The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1910-11-03

an emanation that 10 highly phosphor.
escent. causing the phenomenon term.
ed "will-o'-the-wisp," or ELF fre." 1t
10 not reasonable to suppose that
there IL 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 1t
on fre. If bit of phosphide of cal
cium be dropped into saucer Of wa
ter. 1t will instantly burst into fame.
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-
tanned in the human body. One Of
these (about two ounces in quantity
is the silvery-white magnesium-of IA
miliar use for hashlight 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 1t explodes like fireworks,
throwing shower Of sparks into the
air. AS for magnesium, it Is so fierce
ly combustible that 1t has to be kept
tightly corked in glass bottles, to pre-
vent it from igniting.
Thus is appears that the human
body contains, in considerable quanti-
ties, quite number of substances
which are self-ignitable, and fiercely
SO, on coming into contact with water.
The marvel is that we refrain from
going on 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, thew
pass OF slowly, by evaporation. and
not In any such way as that above dc.
scribed. They present themselves to
the view, in darkness, as mere chem.
lcal emanations-luminescent blown
about by light airs, or dissipated en-
t'rely for the moment by passing
gust OF wind. In all probability thev
consist mainly Of phosphorus.
One cannot capture a ghost of this
kind. 1t cannot be trapped in a box
or bottle and conveyed to a scientif,c
laboratory for examination or analv.
Sis. Hence 1t Is likely that the true
composition Of phantoms will forever
remain as much a mystery as it is to-
day But (supposing the theory here
set forth to be correct) 1t is a comfort
to know. In 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 reasons
already given. are particularly likely
to walk Go anvn proP Ch,,
Munroe. a famous chemist. and dean
OF the George Washington university.
who even goes 30 far a. to declare
that he could at pinch produce in
his laboratory phantoms in all i'm.
portant respects corresponding to
those which graveyards are popul.riv
supposed to manufacture.