CURRENT TOPICS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 58, 6 May 1924, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

THE GREEN KAY. The wonders of science arc wonderful enough, in al] conscience, but when a few "facts" are added to embellish the plain unvarnished truth, some of the most modern discoveries become fearsome indeed, deferring to the circumstantial story cabled from London a few days ago concerning the invent ion by a gentleman named Matthews of n mysterious ray wliich can stop aeroplanes and motorcars and ignite explosives has been I "Id at various times and in various places in the last twelve months, it is pointed out by a contemporary that, th P invention has been attributed in America to a Geinian scientist, Professor Oswald Flamm, and interviews with that gentleman have

appeared in the New York "Tribune." ''La Liberte," of Paris, published an interview a couple of months ago with "a:i o final of the Air Ministry," who is made to confirm the story of the German invention, and claim that similar experiments have boon successfully conducted in France. The London "Daily Mail" capped that story by hinting that a British inventor had not only equalled the exploits of the German and French investigators, but had devised a shield which rendered the new ray innocuous. TALL STORIES. The Lyttelton Times says these stories were submitted by the New York "Tribune" to Dr. Lee de Forest, the radio expert, who declared they were all nonsense. "Flamm's other name is Flimm," he declared. "Not a chance, not a chance," ho told a reporter. He said while he was in Germany he tried to discover the basis for the report that the Germans had made a discovery that enabled them to make uiQperativc, by wireless, all types of electric instruments. He added: "I could not get the faintest line on any such discovery or invention. The reports were based on forced landings made by French planes in Germany. Tn every case it wa s established that ther, e was some cause within the engine itself, a cause that was identified. If a permanent magnet were brought into a very intense high frequency electric magnetic field it would lose its magnetism, and that would cause the magnet to cease to function. But it would take a perfectly terrific force to demagnetise, and I have not the slightest idea. that it can be done."