico Printing" Select Methods in
Chemical Analysis" a manual OF ''Dyeing
and Tissue Printing work on 1.-The So
luton of the Sewage Question" He has
translated and edited Remnants "Aniline
and Its Derivatives" Wacners great
work on Chemical Technology" and
/ many other works CT scientific prominence
have amanated from his busy pen. The
| splendid results which have attended Prof.
tsrookes' iabors are not TO be attributed
solely to his undoubted genius for expert
rneat and observation They are largely
| the result Of persistent hard work. carried
| out on logical lines. and with strict at;en-
ton 20 method