Telegram-herald., 1890-07-11
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
TAXING PicTUREs 81 MEANS O.
BALLOONS AA0 KITES

&->s<at1z@oas Fssss seSaEe1 p S@ai-ss~s
IA MA Alr-as. tAs Werk Is Aseo3a-
Pllsasd-Ihs First Saoesssfai AttsHaDs
Wa AAas IA issI-
AsTunaats an others have fer sons
uIae past endsay0rei % prodece photo
graphs from BALBOA, and have SS@t
with very coaG3erable success-
II woald lie alnicult 70 cay who was
the first % make photographs from
balloon. bet there is no doubt that "A.
Aadar, u Paris, has doas more IA this
direction thaa any ono Else. Some very
satisfactory results were obtained by hlm
by means Of a camera attached 10 the
side oE tho car
But the idea OF sending a camera
alone up into the air was one that occu-
pied. ne attention Of scientists, for ths
reason that il obviated the necessity OF
sending Up aerOaants and, ia conse-
qaeaee, = much smaller balloon would
be required. In the year 1881 my father,
the late W. 3. Woodbury., invented and
patented a balloon camera OF this kind.
The principal part OF the apparatus IS
drum, holding four sensitive dry plates;
this drum is wound up. and by means OF
a small electro magnet a catch was ret
leased, and the plates could be brought
into position successively. The lens was
covered with an instantaneous shutter,
opening and closing the lens IA the
l-250th part OF a second. This also was
controlled by small electro magnet
The wires connected with these two
magnets, and one for the return current,
were inclosed in the rope that held the
balloon, so that the operator on terra
frma, by simply sending current
through these wires, could work the
movements Of the camera IS easily as If
il were ia his own hands.
HOW THE PICTURE Is TAKEN.
The operation was this: He touched
one button and sent a current TO one
electro magnet, which brought plate
into position. By means of telescope
the behavior Of the balloon could be seen.
Directly it was in steady position a
current was sent, by pressing another but
ton, through the second electro magnet;
this released the shutter and the exposure
was made. When the four plates had
been exposed the camera was drawn to
the ground, the plates developed into
negatives, and by means Of a magic Ian
tern their image was thrown ON TO a
screen or large piece OF paper. With a
piece Of chalk the outlines were sketched
out and the position of the enemys for
tiications, their strength and position,
could at once be seen by all the officers.
From a recent number of La Nature is
reproduced an account of a Photographic
kite recently invented by II. A. Balut,
of Enlaure. To the kite is attached a
small Photographic camera By means Of
triangular support fixed to the back
bone. The camera is provided with an
instantaneous shutter actuated by means
OF slow match. Before flying the kite
this match is lighted, and when combus-
ton has proceeded so far as to set fire TO
q small thread it releases the spring of
the shutter and the exposure is made.
AN AERIAL BAROMETER.
Another very novel feature of this in
| genious apparatus is the use of a regis
/ tering aneroid barometer attached to
/ the kite so that the operator can find out
/ the altitude which the kite has assembled
above the ground. This barometer is
I combined with Photographic register
ing apparatus which operates at the
same time as the camera. 1t is inclosed
/ in light, tight box, and the instant
that the shutter of the Photographic
camera is released and the exposure
made an aperture closed by the shutter
( is uncovered through the burning of the
/ match.
st the moment the aperture is uncov-
cred the luminous rays strike the dial
and print the shadows Cf the two needles
+ mechanism and index needles) upon a
piece of sensitized paper with which
F the dial is provided. To the thread at
tached to the shutter. and which gives
the exposure when burned, is fixed a
/ piece of paper which at the same time
detaches itself and falls TO the ground,
indicating to the operator that the ex-
+ posure has been made. The kite is then
hauled in and the plate developed.
Another curious form of aerial photo
graphic apparatus is being developed by
q French inventor, IL. Denesse. 1t con-
sists Of Photographic camera attached
to a rocket. An umbrella like parachute
is also fixed to the rocket stick. When
fred into the air this is closed, but as
soon as the rocket begins to descend it
opens out, and the whole returns grace
fully 70 the earth. In this the camera is
cylindrical in form and has round its
circumference twelve lenses-a sensitive
plate is in the center. The lenses are
provided with q shutter which opens and
closes instantly on the camera cOmmenc-
( ing to descend Il is then drawn back
to the operator by = cord attached be-
fore the firing Of the rocket. Tho p-in-
cipal advantages Of This form Of appa-
ratus are cheapness of operating and
freedom from risk.-Walter E. Wood
bury in Cassell's.
FEEDING a ZIG SNAKE.