Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-04-08
LARGEST Camera in the World.

| Think of a camera so large that the ar
list works in the plate-holder while TAX
| ing out a picture.
| 1T sounds improbable.
| But just such an instrument has been
| constructed and Is now being used right
here In San Francisco. 1t found It's
necessity IN the Fair win contest, and
was conceived and built by Theodore
: kytka, the artist and expert in micro
! photography and chirography.
/ Mr. Kytka, who was employed by Nc
: Enerney & Goodfellow to investigate the
pencil win the day on which ii was filed.
! believed the document to be forgery.
Charles Fairs attorneys, Knight & Hag-
eerty decided 10 take every possible
means to establish kytka's theory so
| they built this wonderful camera.
With 1t an exact reproduction of any
writing can be made magniiied $500 times.
i This means that q letter twentieth of
an inch in height can be accurately pic
tured Is feet tall In this way, photo
graphing one minute section after an
other. the pencil will could be reproduced
so that each page would be 5000 feet wide
and 5l00 feet long
/ Mr. Kytkas studio was not largo
enough for this giant camera. In conse-
J Quence II has been built in two rooms.
The telescnpic part. which Is made up OF
, twelve sections or bellows, each supplied
with little side door entrance. Is q feet
long when extended to its full capacity.
/ This is connected 10y a black rubber cloth
! with an adjoining room used as a dark
room. In this way the darA room became
3, the plate-holder of the camera, and in IL
the expert works. directing his assistant or
| the outside in altering the focus and
lights till a satisfactory result is attained
and the photograph is taken.
When the investigation of the will be-
gan there was sore lack of appliances.
Photographs of the document were made
eras and lenses. These were given to the
different photographers of the city for
enlargement, bat the results were not as
satisfactory as hoped for. In each there
We're evidences of marked distortion.
There was lack Of sharpness and pre-
cision In the lines and sacrifice Of detail.
IN the general effect.
\ little over twelve months ago G.. p.
Goerz. scien..st Of Germany, invented
i new lens. In this there were six lenses
ground into one. They were all SO adj
iusted that no matter how great an oh
iect was to be maguiHcd 1t could be di-
reCtly reproduced without he slightest
distortion. This lens was of no value In
making ordinary pictures. But IN bring
ing out lines exactly and exposing the
hDre of paper 1t was unequalled.
This settled the hardest of the difficult
lies. The possibilities of employing the
camera with the GoerZ lens in simplifying
the points they wished to make no sooner
bee anne evident than q lens was ordered.
The wonderful eXHCtness required In its
construction may be judged from the fact
that though It is only about two inches
in diameter. the lens required four
months for its manufacture. and then
cost $1S5.
Upon the arrival Of the lens work was
ut once begun in examining the docu-
ments in question from every standpoint.
Under the magic power Of his new in
struments. reinforced by powerful cleo
jrlc lights Mr. Kytka showed erasurts
that before had only been coniectured.
In order that there might be no possible
escape from his arguments. Mr.. kytka
began a collection of pencils. A sample
Of every pencil obtainable in this country
and Europe was secured and the marks
made by these pencils Coz which there
are now more than 2i0D We're analysed
Jnder different conditions. photographed
and photographed again after erasure
lad been made.
The results obtained were a revelation,
Never had there been constructed so
Ella borate Il plant in this country or in
Europe. The police employed this cam
era to assist in the Becker ana Creegan
case. where a check on the Nevada bank
vas raised from $l2 to So. 900 The first
work to be done was to show that the
heck for So 600 was a forgery. The pro
cess employed was as simple rs IT was
effective.
The check was placed between two
.hcets of glass and in focus before the
camera. 1t was then photographed. en-
larEed several times with a strong re
1ecte1 light from behind. emphasizing
not only the fibre of the paper. but the
ines on ii. That Photograph told the
whole story. Tho camera brought out
.aintiy the letters I've which had been
rra sed with acid by the forgers before
thcy changed the word Twelve" 20
Twenty Two thousand What was
more, the ink in the first three letters
was shown to be different from the rest.
rho photograph showed, too, that the
original check had been blotted, while
he letters that had been painted in wern
ollowed to dry The patches that mad
been used in filing The holes in the paper
If the check made Is the perforating
machine were also made cvident.-San
Francisco Examiner.