"Yes it's all here," said Ed Addle, one of the regulars at the Oil Well Saloon, "Æther-wind speed, Ætheric pressure, there are instruments to measure those, even an analogy to temperature, which depends on the ultramicroscopic vortices and how energetically they interact. . . ."
* * * * * * * * * *
"Ed Addle"
A new character! Another Ætherist and light addict. "Addle" suggests that he might not be the most scientific person in the saloon to contemplate the nature of light. Also suggestive of his confusion on the nature of light: his list of tools that measure the properties of Æther so as to make the study of light more accurate.
"Oil Well Saloon"
A saloon where light enthusiasts hang out. Reminiscent of "All's well." Oil can be used to fuel fire which produces light. An oil well a place where one finds the oil. So, in a sense, this saloon is a place where one can go to discover illumination, or knowledge.
"Ætheric pressure . . . ."
Just a bunch of mumbo jumbo that Michelson and Morley will make obsolete in the coming days with their experiment. At least for those scientists who haven't invested heavily in the Æther theory of light and so cannot easily adjust to or believe in the results of this experiment. Most scientists, I imagine, were just waiting to be able to jettison all of this Æther crap as just a bunch of pretzel logic to explain unproven theories.
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