Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-01-30
PERFECT X RAYS.

photographs Taken Through nm
Iron Plate Twenty-Five Cenfime.
tiers Thick
When Prof. Roentgen discovered the
y rays, or rather made known to the
world the wonderful fact that by their
means objects can BIZ photographed
through solid substances, the general
opinion, except among optimistic sci
entists, was that the acme OF achieve
ment In this direction had been at
tanned. Those who hoped for a still
greater wonder pointed TO the fact that
the y rays, while passing readily
through other substances, find it i'm
possible to pass through metallic sub
stances, and thus are to certain ex-
tent imperfect. In other words, they
maintained that since the sphere OF
the y rays are limited there must be
some method supplying the deficiency,
and that IL Is only reasonable to sup
pose that in course of time scientists
will discover this secret also
According to the European papers
this secret has now BEEN discovered.
The story OF the discovery was first
whispered in Vienna n few days ago;
thence Ii spread to Paris, and now il
is known everywhere. Prof. Donnenn
de Syke Is the name of the fortunate
discoyerer. He is an Austrian scient-
list and an interchangeable investigator.
Hitherto bis reputation has apparently
been rather local than European, but
all who know him maintain that as an
iTVacfiuafap In &c anffttad IN n Y1toca in
! the first rank.
The exact nature of Prof. Sykes dis
covcry has not been divulged. What
| lie has discovered we know; how lie
discovered it or how he uses his dis
covery we do not know. The dearest
statement regarding the matter APP
pears in n French journal. 1t says:
| Prof. Syke has discovered system
| OF radiations by means of which pho
/ tographs can be taken through all sub
| stances. even metallic ones. We are
told that by the use of these new rays
/ he has taken fifty photographs through
| an iron plate twenty-five centimeters
In thickness. What objects he has
4 photographed or how these new rays
are produced we do not know. The
| Austrian journal which tells of the dis
| covery is silent as regards these in.
tercsting points. Yet there is no rea-
son why we should hesitate to believe
this story. We have learned from the
discovery of the Roentgen rays not tc
pass rash Judgment in such matters
since experience shows MS that ever
those discoveries which appear to Ill
the most improbable are precisel!
those which are often made by modern
investigators"
There is naturally good deal Of
speculation as to the nature of thest
new rays. According TO an authority
they are far more powerful and magi
cal than the Roentgen rays and vii
certainly take precedence over them IL
all practical work" This is only nat
ural. The Roentgen rays can penetrat'
many substances, but cannot penetIrlt,
metals. These new rays. we are told
can penetrate all substances. includin;
metals. Thickness. too, does not seen
to act as n barrier in their case, IL VI
may judge from the announcement
that photographs have been takel
through a comparatively thick plate o
iron. In this connection 1t seems rathe
curious that no mention has as We
been made OF tests with any othe
metal than iron. Some scientists, in
deed. claim that rays which Will pas
through iron will pass through an.
other metal: but others. who know how
different is the composition of the va
rious metals are inclined to he skel
teal on this point.-New York Herald