Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-09-03
LIcH1 REFLECTED az F,REFL'Es.
Its Exast Source and Power the Su"-
iect Of Recent Investtgatiohs'

Its Exast Source anu IO"eI "
ject OF Recent Investtgations.
Prof. Muraoka, of Toxic, has given
further details concerning his interest,"
mo investigation of the luminous ra-
d;ations emitted by tirefiies. 1t mas
LONG been believed by many workers on
light, and especially on phosphoresceh'
LIGHT. that in the glow worm ana 'le
6retlv nature has Indicated the true
solution of the problem of producing
light without heat, and Prof. MuraoNa 5
discoveries seem to lead to new phases
of the subject. His inquiries were sug.
rested to him by the resemblance OF
the light of firetlies to the f1uorescent
bodies, some of which have been SHOWN
bv II. Becuuerel to emit radiatlons pos
sessing properties analogous to those
of the Roentgen rays. The expert
ments were made by placing number
Of flies, varying from 300 to upward OF
! 900, in a small fiat box, IN when they
were confined under a net made OF hemp.
The box also contained Photographic
dry plate, in contact with which were
mates of various metals - copper,
aluminium, zinc and brass-all OF SIM
liar thickness, sheets of cardboard,
both entire and also with cruciform
patterns cut out of them. These were
sometimes interposed between the SEN
sitive plate and the metal and some
times used alone with the sensitive
plate. Thin wooden boards were also
employed for the same purpose. The
sensitive plate and the objects in con-
tact with it were wrapped in several
thicknesses of black paper and left in
the box with the flies for two nights.
The experiments were made in pho
tographic darkroom, sunlight and ar
titicial light being carefully excluded.
The sensitive plates, though thus
wrapped up and additionally protected
by metallic plates and layers of card
board, gutta percha, cloth, silk, ETC.,
were always more or less blackened.
Prof. Muraoka's experiments led to the
following conclusions: First, the light
Of the flies in its original state behaves
like ordinary light; second, the light
contains rays which pass through card
board, metal plates, etc., and possess
properties analogous to those of Roent-
gems rays or Becquerers fluorescent
rays; third, when the Photographic
plate is covered with layers of card
board it presents an appearance which
calls to mind the permeability of iron
to magnetic lines of force; fourth, the
properties of these filtered rays APP
pear to be Influenced by the materials
through which they have passed, per-
haps by the thickness of the materials;
fifth, the properties possessed by the
radiations and specified under No. 2
are apparently nonexistent or, at least
undiscoverable until after "fltration.'
The Roentgen rays are similarly undis-
covered until after ''fltration''-
i. e., through the glass of the
Crool1es tubes-and ''filtration' may
perhaps afford means of rem
dering the X rays homogeneous
Sixth, the filtered FREELY rays undoubt.
edly admit of reflection. Refraction
interference and polarization could not
be demonstrated, but Prof. Muraoka
is of the opinion that they took place
Seventh, the filtered FREELY rays seem
to resemble Bucquerel's fuorescen1
rays in possessing properties inter
mediate between the ultraviolet rays
and the Roentgen rays.-Atlanta Con.
StifutiOn