The San Francisco call., 1896-08-14

the top of the History building on Market
street yesterday afternoon as is the big
cross on the top of Lone Mountain against
its background of bright sky.
This marvellous result was accomplished
by very high development of the Roent-
gen rays, the most powerful yet produced
in California, if not in the United States.
The experiments were made by Professor
Albert Van der Naillen and his son, r. Leo
Van der Naillen.
Man has already learned to curve a
sphere out of straight line, and to shoot
around a corner. With the present rate
of progress with the mysterious x ray it
may not be long before he can look
through brick wall and count the hair
pins of his .neighbor's wife in the next fat.
Professor Van der Naillen is a we'll
known San Franciscan. Accompanied by
Mrs. Van der Naillen he left for Paris
France, March 13 last, to study the new
and unknown light, as well as for pleasure,
knowing that in Paris they have reached
the highest development in all lines of
scientific research" he said. Professor
Van der Naillen says that the scientific
men of the Ecole Polytechnique and the
Hospital Salpetriere, Paris, were on the trail
of the x ray and had made some expert
ments when Professor Roentgen of Ger
many succeeded in showing the bones of
the human hand and was hailed by the
world as the discoverer of the new and
marvellous light which penetrates opaque
matter as though it were glass and finds
no resistance In solid substances.
In Paris he met Consul de LaIande
French Consul for this City, who was
home on furlough. Consul de Lalande
introduced him to Albert Londe. official
hnr F0r %lo 81 CoI.-
Colonel Count de Rochas, administrator
of the Ecole Polytecnnique, which ranks
as the greatest polytechnic school in the
world, and 10 other eminent scientific
men. They gave him all the information
that he desired and placed him in possess
sion of the results of their latest expert
ments. So when he returned TO San Fran
cisco few days ago Professor Van der
Naillen brought back with him the latest
improved apparatus for the production of
photography.
The Roentgen ray possesses the curious
property OF being able to detect spurious
diamonds. The first time this was pub
licly tried in Paris the result was some
what dramatic and discomhting for a
peeress OF the realm. Marchioness ap-
preached Professor Londe and asked him
to place very valuable diamond necklace
in the Roenigen light. She said she had
recently had it repa lred and a lost dia-
mond replaced, and she wanted to learn
whether her jeweler had put in genuine
diamond or a false one.
The Roentgen ray causes the radiograph
of spurious diamond to appear black,
while real diamonds appear clear on the
plate. The result was that the diamond
replaced by the jeweler was genuine, but
three of the largest pendant stones in the
front Of the priceless" necklace showed
as black spots. The Roentgen ray made
plain the fact that the stones, which were
supposed to be worth 10000 francs each,
were not worth 20 cents. So if any one
has a diamond which he has reason to
suspect Is glittering under false pretenses
the Roentgen ray will expose its real
character.
One of the spectators, who pleaded not
TO have his name put in the paper yester-
day afternoon owing to the dreadful fact
that the Roentgen rays discovered that he
had hole in his sock. placed his foot on
the little table Immediately before the
little glass tube by which paradoxically