The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-09-04
THE WONDERFUL X RAYS
The Remarkable Work of the
New Discovery in a Lex
ington Case.
A DESCRIPTION OF IT'S WORK
Judge William Young. Who Witnessed
the Operation on Mr.. Eugene
Ewing, Writes an Interesting
Description of the Y Rays.

bNNNi iDtiOh vi III - nays
The IN-TELLIGENcER last week con-
tanned the particulars of the location of
the bullet in the body of Mr.. Eugene
Ewing. This week Judge William Young
contributes to the INTELLIaENCER the
following interesting and descriptive arti-
Gle on the subject:
The peculiar power of the Roetgen, or
X rays, of electric light or influence to
pass through substances heretofore con-
sidered Opaque and inpenetrable, promises
so much for humanity, and every expert
ment with them excites such general in
terest, that a short account of a recent and
most successful trial of this power in
actual service may be acceptable to your
readers.
That the subject was one who is a citi-
zen of our own city, connected with some
OF the best people of our state, OF extensive
personal acquaintance, and whose unfor-
tunate condition arouses universal SYM
pathy, may add interest to our narrative.
/. In 1874, Mr.. Eugene M. Ewing was
wounded in a personal encounter by a
pistol ball fired at close range from the
effects OF which he fell as one dead, being
paralyzed from his waist downward and
almost totally blind. After a few months,
he recovered to such an extent that he was
able to walk about, seeing everything but
dimly, and walking with an uncertain
step. In 1875 an attempt was made to
locate and extract the ball, and although
a cut was made for thirteen inches along
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the ball was not found. After his recovery
from this operation, almost as marvellous
as his first recovery, he was able to go
about as before for nearly six years. In
1888 he became again paralyZed as when
first shot, and has remained in that state
until this day, although, during the last
year he has felt considerable improve
ment.
The history of his struggles and perse-
versnce and achievements during that
long fourteen years is full of Interest and
pathos, but is foreign to the purpose of
this paper. When the discovery of the
marvellous properties of the y rays was
first made known, the thoughts OF his
more Intimate friends turned Immediately
to him, and he has been patiently waiting
iva - JNoA VI " ~ ~ RRo ~
use this power in his case to discover the
whereabouts of the bullet in his body. On
the Goth of last month, after having made
the necessary arrangements, accompanied
by a few friends, he went TO the office OF
DIR. j. N. Scott, in The Ridge building, in
Kansas City, Mo-, and there found every
thing in readiness. We were ushered into
the office, and there stood the wonderful
instrument upon which we Cor some of us
at least) placed so much hope.
The chief object of this writing is to
give those who have not seen ii in opera
ton as clear an explanation as l can of the
instrument and how it worked. l do not
profess to understand how the instrument
is operated. but will only tell how it APP
peared to me, in plain, every day lam
guage.
l confess that although a read all l
could get at about the matter, my first
impression was one of disappointment,
everything was so simple; but after vshile
it began to grow on me, and have come
away awed and astounded.
The X rays are rays of light, L suppose
they may be called, but they are not at all
brilliant. They are of a greenish color
and everything seen by their aid takes on
an %uncanny hue. They are radiations
from a vessel, l would call it, called
Crooks Tube, just as light radiates from
the common electric burner.
Crooks Tube is a hollow glass vessel
something in the shape of a goose egg,
only longer in proportion to its size. The
one used by DR.. Scott being about ten
| snnhao IADn. kv oL1ae fO,. ;roAaa ,o.oa ~
its larger end. This is held in horizontal
position.by means OF two slender jointed
wooden arms, one on either side, so that
1t can be raised or lowered, or extended
out farther into the room, or drawn back
nearer the electric apparatus.
This apparatus is not for the purpose of
generating electricity, but for regulating
or intensifying it, as the electricity comes
from the plant that furnishes the power
that run the lines of electric cars in the
city. A part of it is confined in a small
it is immersed in coal oil in a little square
box about six inches square, that is fixed
on the top of the cabinets. Through all of
these the wires run in a way impossible
for one not an expert to understr nd.
All OF the air is taken ont of the Crooks
Tube so that it's hollow inside is as near a
vacaum7as lean well be made. A wire is
fixed to either end of the tube, aud there
is also another wire attached to a little
glass tube about half an inch in diameter
and six inches long which comes out of
the tube proper and which coils over and
beyond one end of 1t.
A current of electricity is turned on
through the electric apparatus and over
the wires passing through the Crooks
Tube producing what is called X rays.
This current of electricity while exceed
ingly small is OF the greatest intensity,
being as high sometimes as two million
volts, whatever that is. The intensity of
the current is regulated in a peculiar way,
thus: II the wires carrying the current are
placed in contact, the current passes
silently aud with it's weakest force, but II
the scontact is broken, there must "a
greater intensity accumulatu behind to
force the spark across the space between
the wires. So that it will at once appear
that the farther the wires are held apart.
the more powerful must be the current to
force itself across the chasm.
While the instrument is being operated
tive, tiny streaks OF lightning are CON
tinually flashing across II apace of four or
five inches from one wire to another, and
the cracking of mimic thunder goes con
stantly IN. All this takes place between
the electric apparatus and the wires at
tached to the Crook Tube.
While this is going on, oy shading your
eyes from common light, and holding
your hand between them and the Crooks
Tube a foot away you can see through the
flesh as through clear ice, and the bones
OF your hand are 'as plainly seen as IL no
flesh was upon them. But to see through
the body OF a man is another thing, and as
briefly as l can, 1 will explain what ! saw
in Mr.. Ewine's case.
The search was made by photographs or
photographs, as they are more properly
called. There are so many tissues of the
body OF an ordinary man that he cannot
be seen through distinctly, and MIR.
Ewing is more than ordinarially large
through the body,
IL Is not necessary To remove the cloth