The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-12
CATHODE RAYS DESCRIBED
APRiY.ITE 4 LECTURE BY YPROFESSOR
 ARTHUR ". WRIGHT.

Delivered at Sloane Laboratory Last Even inG-Development of the Discovery Coins Photographed Inside of Purse coveries--A Crowded Lecture Room,
 A most interesting lecture, especially at this time when the matter is at tracting such world wide attention, was given in the large lecture room of Yale's Sloane laboratory last evening by Prof. Arthur w. Wright of Yale on the Ro- entgen, or cathode rays, by means of which startling discoveries in photogra- phy have recently been made The lec- ture room was crowded with a deeply interested audience, composed for the
 most part of students and professors for whom the lecture was especially given.
 All members of the press were rigidly
 excluded. Only about 100 of Prof. Wright's professional and intimate friends, composing the mathematical club, were allowed inside the lecture room. Sentinels were posted at the doors to keep everybody else out, and many of Yale's professors were obliged 10 leave, unable to gain admittance,
 While scores of undergraduates throng- ed the steps in front of the laboratory seeking entrance in vain. Prof Wright treated the subject in a general way, i giving special reference to it's historical relations and the steps which led to the present results. He spoke on the earliest observations as to discharges from ex- haustive tubes, and on some peculiari- ties brought out by different investiga- tons with reference to the different theories proposed to account for their actlon. He gave some experimental il- illustrations of a few of the more typical forms of apparatus and their character istic effects and gave some exhibitions of results of the work, both of his own experiments and those of others.
 Prof. Wright said that many people have expected the new light would be found to be rays of light such as exist beyond the violet or red of the ordinary specimens. This is not the case, but 1t has now been almost certainly demon strated that the cathode rays are lon gitudinal vibrations of ether in forms like the vibrations produced by sound in the air. This result is not altogether settled. Great credit Is due to the Ger
 man professors for their discoveries. In speaking of his own work Prof. Wright showed the photograph of a
 rabbit from which he had removed spots, the location of which had been outlines upon the negative and had thus first caught his attention. He said he felt confident that scientists would yet succeed in discovering the true source of this wonderful light and be able to give it satisfactory analysis.
 4 number of pictures and negatives were introduced to show what had thus far been accomplished in the short time he had been able to experiment be- tween the almost hourly periods of in- terruption to which he had been subject. He stated that glass was almost en- tirely opaque to the light, as are also
 most metallic substances, while organic substances are easily penetrated In this respect the rays differ from those of the sun. Aluminium is easily pene- trated by the light and one of the ex- perimenters discovering this placed in the top of the glass vacuum an alum- inium plate, by which means the rays
 were let out with less obstruction. Among the stereopticon pictures given of photographs taken by himself by the cathode rays, Professor Wright showed a purse inside of which could be plainly seen some coins. He stated that the coins were shown much more distinct ly on the original negative than ap- Ipeared on the screen. A picture of a pill box was shown and through the shadow outline of the box could be plainly seen three pills. A picture of a rat was shown, in which the bones of the fore legs could be distinctly seen. Nothing of the head was visible but the skull, in the back and tail the cartileges could be seen. The location of the heart was indicated by light colored spot, which Professor Wright said indicated that the heart was more transparent to the rays than the other parts of the body. A picture of a hand was shown in which the bones were all well de-
  teries could be distinctly traced. A number of pieces of glass were shown. Iall of which were only transparent to the rays in a slight degree. Objects covered with coating of gold were shown and these were easily pierced. showing that gold is transparent to the light. In the picture shown of the rab- bit there were several dark spots. while the rest of the body was transparent. Professor Wright said that when he first took the picture he had supposed that these spots were caused by imper- factions in his apparatus, but on inves- tigations the black spots proved to be caused by shot in the rabbits body, and this indicates that lead is opaque to cathode rays. The experiments with the rays showed many beautiful effects, especially when passing them through g. cylinder, which glowed in an inde- scribably beautiful manner with the soft, mellow light.
 The effect of magnets on the light was shown by a darting or flowing of light which resembled a stream of liquid fire when the magnets were brought in close proximity.
 LOCATED A NEEDLE-HER LIFE
 SAVED.
 A Berlin cable special to the New York Journal says: "The Central Roentgen Photograph association. which, as I cabled you last week, was in course of organization for the pur-