Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-25
LATEST.
A Marvellous Photographic Machine Sue
cessfully Tested.

A Marvellous Photographic Machine Sue
cessfulIy Tested.
The strongest man on earth, to quote the
play-bills, and the greatest inventor of the
age met yesterday at Menlo Park, N. j.,
says the New York Herald. The meeting
was an interesting one. and the giant OF
brain and the giant of muscle found much
to admire in each other. Sandow mar
yelled at Edison's inventions. and the wizard
gazed longingly and enviously at the
prodigious muscles of the strong man.
The latest development of Edison's genius
in the line of photography, on which he
has been working for the past five years,
the kaleidoscope, was practically completed
a few days ago, and in casting about for
a unique subject for the first photograph
by the new process Edison chose Sandow
as the most fitting and striking character.
Accompanied by John Roster of Roster
& Balls, Manager c. b. Cline and r. T.
Haines of the Northwestern Telephone com
wanna train at IL o'clock yesterday morning
for Menlo Park. Edison met the quartet
at the depot.
The main principle of the Kaleidoscope, as
is already known. consists in the taking
OF a great number of Impressions by a
camera in a limited space of time, thus OBJ
tanning a continuous photograph of the en-
tire motion OF the object or person. The
photographs follow each other In such rapid
succession that no lapse of time can be de-
tected between the Impressions recorded,
and the series of pictures becomes in effect
but one picture
Then proceeding to the studio. Edison
and Sandow walked arm in arm. The studio
is a building apart from the factory. 1t Is
so constructed as to move with the sun, so
that the luminary which shines through an
aperture about twenty feet in width will
always shine directly on the object or person
being photographed, the object being to get
d perfect focus. The building, as it turns,
rolls like a ship, being erected on a sort Of
pivot.
The walls. floor and ceiling of the studio
are black. The machine for taking pictures
consists of a large, square box, about AKA
feet. The slide, however, is different from
the ordinary. as 1t is revolving. Back of the
spring is a sensitive g~elatine plate in the
form OF a band that runs on two rollers.
The rollers are revolyed rapidly by cleo
tricity.
Forty-six pictures are taken in one second
and the exposure lasts twenty seconds
the length of the time required to unroll the
band.
The camera is kept behind a curtain In
complete darkness and when the person IL
ready to be photographed the curtain is
drawn aside, the camera pushed forward on
rollers and the exposure takes place.
The opening In the camera is but three
inches In width and the pictures are an inch
square, though the inventor says he will
be able to take pictures of larger size
soon.
Sandow showed his eight we'll known move
ments for the distension or the muscles.
These had to be done within twenty seconds,
the time OF the exposure, so 1t necessitated
some practice beforehand.
The plates secured were declared perfect.
Lets get our pictures taken together, :"
said Edison.
II should consider 1t an honor and a
privilege" replied Sandow. and in a few
moments the picture was taken.