Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-06-17

lntcFrsilnn Process of photographic .
MOVING street Crowd.
A few days ego an unpretentious
hooking vehicle was standing near the
curb on Pennsylvania avenue near the
Seventh street transfer station. In the
wagon was a large pine box, and upon
this a smaller box Of cherry. This
smaller box proved, upon inquiry, 70 be
camera for making the long bands
Of pictures used In phantoscope, cine
photographic, vitascopc and all the vari-
GUS members OF the constantly grow
ing family OF scopes" and graphs"
devices for exhibiting a sericr Of rap.
idly-shiftinR Photographic Transparent
cics, arranged successfully, so that enc
blends into the other uninterruptedly,
giving the impression Of objects in mo-
ton. A photograph Of the moving
crowds az the transfer was being made
by Mr.. c. Francis Jenkins, who told a
reporter about the methods and mech
anisn employed in the process.
In company with Mr.. Jenkins, W.
carried the box in his hand. the re-
porter visited the lahratory, which was
a dark room, where the strip contain
ing the pictures was removed from the
box. And dark the room is, too, after
being out In the bright sunlight, the
only light visible being n red globo
swinging from the ceiling.
Upon entering the room n tick, tick
tick, not unlike the sound OF clock,
is noticed, and ms soon us the eyes be-
come accustomed TO the semi-darkness
Of the subdued illumination II Is found
10 proceed from the far side Of the room,
where little machine is busy stamping
out the tiny square holes along the
edge OF the tape, OF "flm," ms Il Is
called. These little holes are punched
along the edge Of the film 10 insure per
feet register. as was explained.
The punching must be done with ex-
treme accuracy, but no slSillfully is the
mechanism designed, and so delicately
made that II can b, trusted 10 care for
itself, running all night, when occasion
requires, without attention, punching
out myriads Of little squares of celluloid,
which for all the world resembles In
miniature the piles of sawdust in the
mills. The pictures are three quarters
by seven-eiglths inches, and are laid
on, in the camera, at the rate Of 1000 a
minute and up.
After the photographs are made the
film is developed and dried and auto
matically fed, In contnct with a like
strip Of sensitive film, beneath power
ful incandescent lamp AMI "positives"
printed therefrom, very much as a
cylinder press prints the long strips OF
newspaper. This exposed film is taken
into another dark room, where IL is
spirally laid on 20 n large cylinder TO
iated by an electric motor. This cylin-
der is supported in half-moon shaped
bearings nt the ends Of large trough
resembling the great wooden sugar
troughs in which our grundfathers used
10 catch the sap OF the naples.
The developer" a dark-colored fluid,
Is poured on from a pitcher, the film
continuing % rotate therein until fully
developed. The end of the film first
laid ON is then fastened to another cylin-
der. which quickly rolls II OF the first
and passes Il through another bath un-
I'll II is fixed" whatever that may
mean. Then the film Is given a thor
ough washing under long tube pierced
with dozens Of little holes from which
the water Is projected in tiny streams
against the passing film. The washing
is continued for half an hour, when the
film is reeled of onto a drying rack and
hung up, where under the forceful ac-
tion OF electric fans, IL Is soon converted
into a hard-surfaced, Aexfble-ban %
feet long, containing 500 pictures, but
which is rolled up until Il Is scarcely
larger than a double spool of cotton.
Aside from the extreme simplicity OF
the apparatus, It's automatic character
Is a most fascinating feature. The chem
list in charge stated that he would rather
develop 100 feet OF this Rlm than two
dry plates. "And then" said he, ''you
take pardonable pride in knowing that
your pictures are going all over
the world. An American who Is
so fortunate as 20 be elsewher,
than in Washington, either Al
home or abroad, on the 4th Of mex
March, may. shortly after step into q
convenient theater and see the tri
umphant march Of the inaugural party
hlong the avenue, with the capitol o.
his country in the distance. And yet
for all this, the art Of photography Il
still said to be in its babyhood. Wash
ington Star.
A LIVE PARTNERSHIP.