The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-01

Photographs Of the now famous air
ship taken right here in Wheeling!
You consider that statement to be re-
ceivcd with more than the allotted grain
OF salt.
Yet the statement Is true.
Yesterday afternoon a series OF three
photographs OF scenes along the river
front were displayed In the IntelligeneeF
counting room window. one showed tho
public landing with the buildings ON
Water street In the background. An
other had the Island for its background
while the little propeller Manhattan IL
the central figure. In the third are seen
the steamers Leroy and Ruth, with the
steel bridge In the distance.
"But what's especially interesting IN
these?" is the natural query.
That's easily explained.
Away up in the sky in each OF the Pho
tographS " seen the famous air-shlp-or
what represents the popular Idea OF the
aerial navigator II air-shlps were an
,Indisputed reality and usual thing in
the property" makeup Of the heavens,
these pictures showing the vessel would
deceive nine out OF ten persons, for from
the Photographic standpoint they are
nearly perfect,
But Us the air-ship Is not believed by
sensible persons to be anything but a
creature Of the imagination, It devolves
upon somebody to explain these photo
graphs. The popular idea Of a photo
graph Is that II invariably represents
"the truth, the entire truth and nothing
but the truth" as the lawyers say. Such
an impression is away on. as will be real
lied when the Intelligencer explains the
manner in which the series OF Rlr-Ship
photographs was secured.
The scenes along the river front. men
toned above. were taken by the lntelll-
gencer photographer several months ago.
long before persons with an overdose OF
Imagination or an underdose Of truth
fulness. created what has come TO be
known as the air-sllip craze.
II anyone Of the hundreds. who in-
spected the photographs at the Intelli-
genrer office Yesterday afternoon and
last night, had stopped a moment he
could have seen in an instant that the
pictures were not ordinary and legltl-
mate camera work. In the selection OF
scenes the Intelligencer's photographer
overlooked the fact that the Manhattan
had not been plying in the Wheeling
SiStersville trade for several weeks. and
consequently that craft could not figure
in n picture OF the Gir-ship taken at
Wheeling
So 1t Is established that the pictures
are Photographic lles."
1t follows that "the Har' must exc
plain.
Briefly. the modus operandl was as
follows; Prints were made Of the scenes
taken on the river front. Then they
were placed in another printing frame
containing the flake" negative. This
negative was made frOm n crayon draw
Ing OF the aIr-Rhip, the work Of the In
telllgencer's artist. The drawing was
designed after the published description
OF the aIr-shlp teieGraphed from Chat
tanooEa. Tennessee, a week ago. 1t
shows n shad-shaped inflated body, with
two immense wings, one on each side;
the propeller screws at the stern, and the
basket suspended below by rigging. Al
together II was a creditable production,
The negative taken from this drawing
was used In inserting the air-Hhip In the
prints already made OF the scenes on the
river front.
Very simple and not at all dIRicult
But the photographs fooled many a
wiser head than the author Of this piece
OF sleight-of-hand photography.
The pictures can be seen to-day IN the
east window at the Intelllgencer ONCE.