The Portland daily press., 1895-04-06
PORTRAITS BY TELEGRAPH.
The Process Which Promises Wonderful
Results.
tB'rom the ST. James Budget }

,,, ZIG nl. James buuRet.]
ne inestlnable services rendered to
science ana art by photography are now
among the conmonplaces of the day. The
sensitive eye of the camera, immeasurably
tfansceholng both il delicacy and power
INC visual organ of man. is constantly dis
oefhlhs ana registering for permanent ref
eiehce lacts, especially in the domain of
astronomy, .yond HE reach of human vis-
ION, even when aided by most powerful OF
telescopes. Bus if photography shas de-
served thus well in the loftier regions of
science. her services are none the less re-
markable In the more homely paths of
everyday life. The camera has sbeen used
to catch by stealth and permanently le-
cord the features of criminals in the very
commission of their crimes and thus to as
s1st the work of jusiic And now, with
the aid of electricity, this useful handmaid
of tie arts is likely to render further aid in
bringing law breakers to book, for it has
been found plssible to transmit photo
graphs by telegraph
Ihe merit Of discovering his remarkable
process is attributed to Germa invent or,
Mr. n. 5. Anstut 2of Cleveland. His method.
which is simple, appears to be an adapta-
ton OF the well-known process by which
such opJeciS. say, MS gunstocas are now
| made, by means of drills which, through
The 1nstrumen tality of an ingenious me-
chemical arrangement, are made to follow
the contour of revolving model, an exact
copy of which they reproduce from piece
of wool subjected 10 their operation while
it revolves at precisely the same speed as the
model. Wood carvings are produced in a
very similar fashion. For the telegra phic
| transmission of photographs there are
placed at the dispatching and receiving
Office corresponding cylindrical rollers,
similar 10 those employed In the pohno-
graph, the equal and parallel movement of
| which is insured by mechanism of clock
| work. In contact with the cylinder at the
disratchlng office is pencil, the point of
which, when the cylinder is made to re-
volve. traveres it in spiral lines from end
| TO end. The pencil is so adjusted that the
| strength of the current varies according to
| the resistance offered to the pencil point by
| any variations on the sur face of the cylin-
der. So long as the surface is even there is
no variation in the current, but should it
present any inequalities he strength of t e
| current varies with its risings and faliings.
while the pencil still continues to describe
its close spiral lines. This varying current
| is, by proper electrical means, transmit ted
to the receiving station. where in its turn
| it SO influences a pencil in contact with the
| wax covered surface of the receiving cylideT
as to cause it to impress upon it grooves
varying in depth according to the changing
strength of the current.
In order that a photograph may be TINS
transmitted it has first, by the ordinary
| process of photo printing, TO be converted
| into gelatine relief, which is placed upon
| the transmitting cylinder, which is then set
| into motion. Following according to the
process described the risings and fallings
OF This relief the pencil of the receiving cy-
| Under repIoduces in close spiral lines sort
of elementary copy of it. Elementary as
| the pictures undoubtedly are it is clear
| that any one familiar with the features OF
| the ORIG inals would have little diffiuclty in
recognizing them.