The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-08-21
PERILS OF THE K RAY.
Edison Says He IS Afraid OF
the New Light.
HIsBMPLoYBBLosT HAND AND ARM

Famous Inventor Tells How Clar-
ence DAILY was Injured By the
Rays-Has Abandoned search For
FIuorescent Lamp, Finding Ills
sight Impaired BY Experiments.
win Have Nothing to DO with
Radium.
That impaired sight cancerous dis
ease and even death may come to him
who is continuously exposed to or in
experienced in the use of Roentgen
rays has been demonstrated in a pitt.
able manner in the laboratory Of
Thomas a. Edison al Orange, N. j,
Clarence Daily, an assistant to the
wizard Of Alenlo Park has con-
tributed an arm and a hand to this
demonstration, while Mr. Edison him.
self suffers from the disturbed focus
Of one Of his eyes through experiments
with the mysterious light In an en-
deavor to find for it some commercial
utility.
Mr. Edison was recently seen at his
home in Llewellyn Park, Orange, by a
New York World reporter and asked to
tell the story Of the experiment which
disabled Daily and came near making
Mr.. Edison sightless.
Don't talk to me about X rays" he
said. I am afraid Of them / stopped
experimenting with them two years
ago, when / came near losing my eye
sight, and Daily, my assistant, prac-
tieally lost the use of both Of his arms.
| am afraid Of radium and polonium,
too, and | don't want to monkey with
them.
Up to two years ago l was deeply
interested In X rays. / used iluoro-
scope which l invented, a pyramidal
box with one open end the smaller
and largeE closed end, the covering
being a chemical sheet against which
the object to be examined is placed, the
rays being focused upon it. / was
making experiments in a dark room
that / had constructed in one end OF
the laboratory. ] was looking for an
improved crystal, and there were daily
results that fascinated me and kept my
eve glued to the microscope virtually
all the time
Il used my left eve, and one day
when | came out Of the dark room and
closed my right eye for a moment ey-
erything looked double I FASTENED to
an oculist, who said that my eye was
something over foot out Of focus.
1t is still imperfect, and / do not think
that it win ever be entirely well.
when / noticed the effect upon my
eye / cautioned Daily / told him that
there was danger in the continuous use
Of the tubes, but he persisted because
he was So enthusiastic upon The sub
ject. The only thing that saved my
eyesight was that / used a very weak
tube, while Daily insisted in using the
most powerful one he could find
'.The box Of the horoscope only par
tally covered his face, SO that the light
fell upon his hair and made it fall out
that is, what was left Of ii after expos
ing his head to the light in a reckless
way to illustrate its power. Parts Of his
hand and arm were also exposed to the
action Of the light
Il am keeping him on the pay roll
although he Is not able to do any work,
and | expect to take care OF him as
long as he lives. i have sent him away
on vacation to Woodbridge, N. J.,
where the change may do him good
speaking Of radium, Mr. Edison,
what is your opinion Of it?'' asked the
reporter.
Il have had several pieces Of it from
Mime. Curie in Paris, and / have ex-
perimented with it | do not see its
commercial utility but it opens up
great field Of thought and scientific re-
search 1t overturns all the old the
cries Of force ana energy and has set
scientists to thinking DO | believe
that it IS the solution Of perpetual mo-
ton? No. | have a peculiar theory
about radium, and / believe it is the
correct one.
Il believe that there is some mysteri-
GUS ray pervading the universe that is
huorescing to it. In other words, that
all its energy is not self constructed.
but that there is a mysterious some
thing In the atmosphere that scientists
have not found that is drawing out
those infnitesimal atoms and distribute
ing them forcefully and indestructi-
bly,"
Did you ever find any commercial
utility in the X rays or radiump
My researches / might as well tell
you now that / have abandoned them. |
We're in the direction Of making a flu
crescent lamp. / obtained results which
brought me each day nearer TO the Oh.
ject Of my desire. / found a crystal
that was fluorescing 1900 times, and /
/ thought had my lamp. Then came
the question Of practical use. could /
make the lamp all right, but when / did
50 I found that it would XIII everybody
who would use it continuously.
mo, | do not want 70 know anything
more about X rays. In the hands Of
experienced operators they are a valu-
able adjunct to surgery, locating as
they do objects concealed from view.
and making, for instance, the operation
for appendicitis almost sure. But they
are dangerous, deadly IN the hands
Of the Inexperienced or even in the
hands of 2hp man rrbo ~ t,si,sse 4l,1,.