From the cold body the descending current was just as
dark and dust-free as from a warm body. Combustion and evaporation
explanations suffered their death-blow. But he was unable to suggest
any other explanation in their room, and so the phenomenon remained
curious and unexplained.
In this state Mr. Clark and I took the matter up last summer, and
critically examined all sorts of hypotheses that suggested themselves,
Mr. Clark following up the phenomena experimentally with great
ingenuity and perseverance. One hypothesis after another suggested
itself, seemed hopeful for a time, but ultimately had to be discarded.
Some died quickly, others lingered long. In the examination of one
electrical hypothesis which suggested itself we came across various
curious phenomena which we hope still to follow up.[2] It was some
months before what we now believe to be the true explanation began to
dawn upon us. Meanwhile we had acquired various new facts, and first
and foremost we found that the dark plane rising from a warm body was
only the upstreaming portion of a dust-free _coat_ perpetually being
renewed on the surface of the body.
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