The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-05-29

Edison, lit is necessary the photographs
should be taken at the rate of forty six per
second; any smaller number would show
irregularities and break in the motIon.
Inere was machine made a While
ago to print pictures of an object in motion,
but 1t would not work fast enough. 1t re-
produced an imperfect and jerky motion
like this" And he illustrated by raising
ms arm In series of short jerks to his
shoulder.
'How did 1 find out that forty-six photo
graphs must be taken every second! Well,
I've been experimenting with this thing for
long time; now I've got it, that is, I've
got the germ, or base principle. When you
get your base principle right, then it is only
a question of time and a matter of details
about completing the machine. The details
can all be worked out after you get the
germs. Come up stairs and see the germ
work"
1t is question which part of the kineto-
graph Edison himself regards as the great
est part OF his invention, the arrangement
Tor taking the photographs or the contriv-
ance Tor reproducing them. 1t was the re-
producing contrivance which he showed to
the reporter as the ''germi'
10 outward appearance the germ" Is
nothing but pine box, which looks very
much as If it might have been originally in
tended as packing case for shoes or
boots. 1t stood on end in front of lathe,
and the open top was nearest to the
the lathe. In the upper end was cut hole
about an inch in diameter and in this hole
was set lens. On the bottom of the box
was arranged series of wheels and
splndles. A roll of gelatine film was placed
on spindle on one side of the bottom. The
end of the gelatine strip was then carried
over one of the wheels and past the lens n
the hole in the top of the box and another
III 10
DoX bottom and fastened to a small
belt that ran from the lathe to the shaft,
ON which was set the spindle to which the
end OF the gelatine film was fastened.
when the motor was turned on the roll OF
gelatlne strip was transferred from the
first spindle to the second, and in the trans
fer passed under the lens. The photo
graphs on the slip came out as the germ"
AS 1t was worked fast or slow the repro
ductlon showed pure motion or a series Of
Jerks. When it was run at the highest
speed the reporter saw young fellow
waving his hand and touching his hat. AT
ter running the germ for while at full
speed, Edison had it slowed down little.
At once difference became apparent ard
the reasons of the failure of the machine
to which Edison had referred him
were quite evident. Instead of reproduc-
ing smooth, pure motion the strip showed
y
fellow who moved himself by jerks and
whose actions were abrupt and unsteady.
In few weeks Mr.. Edison will be ready
to make test of the practical powers of
the germ" on much larger scale. In the
office OF the laboratory he has had an i'm
mense screen put up, sucn as is used for
stereopt1can exhibitions. The screen
hangs over big fireplace and colors the
side of the wall. As soon as he can perfect
some little details OF the kintograph he will
make trial at life size of the reproduction
of this big success. Mr.. Edison says the
kintograph Can be made to run for any de-
sired length of time.
II can put roll Of galatine strip mile
long into it if l like" said its inventor to-
day. THE work it will do in half an hour
is something astonishing. Taking forty
SIX photographs per second, in half an hour
there will be 81, $50 photographs on CELIA
tine strip"
If the photographs were half an inch
squrae and half an inch apart, the strip of
film used in taking the thirty minute act of
an opera would be $500 feet long, and MIR.
Edison would need something more than
his mile of gelatine. There is not one of
US who has not seen the idea in use hun
dreds Of times. Children in the streets
have for playthings little wlndmilis whose
painted arms emboGy the very idea Edison
has used in the kinJograph. One arm will
have part of a figure painted, the neXt
arm andther part, the next another, and so
on, and as the arms whirl rapidly around,
one looking on sees only perfect picture.
That is the whole scheme.