The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

12 THE PHONOSCOPE July, 1897 J=1Ra£ litems X=ray Spectacles for Inquisitive People An optician has constructed X-ray spectacles for even-body's use. This device, if possessed of the penetrating power claimed for it, will make concealment outside of the metal walls, a farcical effort. The most hidden secrets of physical imperfections, no matter how carefully guarded beneath linen, wool and silk, will be exposed as clearly to the gaze of the X-ray fiend as if exhibited before a magnifying glass. Walls of brick and stone will become as transparent as glass, and as a result, to secure privacy in hotels, boarding houses and other buildings, the walls must have a metallic lining of iron, steel, tin or zinc. Without such eye-proof lining the occupants of a room would have no protection against the prying eyes of the curious supplied with X-ray glassses. Suppose for an instance that a man in a hotel should have his curiosity excited as to what was going on in the adjoining room, all he would have to do would be to adjust to his eyes his X-ray glasses, turn on the current of his pocket batten.-, when the walls would virtually melt away, revealing all as clear as day. With this device in general use it will be as necessary to have all public buildings eye-proof as fire-proof. It has been suggested that modern women shield themselves by wearing a bodice and skirt of alumnia that would be as light in weight as clothes, and so durable as to last a lifetime. Some such protection would be indispensible, for it is easily to be imagined how horrifying it would be to a lady on the street to find that she was being ogled by an X-ray fiend. Use of the X-Ray in a Hurder Case A most interesting use was made of the X-rays at Watertown last month, when they were employed for the purpose of verifying the statements of an accused murderer. In May last, at Sacketts Harbor, a double tragedy occurred, whose victims were two women, Man Crouch and Mary Daly. The two had been driving with George Allen, a soldier at the Madison Barracks in that village, and Allen himself was wounded so that he was for some time in the hospital. Partly through Allen's testimony, and partly through circumstantial evidence, suspicion was directed to the estranged husband of Mary Crouch, who was placed under arrest, but subsequently released. Then suspicion fastened upon Allen himself, and it was claimed that his wounds were selfinflicted for the purpose of diverting suspicion. Allen, however, asserted that in addition to his other wounds he had a bullet in the neck, in such a position that it could not have been the result of a self-inflicted wound. His attorney believed him, and determined to take the risk of an X-ray examination. The rays disclosed the presence of the bullet claimed, which is close enough to the brain to account for mental disturbance and the incoherency of some of Allen's statements hitherto attributed to his guilt. The first examination took seventeen minutes, and the second twentyfive. The man was exposed to the X-rays in all forty-two minutes. While the results brought out by the new discovery do not, of course, conclusively establish Allen's innocence, they manifestly decrease the chances of conviction, and increase the mystery enveloping a most singular murder case. Twenty niles of Wire on an X-Ray Coil Prof. P. C. Robinson and Prof. C. C. Hutchins of Bowdoin College are perfecting an apparatus for the X-ray experiments they are conducting. They have just finished an induction electric coil on which has been wound twenty miles of wire. By means of this coil a spark fifteen inches long has been produced, and some of the X-ray photographs recently taken by their process are remarkable for their distinctness. They have also just completed an improvement on the Crookes tube. The Roentgen Rays Applied to Mining Dr. F. E. Yoakum, of Los Angles, Cal., has applied the X-rays to the determination of gold in quartz. The physician was photographing a tumor; there was a vacant space on the plate, and he placed a piece of gold-bearing quartz on it; when the plate was developed the outlines of the rock came out on it, with specks here and there, which showed the presence of gold. Since then he has taken a number of pictures of gold in valuable ore. The fluoroscope has been used for this purpose. It is believed that the discovery will be of use to geologists and mineralogists in prospecting. Improved Adjustable X=ray Tube An improved adjustable X-ray tube which is an improvement over similar ones is more easily and cheaply constructed and more readily adjusted, besides having a greater range of adjustment; in adjusting it the position of the origin of the rays is not interfered with. The essential feature consists in mounting the cathode on a steel rod sliding in two aluminum guides supported on a glass tube; the whole arrangement is used in a horizontal position, and by simply tapping it at one end the cathode can be made to move to a small extent; the exact position of the cathode relatively to the tubular neck and bulb was found to have an enormous effect on the penetrative value of the X-rays produced; such a tube can be set for rays of any penetrative power. The X=Ray as a Cosmetic Women will be more interested in the X-ray than ever when they learn that it has wonderful cosmetic qualities which Mr. Edison himself has tested and verified. Mr. Edison and Mr. Elihu Thompson have been experimenting to learn more about the curious burns that have resulted in many cases from the application of the X-rays and they state that these burns heal rapidlj-. leaving the skin much softer and whiter than it was in the first place. The X-ray burn really senres to remove the outer covering of the skin, and allow a new, and therefore whiter, and purer skin to grow in its place. The X-ray may be compared to an exaggerated case of sunburn. It is in reality a cross between a regular scald and a scorch. The X-ray simply removes the outer cuticle. In order to understand this action the tube must be considered as a miniature batter)', which discharges millions of minute rays of immense penetrating power. When the X-ray strikes the skin these little projectiles strike upon the flesh like so many little hammers. A few minutes of such bombardment sen-es to destroy the outer cuticle and expose a red inflamed surface. If the skin is exposed to a hot fire, it will, of course be blistered, but the wound from a scald or burn goes deeper into the flesh, and consequently on healing leaves a scar. The X-ray is merely the most refined way of burning in the world. Slot flfcacbmes Last month Chief Anderson of Parkersburg, W. Va., visited all the saloons in which slot machine gambling devices had been introduced and notified the proprietors that these machines must be put into a state of "innocuous desuetude" at once. He found four or five large ones and about fifteen altogether. This is done under the ordinance recently passed by council in which all such machines in the nature of gambling devices are prohibited. The ordinary cigar, chewing gum and weighing slot machines are allowable and were not disturbed. Under the law the police have the right to seize the machines, break them up and confiscate the money in them but Chief Anderson did not want to be too hard upon them the first time. If, however, a second raid upon them becomes necessary this extreme measure will be adopted. The small mahines were not so bad and there was not much complaint against them. But the proprietors becoming bold by being unmolested in running the small ones, introduced recently a larger variety. These big machines were automatic highway robbers — thieving reduced to mechanical principles giving the man who played them scarcely any show for his money at all. Hence the above action of Chief Anderson which made a clean sweep of all. The saloons of Mike Shea, Louisville, Ky., and of Adolf Mathey, a few doors above, were entered by thieves lately in a most mysterious manner and robbed of twelve dollars in the first place and twenty-five dollars in the latter. At Shea's saloon not a door was unlocked, not a window forced. How the thieves effected an entrance and how they left completely baffles the owners. Neither the front nor the rear parts of the saloon were touched, although valuables were in both parts, the thieves having contented themselves with robbing the slot machine. At Mathey's saloon it is equally perplexing how the thieves entered, but an open door unlocked from the inside tells the story how they left. A new game apparatus on the penny-in-the-slot system, and which may be played with coins or counters, is the invention of F. M. Archer, of New York, and may be productive of a world of fun. A coin or counter inserted in the slot after descending, rolls around at the bottom and striking one of a series of numbered sections reveals a card or plate containing a numbered inscription on the fortune-telling order, such as "Your Lucky Day," "You will receive a letter," "You drink too much," "You will cross the water," etc., or the game may be played solely with numbers, the person who turns up the highest number being the winner. The Vermilion county grand jury indicted the merchants of that county who have been using the slot machine usually known as the Ferris or cigar wheel. The case of some Fairmount parties came up for trail, and there was much contention about the matter. The prosecution, among other evidence, introduced a Mr. Fisher from Champaign University to do some calculating for the jury. He informed that body that as they could see there were forty-four ones on the wheel, three twos and one five. If a person played the wheel and got all the numbers on the dial he would have fifty-five cigars. To do this he would have placed forty-eight nickels in the machine and by dividing fifty-five by forty-eight would demonstrate that each cigar had cost him one and seven forty-eighth cents. Five nickles would have cost him five times that amount, being five and thirty-five fortyeighth cents. The claim was made that the machines ran six cigars for a quarter, but the figures demonstrated that there was a profit of thirteen forty-eighths for the operator. This rate would be the same if articles besides cigars were disposed of by the wheel. We have not heard the result of the trial, but presume it was a divided jury, as occurred at the other trials.