The Meeker herald., 1897-01-02
THE CINEMATOGRAPHE.
A Wonderful Invention IN tho Line
Of Photography.
It Reproducss Moving OA3sets and the
Play of the Human Features
with Star Ting Faithfslness
70 Ilfc.

hal ll.ii.c;,o l.cp. ssvay from variety
,icslc.s. crossed the docsss q tao@e
.,,,-;s OF amusement to behold the new
3; scientific achievement. Stra ght-
.s,. courtless new machines n,Gre Pus
,ut. and the curiosity to Win the
..:asecpe and cinenatograpl< pictures
-,s-,y apaec. There are twek dozen cs
.i.rsc mechanical reprolucti4 inycn-
en.; r:..,g, nd the returns afef pot all III
~ = good deal. Among the hcf iaa'Fn
Ne tie c.nernntographe. the \ !assoie.
he uhsnioscopc, the kncoEt ln' tis
and the e.aG4 eoFo.
The secret of all these cent. ans2s n
.,.-.a;...r. 1t is not u, rs:Gral,
-hesrforc. t,iit the men wsol ue
eefel les. should be phn. .l'iess.
4-tI. luri:t reg, who gave tie 5'ato-
90. IL - tbs world, hit rpcat s.r dis
u.-Fy tnro years age. al.J p .aeH
n g ha.cl rea ping a gaacl -e.i.
!ic-.- is ro need to thrcsi oyd s old
.I.v stout priority OF inroat 7-. SID
: matters little whetler LII .r-e 6:
5;J's7a was frat in theficid. r. iaHs
ivtlY.inoE;' Lumicre& Sc.s '5c '--
,n.rcd nyv9rI1-wide ieputatica -7He1
the clrca,atoeraphc The a Iat"-
yraphe hgs recenty, By spec'3 '7E..>--
ton, heca privately exhihitei l".7Tf
i.nncror francis Joseph ard be iFa-
erial cuu.t in Vienna. q; THE Yr.e In
Paris, before President lfat, h'7
fal.til. nnl 3dicial housel;cld, NJ aiso
before .hc rarious courts of iir1Ge.
Atou, 70 years ngo the head q h'
firm were almost unknown, csiu 'r
l.cir OWE city OF Lyons, Franf, Eii
rom . ma,l business they iayc. b.
their Inventive skill and prdyrcssis-
mctii5is. advanced until thiy n1"
stand emong the leading houAs in the
world. IN their works they raade The
highest class of supplies and p;eniiGa
npyliances used in photcgr:. aiy. Ibf
financial success resulting flTsr ihe;-
skill and enterprise is. perhaps. best
shown by saying that they now en-
ploy hundreds of hands, and that their
stocl; commands 500 per cent. Premium
representing nearly s4.coo,ooe.
TIE foundation of the Lumieres' for
tune and the explanation OF the supcri-
ority of the c:nem1tographe rsei in tlic
accidental discovery of conipositiog
that produced peculiarly sensiti9e
plates. This composition has been
kept secret, but it proved 20 much
better than all others that they rnye up
and devoted their entire
attention 10 the manufacture OF srnsi-
tive plates. srbeequentlycy cy ps' .inents
led to the invention OF q toy cnlalnatc-
,aaphc, which they nertccteh nbout
swo years ago. Then they realized the
of the machine and gave
the first public exhibition in Lyonr,
France, December 90, 1898.
The cincmatogTaphe consists of n
small box about eight by ten ty four
inches, and the entire mechanism is Il
series of reels upon which tho long
band of sensitive film Is wound rap;lly
behind set of five mngu:fyin~ enscs.
On these bands are a seriez cf phcto-
graphs, each one scarcely larger tan 4
postage stamp. which are reflect on =
white screen by means of 4 powerful
electric light, in such rapid suecessioq
as to reproduce all the infinite and
varied movements of nature.
The bands of sensitive film are about
1s yards long and contain from 500 to
1000 pictures. They are made ei ceiii-
loid and gelatin which axe covered
with the preparation before nen',orel \.
and SO delicate is the mateT;ai that i.
rolls up into box about three inches IN
diameter. Yet it is SO tough that il can
he handled with perfect free dom, be-
ing, to quote the language OF The op-
orator, "strong as watch spring"
The tiny pictures. when r,agnified d
through the various lenses, cover q
space on the stage IA by IS feet.
The powerful light which throws the
picture on the screen is obtained hy the
ordinary carbons used in the arc lamps,
being arranged in diffcren. manner.
Instead OF thc two cartons icing riaceti
the one perpendicular to the other,
they are placed obliquely, the positive
carbon being slightly behind the mega
tive and being followed out in sucl,
manner as to form a natural reflector,
BY this means an unusually intenss
concentrated ray of light is. oA.aired,
which is an important factor IN the DIS
tinctncss Of the pictures. The ocaasicu-
al lici;cring is, caused by unstes.lire
of the current, and not by any defect in
the ciueIn.togrnphe.
The ca,nera by means of which the
pictures nre taken is just the sar1e siz'
as the hex by which they are reflected.
and the pictures are taken IN; the same
manner. Th, sensitive film is pie-c.'
inside OF a perfectly yliSht-pToof box and
unwonnd before the camera by NEAR
of hand reels, the same as wien show-
ing the pictures. The length OF t;me
taken to secure one picture ii about .
minute and half, SO thst tie exposureG
are made a; the rate of ahout 90 per
second. In the case of very rapid mo
ton it is necessary to turn the crank
quicker, and in slow motions slower, so
that this time varies. This explains
why some pictures last longer than
others. Only one person is employed
by the Lumicrcs to take these photo
graphs. This IS Alexander Prornio, W ho
"a l.