Science fiction -- Periodicals; Science fiction, American -- Periodicals
Twice more before the apparatus which the doctor had ordered from
Washington arrived cattle were driven into the depths of the cave, and
twice were the screams and bellowings from the cave repeated. Each time
searching parties found the cattle gone in the morning. A week after the
doctor's arrival, a special train came up, carrying four mechanics from
the Bureau of Standards, together with a dozen huge packing cases. Under
the direction of the doctor the cases were unpacked and the apparatus
put together. Before the assembly had been completed the tank which had
been requested arrived from Camp Meade, and the Bureau mechanics began
to install some of the assembled units in it.
The first apparatus which was installed in the tank consisted of an
electric generator of peculiar design which was geared to the tank
motor. The electromotive force thus generated was led across a spark gap
with points of a metallic substance. The light produced was concentrated
by a series of parabolic reflectors, directed against a large quartz
prism, and thence through a lens which was designed to throw a slightly
divergent beam.
"This apparatus," Dr. Bird explained to the Signal Corps officer, who
was an interested observer, "is one which was designed at the Bureau for
the large scale production of ultra-violet light. There is nothing
special about the generator except that it is highly efficient and gives
an almost constant electromotive force. The current thus produced is
led across these points, which are composed of magnalloy, a development
of the Bureau. We found on investigation that a spark gave out a light
which was peculiarly rich in ultra-violet rays when it was passed
between magnesium points. However, such points could not be used for the
handling of a steady current because of lack of durability and ease of
fusion, so a mixture of graphite, alundum and metallic magnesium was
pressed together with a binder which will stand the heat. Thus we get
the triple advantages of ultra-violet light production, durability, and
high resistance.
* * * * *
"The system of reflectors catches all of the light thus produced except
the relatively small portion which goes initially in the right
direction, and directs it on this quartz prism where, due to the
refractive powers of the prism, the light is broken up into its
component parts. The infra-red rays and that portion of the spectrum
which lies in the visible range, that is, from red to violet inclusive,
are absorbed by a black body, leaving only the ultra-violet portion free
to send a beam through this quartz lens."
"I thought that a lens would absorb ultra-violet light," objected the
signal officer.
"A lens made of glass will, but this lens is made of rock crystal, which
is readily permeable to ultra-violet. The net result of this apparatus
is that we can direct before us as we move in the tank a beam of light
which is composed solely of the ultra-violet portion of the spectrum."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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