The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-08-28
SAVED By A NEGATIVE. :
By s. a. SMITH. !
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"FATEER," said my son Donald TO
ne = day; father. how Go they
.aae these wonderful photographs o;
lightning flashes that are printed il
magazines? They don't know when &
fash Is coming. and cant make il stay
Sill while they photograph il, car
they?
Not likely" I laugh;nc,y replied:
The lightning takes Itself. II there
IS Z thunderstorm at night a.. that Is
necessary is 70 put q sensitive plate il
the c2Gsra. uncover the lens and point
Il u the sky, when the rex; fash OF
lightning viii record Itself upon the
Plate. which must then De developed in
tie Usua! way"
Is thar alp returned Donald. How
very easy. Couldn't We take some? Do
let Us try"
All right replied. but first OF al.
we must wait FOR a thunderstorm. 81
when there IS another at night get
your photographs traps ready, and
vel see what we can CO."
Donald ard I were enthusiastic cy-
c,;S,s. Re being one OF several years
standing. but I only since We came 7
live here II W5ottord. on The borders Of
the new forest. and I found It very 0 I
v~eziez- 70 ride 70 the railway station
five miles away-or to Salisbury or
Southampton. as village lies mid
HaY On The h;ghroad between those
towns.
Charmed by The lovely forest scenery.
! had ,ate.v practiced the fascinating
science Of photography and thereby Sc
cured many a beautiful scene OF wood
land glade. Donald. too. soon waxed
enthusiastic over Il. and many q cyc!o-
Photographic day did we spend secur-
ing pictures of the exquisite scenes that
abound around our home.
The marvellous photos Of lightning
flashes that appeared in the Strand
had excited Dona!d's wonder and Gu
riositv. leading TO the conversation
with which this story commences.
We had not long 10 wait for a thun-
derstorm. for OF that very night ragged
che OF exceptional violence. Il began
about II O'Clock. and Donald, who had
retired 10 bed some time before, burst
into my room, fully dressed, and
shouted:
Come on, father; there's a tremen-
dous thunderstorm coming up. and sucn
flashes of lightning. I'm off 10 the
dark room to put some plates in the
slides, SO get the camera ready. The
front bedroom window is the best place
to expose from"
Here let me state that our house
stands about ten feet from the road
side, and the view from our front win
dows comprises the road and the com
NOR opposite US. a small piece OF vast
land partly surrounded by the noble
trees of the New Forest.
By the time that l had made the nee
essary arrangements at the window
Donald rejoined me, bringing three
double dark slides loaded with the sen
sitive plates. I'VE ought to get at least
one successful photo out Of this lot,
said he.
Soon the storm. which had gradually |
been drawing nearer burst over Us Will
terrible fury. the lightning flashing
with amazing brilliaucy, the thunder
rolling with deafening roars. One BY
one the plates were exposed under con-
ditions that justified the expectations
of good results. and Donald was in high
giee. Just as l was about to expose
the sixth-and Iast-plate he said:
why don't you take a hashiight photo
of the common with that one? Iium!-
mated by the celestia! electric light, you
know. Point the camera towards the
center of the common. just for fun.
I'd like TO see how il comes out"
1 acted upon his suggestion, and no
sooner had 1 got the camera in position
than a fash of Lightning, so vivid and
ArNisat in its intensity as to momen-