The San Francisco call., 1896-06-15
RACE JUDGING BY MAC HINE
Bluffng the Judges of the Ath-
letic Meet a Thing of the
Past.
An Automatic Recording Mechanism
Which Is Bound to Decide
Impair TALLY.

The introduction of machinery, against
which divers long-haired red-fag wavers
are wont to inveigh as the cause OF our
present industrial conditions, has not only
invaded the former domain of manual
la bor but even threatens now to dispense
with the necessity of mental exertion. In
these fin de steele days we have ceased to
wonder at the revolutions which machin-
cry has made in the various branches of
industry-the great changes which the
com bined harvester has made in agricult-
ure, or the complex and intricate looms
have brought about in cloth-making.
The latest innovation tending toward
the abolition of mental eXertion is a
"P atent automatic judging machine" Tor
Judging the finish OF sprinting, bicycle, or
even swimming races. This ingenious
machine is the work OF A. l.. Band, a
prominent Australian athlete and member
of the New South Wales Athletic Club.
The machine is used at nearly all the big
athletic meets in Australia, and many
professionals refuse to race without it.
The mechanism OF the judging machine
| is rather simple. 1t consists of six up
right poles, connected above, and forming g
| five openings, through each or which one
contestant finishes. Across each opening
| is stretched a light tape ich, when
| broken, releases one of five shutters on an
indicator placed on top of the framework.
| The shutter, dropping, reveals the num-
Der of the winning man. The shuttle.
hiding the number of the winner is the
/ only one that drops, unless the contest
ants run dead heat, IN which case two
numbers are shown.
Besides the indicator, there Is also placed
above the framework a Self-recOrding
mechanism which indicates the distance
| between the various hnishers. This re-
cording device consists of a cylinder covered
with paper marked off on a scale OF feet and
inches, and after being started just before
the runners reach the finish, reyolves at a
uniform rate, and as each man finishes,
the sane spring that releases the indicator
| also releases little pen whici strikes the
revolving Daper-covered cylinder, and thus
the distance between the men is marked.
| OF course the distance is only approXi-
mately measured, for the rate of revolu-
ton of the cylinder is gauged to measure
the distance when the runners are going
at top speed-perhaps 10 or 10 1-5 second
rate in the 100-yard dash.
! Several successful trials were made yes
| terday with the new machine at the Olym-
pic Club grounds. Besides Mr.. Band, the
| inventor, there were present M. g. Dod-
well, his associate, member of the New
| Zealand Athletic Association, John Elliott
of the Olympic Club and other local ath-
| letes All expressed themselves as well
pleased with yesterdays trial. which was
the first exhibition of the machine in this
country.
If generally introduced the machine will
make great changes in sprinting races. As
one enthusiast said yesterday, it can
neither be bluffed nor brbed. The dis
ance-measuring mechanism, while it
measures only approximately. indicates
very much more closely than the human
eye could possibly do. Whether the intro
duction of this~and similar machines which
do away with the necessity of mental
effort will cause the decay OF the mental
faculties from disuse is a question for the
evolutionist to ponder over.