Photographic Mysteries

It is no nncomruon experience to find npon new plates certain images for which there seems 110 possible explanation, tbeir startling and uuaccountable appearance being "wropt in mistry, " oansing astonisbinent not nnmixed with nncauny feeling. A gentleman made au exposure npon the interior of a friend's house. He was donbtfnl of the time and proceeded to develop for under exposure. To his great surprise the plate developed qnickly, and to his greater surprise the image was an interior quite different froru that upon which he had exposed. The plate was from a fresh box and could not possibly have had a previous expcsure. Another instance of the kind, having quite a sensational and tragic endiug, is on record. An exposure was made upon a view haviug a' river in the foreground. The photographer, while developing tliis peculiar plate, was perfpctly astounded by an appearance which he had not seeii while taking the photograph, and for which he could in no way account. On completing the development there was plainly revealed in the foregrouud of the picture the figure of a woman, apparently floating nprigbt in the water. Not many weeks after, to complete the mystery, the body of a woman was fonnd in the river at the exact spot where the photograph had been taken. Agaiii, not long since, the daily papers were agitated over the account of a traveling photographer who, upon making an exposure upon the exterior of a reputed haunted house, discovered at one of the Windows a portrait of the murdered man through whom the house had gaiued its evil name. In another case threedistinct images, having no connection one with the other, were impressed upon a single film. The plate was exposed upon a garden in the evening - nothing reinarkable being seen - but when placed in the developer a man's hat of oíd fashioned shape, a child's dress and a dog were distribnted over the image of the garden. Snch rnysterious images were more common in the days of wet plates than now. A few years back Professor Burton investigated the matter. Upon tracing back the history of the glass he found that it had been used for other films, and that the images which appeared undoubtedly arose frorn the remains of previous images. The old glass was thus proved to be the source of the ghosts; it ouly deepened the scientific mystery, while it cleared away the supernatural. The glass traced by Burton bad been washed for some weeks, immersed in strong nitric acid, and every means taken to insure chemical cleanliness, yet in spite of all this enough energy remained latent to form a developable image upon the new film, whether by chemical or physical forcé remains to be discovered. A complete solution of the difficulty -would probably throw considerable light upon the nature of the photographic images in general. At least, it seems to indícate that light is not absolutely essential in the formation of latent images in a