Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-11-11

an emanation that Is highly phosphor'
escent, causing the phenomenon term.
ed "will-o' -the-wisp," or "elf fire." 1t
Is not reasonable to suppose that
there is some relation, In respect to
cause, between the will-o'- -the-wisp
(which occasionally misleads unfor'
tunate travellers into boggy places)
and the corpse candles" said to be
often seen moving about in the mys-
terious and awesome darkness OF
cemeteries? The "sheeted dead" are
alleged to carry these candles In their
ghostly hands when they walk about
among the graves at night.
The skeleton of an adult human
being contains about four pounds of
the metal calcium. This. in fact, is
the most abundant metallic element
of the body structure. In the fluids
of the body, also, there is a good deal
of 1t. But calcium and phosphorus.
when combined, form a self-ignitable
substance. Indeed. water will set IT
on fire. II a bit of phosphide Of cal
cium be dropped into a saucer Of wa
ter, it will instantly burst into flame,
on which account, in the laboratory,
to protect 1t from dampness. it has
to be kept in an air-tight jar.
Three other self-ignitable sub.
stances, all of them metals, are con.
tained in the human body. One of
these (about two ounces in quantity
is the silvery-white magnesium-of ia
miliar use for flashlight purposes by
photographers. The other two are
sodium and potassium-rather more
than five ounces Of each. A piece of
the former, II thrown into water,
bursts into a rosy flame. and swims
about violently on the surface until
burned out. The latter is likewise set
aflre by contact with water, on touch.
ing which it explodes like fireworks,
throwing a shower Of sparks into the
air. AS for magnesium, 1t is so fierce.
ly combustible that 1t has. to be kept
tightly corked in glass bottles, to pre-.
vent 1t from igniting.
Thus is appears that the human
body contains, in considerable quanti.
ties, quite q number of substances
which are self-ignitable, and fiercely
90, on coming into contact with water
The marvel is that we refrain from
going OF by spontaneous combustion
so to speak, while we are alive. When
burned, these substances. of course
convert themselves into gases. which
are luminous. Under favoring grave
yard conditions (the processes of de-
cay going on very gradually, they
pass on slowly. by evaporation. and
not In any such way as that above de-
scribed. They present themselves to
the view, in darkness, as mere chem
ical emanations--luminescent. blown
about by light airs, or dissipated on
nrely for the moment by a passine
gust OF wind. In all probability they
consist mainly Of phosphorus.
One cannot capture a ghost OF this
kind. 1t cannot be trapped in a bo,
or bottle and conveyed to a scientific
laboratory for examination or apaly
sis. Hence 1t is likely that the true
composition Of phantoms will forever
remain as much mystery as it is to-
day. But (supposing the theory here
set forth to be correct) it is a comfort
to know, In a general way, what grave
yard spectres are made of.
When people are murdered. and
their bodies (as often hapens) are
buried in cellars or other damp places
their ghosts. for the chemical reason,
already given. are particularly likely
to walk. So says Prof. Charles E
Munroe, a famous chemist, and dear
of the George Washington university
who even goes SO far as to declare
that he could at pinch produce ir
his laboratory phantoms In all i'm
portant respects corresponding tt
those which graveyards are popularly
supposed to manufacture