Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-04-24

rHAD known him for q painter of
| renown-a master Of his art,
whose pictures, which sold for
high prices. adorned museums,
the parlors Of the rich, and when on
exhibition were hung low and con-
spicuous. Also. I knew him for an ex-
pert photographer-an "art photogra-
pher," as they say, one who dealt with
this branch of industry as fad, an
amusement, and who produced pic
lures that in composition, lights and
shades rivaled his productions with
the brush.
Yet 1t never occurred to me that the
wonderful and technically correct ma
rines hanging on his walls were due to
anything but the artists conscientious
study Of his subject and only his
casual mispronunciation Of the word
'1eeward," which landsmen pronounce
as spelled, but which rolls off the
tongue of a sailor as "looward," and
his giving the long sounds to the
vowels of the words "patent" and
tackle" induced me to ask If he had
ever been to sea.
"Why. yes." he answered. until I
was thirty l had no higher ambition
than to become skipper, but I never
achieved it. The best I ever did was
to sign first mate for one voyage. 1t
was on that voyage that I learned
something Of the mysterious properties
of light, and it made me photogra-
pher, then an artist. You are wrong
when you say that searchlight can
not penetrate fog"
But it has been tried"
"With ordinary light. Yes, of course,
subject to refraction, reflection and alb
sorption by the millions Of minute
globules of water 1t encounters"
"But what other kind Of light can be
used" I asked.
Invisible light" he answered. II
do not mean the Rontgen ray nor the
emanation from radium, both of which
are invisible, but neither Of which Is
light, in that neither can be reflected
nor refracted. Both will penetrate
many different kinds Of matter, but It
needs reflection or refracton to make
visible an object on which It impinges
Understand?
Hardly" answered dubiously.
"What kind Of visible light is there II
not radium or the Rontgen ray? You
can photograph with either, can't
you"
eyes, but to see what you have pho
tographed you must develop the film.
And there is no time for that aboard
fast steamer, like the Ill fated Titanic.
running through the ice and the fog.
No. It is mere theory, but have an
idea that the ultra violet light-the
actinic rays beyond the violet end Of
the spectrum, you know-will pene-
trate fog to a great distance, and In
spite of its higher refracdve power,
which would distort and magnify an
object, it is better than nothing"
"But what makes you think that It
will penetrate fog?" I Queried. "And
If It is invisible itself how will It IL.
lumine an object"
"As to your first question:" he an
swered, with smile, 1T Is well known
to surgeons that ultra violet light will
penetrate the human body to the depth
of an inch, while the visible rays are
reflected at the surface. And it has
been known to photographers for fifty
years that this light will act on a SEN
sitized plate in an utterly dark room"
Eyes, but how can you see by this
hghtT
"There you have me-" he answered.
ut will need a quicker development
than any now known to photography
a travelling film, for instance, that will
show the picture Of an iceberg or a
ship before It is too late to avoid it-a
travelling film sensitized by quicker
acting chemical than any now used"
"why not puzzle it out2"'I asked.
"I am too DID," he answered dreami-
". "My life work is about done. But
other and younger men will take 1t up
We have made great strides in optics.
We shall ultimately use this light to
see through opaque objects. We shall
see colors never imagined by the hu.
man mind. We may possibly see crea-
lures in the air above never seen be-
fore.
1--WE shall certainly see creatures
from the depths Of the sea, where visi-
bic light cannot reach-creatures
whose substance Is Of such nature
that 1t will not respond to the light 1t
has never been exposed to-a sub
stance which is absolutely transparent
because 1t win not absorb and appear
black; will not reflect and show color
Of some kind and viii not refract and
distort objects seen through It" !
"Whatg' exclaimed. "Do you
think there are invisible creaturesT
He looked gravely at me, then said:
II kno.o"-he spoke with vehemence
that there are creatures In the deep
sea of color invisible to the human eye,
for I have not only felt such Q crea.
ture. but seen its photograph taken BY
the ultraviolet light"
'Tell me-" I asked breathlessly.
Creatures solid, but invisibler
Creatures solid and invisible be.
cause absolutely transparent. Il ID
long since have told the yarn. 1t
was 80 horrible an experience that ]
have tried to forget It. However. Il
you care for 1t and are willing to lose
your sleep tonight I'll give It to you"
he began TO smoke, and some OF the
polish Of the artist and clubman left
him. He was an old sailor spinning Z
yarn.
~Tt WAS" be began. "twenty-nins
tysazs t4is coming August ct the tma