The Washington times., 1919-04-07
NOTED SCIENTIST
DIES IN. LONDON

LONDON. April Sir William
Crookes, famous scientist, who died
here recently in his eighty-seVenth
year, was one Of the worlds greatest
scientists.
By perfecting the mercury air pump
Sir Wilham-then plain Prof. Will
lam-Crookes was able I'd obtain
an almost perfect vaeuum within a
glass vessel This lhEstened- the in
vention by Edison Of the incandes-
cent lamp.
By passing electricity through the
: vessel by means of metal conductors
introduced at either end the English
man completed the Crookes tube.
Twenty years later a German inyesti-
gator. Roentgen, noted the penetra-
ting quality of a radiation proceed
ing from the Crookes tube. He call
. ed this the X, or unknown ray: IT Is
now the familiar but sill mysterious
Roentgen ray. Crookes' experiments
with high vacuum tubes made Roent-
gems discoveries possible.
To Crookess researches the scien-
ttfic world owes the eleotronic theory
involving radiant matter. The scope
of his activities is also indicated by
his authorship Of q book on the
and his having been an authority on
such diverse subjects as precious
stones. especially diamonds, and city
sewage disposal.
Born In London In 1882.
He was born. IN London June II.
1882. and studied at the Royal Col
lege OF. Chemistry, where he became
an assistant in 1851 to Prof. A. W,
Won Hofmann. Three years later he
became superintendent Of the meteor
illogical department. or the Radcfiffe
Observatory, Oxford; he founded, the
Chemical News in 1850 and in 1884
also became editor of the Quarterly
Journal Of Science.
In 1856. when England was excited
by the spread Of a cattle plague.
Crookes was appointed by the Gov
ernment to report on the application
OF disinfectantS in. '.arrestfng the
disease. In 1871, he went to oran as
member Of a British expedition to
study a total eclipse Of ths.sun. He
read his first paper on 'sRepulston Re
sulting From Radiation" before the
Royal Society December IL. 1873.
For several years thereafter he was
a student OF SpiritUalism. He put
his observations into a book, and for
paid no attention to his writings
Meanwhile he had continued his
other experiments. and in 1877 re-
ported that he had a vacuum so
nearly perfect that the pressure in II
was only four-tenths OF a millionth
Part CT one atmosphere. He found
that in such an airless space gases
pass into an ultra gaseous state and
form radiant matter.
Received Many HOnOrs.
The Royal Society gave him a medal
il 1878 for services to science in the
fields OF chemistry and physics, and
Swo years later made him a member
OF the council and appointed him
Bekerian lecturer. In 1880 the French
Academy OF Sciences gave him the ex-
tTaordinary prize Of 5000 francs and
gold medal After 1888 he devoted
nuch time to the nature and constitu-
tion OF rare earths, and among his
many discoveries was that of a new
member, monium or Victorium. He
was knighted in 1897.
In 1898 he opened a new field for
chemical exploration by showing that
some way must be found Of -artihcialIy
fixing the nitrogen in the air In order
to obtain sufficient fertilizer for the
worlds wheat crop. In his work with
precious stones he succeeded in max
ing artiScially some tiny diamonds. !
When radium was discovered he in
vented the spinthariscope, whereby
the effects OF a trace Of radium salts |
are manifested. He wrote or edited |
books on chemistry, including stand !
ard Methods of Chemical Analysis" !
He was president Of the Chemical So !
ciety and the Institution Of Electrical !
and was hOnored by many |
other societies and by universities.
He married in 1856 Ellen Humphrey,
daughter OF w. Humphrey. She died |
in 1916. He is survived by four sons 1
and a daughter.