The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-06
PHOTOGRAPHIC MYSTERIES.
The Surprising Images That Sometimes
Show After Plato Is Devcloped.

The Surprising Images That Sometimes
Show After n Plato Is Developed.
1t is no uncommon experience TO find
upon new plates certain images for
which there seems no possible explana
ton, their startling and unaccountablo
appearance being ''wropt in mistry.' -
causing establishment not unmixed with
uncanny feeling ~ gentleman made
an exposure upon the interior of n
friends house. He was doubtful of the
time and proceeded to develop for un
der exposure. 10 his great surprise the
plate developed quickly, and to his
greater surprise the image was an i'll
terror quite different from that upon
which he had exposed. The plato was
from fresh box and could not possibly
have had Il previous exposure.
Another instance of the kind. having
quite Il sensational and tragic ending,
is OH record. An exposure was made
upon view having Il river in tho fore
ground. The photographer, while de-
veloping this peculiar plate, was per-
fectly astoundcd by an appearance
which he had-not seen while taking the
photograph, and for which he could in
no way account. On completing the
development there was plainly reveal
ed in the foreground of tho picture the
figure of woman, apparently foating
upright i'll tho water. Not many weeks
after, to complete the mystery, the body
Of woman was found i'll the river at
the exact spot where the photograph
had been taken.
Again, not long since, tho daily DR.
rcrs were agitated over the account Of
travelling photographer who, upcn
making an exposure upon the exterior
of Il reputed haunted house, discovered
at one of the windows Il portrait of the
murdered man through whom the
house had gained its evil name. In an
other case three distinct images, having
no connection one with the other, were
impressed upon IL single film. The plate
was exposed upon Il garden in the even.
ing-nothing remarkable being seen
but when placed III The developer a
mans hat of old fashioned shape, a
child's dress and dog were distrib-
uted over the image of the garden.
Such mysterious images were nero
common in the days of wet plates than
now. n few years back Professor Bur
ton investigated the matter Upon trac-
ing back the history of the glass he
found that it had been used for other
films, and that the images which ap-
peared undoubtedly arose from the re-
mains Of previous images. The old
glass was thus proved to be the source
of the ghosts; it only deepened the sci
entific mystery, while it cleared away
the supernatural. The glass traced by
Burton had been washed for some
weeks, immersed i'll strong nitric acid
and every means taken to insure chem
lcal cleanliness, yet i'll spite of all this
enough energy remained latent to form
dcvelopable image upon the new film,
whether by chemical or physical forco
remains to be discovered. A complete
solution of the difficulty would prob
ably throw considerable light upon the
nature of the Photographic images in
general AT least, it seems to indicate
that light is not absolutely essential in
the formation of latent images in q
sensitive film.-American Journal of
Photography