The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-01-03

an emanation that Is highly phosphor
escent, causing the phenomenon term.
ed "will-o' -the-wisp," or "elf fire." II
is not reasonable to suppose that
there is some relation, In respect tc
cause, between the will-o -the-wisr
(Which occasionally misleads unfor
tunate travellers into boggy places)
and the corpse candles" said to be
often seen moving about in the mys'
FERROUS 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, lie
the most abundant metallic element
of the body structure. In the fluids
of the body, also, there is good deal
of 1t. But calcium and phosphorus,
when combined, form selfignitable
substance. Indeed, water will set II
on fire. If bit of phosphide of cal
cium be dropped into a saucer of wa.
ter, 1t 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
tanned in the human body. One OF
these (about two ounces In quantity
Is the silvery-white magnesium-of IA
miliar use for flashfight 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 rosy fame, and swims
about violently on the surface until
burned out. The latter is likewise set
af1re by contact with water, on touch
ing which 1t 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 quaint.
ties, quite number of substances
which are self-ignitable, and f1ercely
so, on coming into contact with water
The marvel is that we refrain from
going off 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 off slowly, by evaporation. and
not IN any such way as that above de-
scribed. They present themselves tc
the view, in darkness, as mere chem
lcal anations-luminescen blown
ABOUT by light airs, or dissipated en-
t'rely Tor the moment by a passing
gust or wind. In all probability they
consist mainly of phosphorus.
One cannot capture a ghost of thi.
KIND. 1t cannot be trapped In a DO,
or bottle and conveyed to a scientific
laboratory for examination or analy
Sis. Hence 1t Is likely that the tru,
composition of phantoms will foreve
remain as much a mystery as it is to
day. But (supposing the theory her,
set forth to be correcD 1t is a comfor
to know, in a general way, what grave
yard spectres are made of.
When people are murdered, ant
their bodies Gas often hapens) ar
buried in cellars or other damp places
their ghosts, for the chemical reason
already given, are particularly likel
to walk. So says Prof. Charles F
Munroe, a famous chemist, and dea
OF the George Washington universit,
who even goes SO far as to declar
that he could at pinch produce /
his laboratory phantoms in all i'm
portant respects corresponding I
r those which graveyards are popularl
| supposed to manufacture