Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-24
THE MIMIC WORLD.
THE STAGE CARPENTERS lMITA-
TONS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA.

THE STAGE CAHFeN Cno mi IA
TONS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA.
The Means by Which the Most Realistic
are Produced Moonlight. Lightning.
Wind and Rainstorm-Tropical Scene
on q Cheap Scale.
Moonlight now is made through a piece
of silk in the drop and gas or calcium
light is used. In old times cheese boxes
were utilized. but now the drums are made
of tin. Formerly for lightning lycopo
dunn torch was used, but now magne-
stun blowpipe is employed. The best
way to make rain is to take box some
what larger than cheese box and use peas
and gravel. The bottom Of the box is
sheet iron, while the sides are of wood.
The old way to make wind was to tie to-
eether two shingles and sling them around
your head, but that was changed because
SO many people got hit on the Jaw. Now
we use spinning wheel with humming
top, which appliance can be worked with
the foot / used this kind OF wind in the
production of Ranch TO- The old snow
box with sieve has gone out OF date, and
now we use a bag with perforations on
one side 1t is tossed about by strings so
that perfect effect is made. The smoke
box is yet in use, and it would be difficult
to improve it much. You have seen the
effect of snow blowing in at the door,
suppose? A man comes in out of the
storm, throws the snow OIL his hat and
brushes it off his shoulders and out OF his
beard, if he has one. OF course the per-
sonal effect is made with salt, but the
storm itself is famed in by the use Of .
big hoop covered with paper.
1.-THE effect of bringing locomotive up
to the wings is a very good one when it IS
worked properly The long distance
whistle for brakes is done on small bot
tie, one that viii hold a gill or two. The
other appliances are two blocks faced with
sandpaper, an egg beater and dishpan and
snare drum The rubbing of the sand
paper makes the escaping steam, the roll
ing of the eggbeater in the pan makes the
rumbling of the wheels and the drum
produces the general noise or effect. When
the train draws near a calcium light is
flashed across the stage, and at the same
time all the noises are worked, as we'll as
the bass drum, the crashbOX and the more
general noise there is the better the eff
feect. In slowing up diminish the sounds
until full stop is reached, when only the
escape of steam is wanted but it must
then be continuous.
"For an explosion at sea-or anywhere
else, for that matter-1 use charcoal,
steel filings and gunpowder. The powder
produces the shower of sparks. Then we
have a battery of eight gun barrels
fastened to log, which have to be fired.
1t is very easy TO do, but you have to
work it right or the effect is spoiled. To
represent a trotting horse at a distance
we use cobblestones covered with cloth,
and a meat chopping machine The old
way was to knock stones on block, but
it was not so good and had to be worked
by an experienced man. The new method
is a great effect and would make yOL
think the horse was coming right on the
stage. For an approaching carriage
march pole on the floor against the grain
of the wood SO that it jumps. That rep
resents the rumbhng; and for the crack
ing of the whip we use small tOrpedoes,
until the coachman dashes on the stage
with whip in hand.
''In a fire scene on the stage for touch
ing it off we throw sulphurc acid on a
preparation of potash and pulverized
sugar, and that saves touching it off as
they used to have to do, and makes a sure
job of it. Sometimes the insurance people
kick, but when we explain it to them that
we have damp cloths to smother it they
do not make any further objection. Ice
cakes are made with soap boxes on rock.
ers. The splashing of the water is made
I. l. lol
We used this effect in the Lights O. Lon.
dom where the fellow goes off the bridge,
and we employed the same fake in the
scene of Washington crossing the Della.
ware. Stage elevators are worked simply
with counter weights, and are easy to
make. Thunder is made nowadays by
beating dried COW skin as you would a
bass drum, and the lightning flash which
precedes it comes from throwing a spray
of lycopodium out of can SO that i.
comes in contact with sponge filed with
alcohol on fire.
'In New Orleans / made big hit with
tropical scene out of hundred palm
leaf fans, few green grape barrels q
quiIe of white pasteboard and quart OF
green and yellow paints. The Kiralfys
had a regular modelling shop, in charge of
which was an artist from Paris. He fixed
the rig by which the north wind knocked
the fisherman into the sea and that by
which the diver went down and brought
him up. You could see the bottom of the
ocean, fish and all. as natural as life. An.
other trick is the Illusion paint, used by
Hermann in his performances where dark
scenes are to be given. The banjo playing
is done in that way. The secret Of the
thing is to charge the paint with magne-
SUM. Only few know that and may
get myself into scrape by giving it away.
The woman who floats in the air is KEEP,
up by a back support from behind the
black curtain they use. buffalo Com.
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