Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-12-19
A DISCOVERY IN OPTICS.
by Which Many Places Can BE seen at the
Same Time.

EdWaru 1rapD, herman civil en-
| gineer residing in this city says the
Brooklyn Eagle, has secured the broad
est kind OF patent for an invention
which seems to set aside all the estab-
i lished theories of physicians regarding
the conveyance of light and which
opens up a new field. in optics. This
is what is claimed; By Traps con-
triyance a superintendent can sit in his
office and by merely wheeling around
in his chair and adjusting little teles-
cope to his eye can see exactly what is
going on in every department of the
| factory or warehouse. The manager
Of hotel can look from his Office to
the kitchen, dining-room, or any other
apartment of the hosiery by simply
looking in the tube arranged to 90 into
the apartment in question. This is the
broad adaptation of the process. Not
only can the observer see all that is
going on in the room into which he is
gazing, but he can see everything min
utely. All the colors are portrayed.
The color of q persons hair and the
hues of a flower can be plainly seen.
The title Of book lying on table can
be read by a person of fairly good eve
sight. BY means of an ingenious slide,
worked by wire, the observer can
even look at what is directly beneath
the observation glass in the room gaz-
ed at, Mr.. Trapp has also an arrange
ment by which the gaze can be concern
trated on single object, apart from
every other object. The object thus
scrutiniZed is seen life-sizc by the OBJ
server. A banker can awaken in the
night and by opening tube can look
at his safe in the house or in his office
In case a burglar were at work on the
safe the proprietor from his bedroom
at home could see the burglary in oper-
alton, take in all the features of the
burglar, and give an alarm that would
surely entrap the thief. In case of
noise in the house at night and a belief
that an intruder had entered, the house
holder, if he had Traps apparatus in
his various rooms, could look into the
different halls and apartments and see
whether any one really had entered.
The warden OF prison could from his
private office scan the corridors and
even the cells at his pleasure. Any
prisoner quietly working to dig his way
to liberty could be watched in all his
movements. In fact, there are thou
sand ways in which the method of the
Brooklyn engineer could be utilized
for the convenience comfort, and pro-
lection of humanity.
Thomas A. Edison is creating a stir
by claiming to be able pretty soon to
arrange the telephone so that a man in
New York can not only talk to a man
in Philadelphia, but at the same time
see the face of the person he is adj
dressing. That is wondersul and is to
be accomplished by electricity. But
Edison can only show the face at the
telephone. He can not disclose the
contents of the apartment at the other
end. Trapp shows the entire room,
although not at so great distance as
Edison can show the face at the phone.
There is no electricity in Traps
method. 1t is simply a series of tubes,
depending on the distance to be cover
ed with a clever and accurate arrange
ment of prisms lenses. refectors, and
magnifying glasses. AT the obserya-
ton end there is a small magnifying
glass if the distance to be scanned is
short, aud a small telescope if the dis
tance is great. The common SUPPOSE
ton that ray of light is lost in tube
is upset by Traps invention. lie
shows that the light is bound to escape
somewhere, and the method regulates
and utilizes the way of escape. If
there are turns and bends in the tub
ing, as will generally be the case,
prisms, lenses, and rehectors are in
peniously arranged at each bend, so
that the light is accurately transported
to the terminus of the tube At the
terminus is a maguifying lens of
greater or less power, depending on
the distance from the point OF ohserya-
ton and the range OF vision 10 be dis
closed. 1t does not matter whether
the apartment observed is illuminated
by sunlight. gaslight, or electrie-light !
The eve at the observation glass will
see Just what the naked eve would per- /
ceive were it in the room observed |
Where no light is desired in the room
itself Mr.. Trapp arranges few cleo
tric-lights around the terminal glass, /
and the observer sees whatever the ell F.
ectric-lighta reflect and take in all the
radius covered by the lights
All this sounds like a fairy tale but I
the demonstration can be seen at any
time at Traps residence, on Adelphi /
street. Perhaps the most interesting
and possibly the most important fea- /
ture of the invention is the adaptation /.
Trap is making of it for deep-sea OBJ /
seryation and for mines He has a
tube, a straight tube or one with sever
al turns in it, as the case might require, +
with a number of small electric lights
incased around the terminal glass, +
which is unusually powerful. This I
tube is so adjusted that it can be low
cred from the surface to the deck Of
wrecked vessel, for instance. The OBJ ,
server above can sean perfectly the
wreck within the radius Of the refec-
ton Of the terminal lights. By NOV
ing the tubes the range Of observation .
can be extended infinitely, The pro-
cess will save any risk on the Divers
part, as it viii show the condition Of
af-g itse nj 4,v...tr., -,.L.+f-v