The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-30


the third crash the balls scurry to and
fro down board runway, built zig
gag fashion, heightening the thunder
effect, and at lyast run into the pocket
at the bottom of the elevator, ready to
be drawn to the top for repetition of
the storm.
The old fashioned way was by hand
power. IA wooden machine, about four
feet high, had a small cylinder about
a foot in diameter and two feet long,
Eresting in two upright supports At
Intervals on this cylinder were projec-
| tions about an inch and three inches
Hong. Against the sides of the cylinder
on both sides were tightly pressed long
hickory Stats. AS the crank of the cy-
Under was turned the projections would
force outword the stiff Stats, which
would fly back against the revolving
barrel with a resounding crash.
[ Even the little lighthouse is operated
from the platform. This apparently
contains flash light like that at
Sandy Hook, which in one instant
CLEANS brilliantly In one direction and
then, revolving, throws its light into
another territory. The light of this
miniature lighthouse is governed by
clockwork from an ordinary clock.
AT the back upon one of the axles is
an eccentric shaped cylinder. AS the
larger part of this eccentric revolves it
/ meets the wire and forms the contact
which lights the globe in the light
house, Then, passing, the smaller part
of the eccentric, of course, interrupts
the connections, the light goes out, and
the effects of the flash is complete.
Winding up the clock at the beginning
Of the show, it runs continuously until
the end, the light breaking out bright
| ly, then dying out again, requiring no
more Of the operators attention.
The cloud effect is worked altogether
by means of the steropticon and the
stereopticon too shows, by means of
f"cloud film the first few clouds of the
approaching storm as they over the
Doomed city" AS the storm gradu-
ally grows greater the film changes
until the whole sky is filled with rsuh-
ing black clouds that have most
natural look.
The old way of reproducing a moon
! by means of a light thrown upon
transparent drop at the back of the
stage is now done away with. All this
is now worked by the steroptioon from
the front of the house, and the present
year even a better arrangement has
been made by combining the moon and
cloud machines.
The star effect is also new In for
mer days this effec was gained by
making tiny holes in the back drop
Behind these holes were hung lamps
to give the desired effect This year
each one of the stars is atiny electric
lamp of one volt power, or one-sixth of
candle power They are all on the
side the curtain toward the audience,
and so give an almost exact imitation
Of stars The operator can make them
twinkle brightly or cause them to fade
away at will.
| The falling rain is another of the
steropticon effects, and is nothing more
than a film made to resemble rain, re-
volving swiftly in the machine.
| The sunrise is also a new effect very
much more realistic than the one FORM
erly made which was simply red light
shining through a transparent back
ground. Now the sunrise Is In front CT
the back drop at the bottom. Here are
placed many lights in pink, red, purple,
amber and green colored globes, which,
combined with what is known as a
"sun box'-a mass Of about five hun
dred red and white globes in a large
SQUARE box at the top of the flies in
front-throws the light over the whole
back curtain or stage sky as the ina
ginary sun comes up.
The bolt lightning is made with the
steropticon or spot light, This machine
works on a swivel an dean be turned
in every direction. In it is placed a
slide with a representation of streak
Of zigzag lightning. Over the aperture
| the operator places his hand, and then
when the storm is at its height ne
turns the light so as to SHINE on
different points of the back curtain, at
nach uosieion rapidly running his hand
nm and down in front of the light, thus
giving the qufckness of the flash.
The flashes of lightning are brought
about by the contact of iron and car
hon. and are controlled by levers opera
ting flashes in different parts OF the
stage sky.
The device to produce the effect of
tho natter of rain is q cylinder about
six feet in diameter lined with tin. The
cvlindar ie swung on an axle, and filled
with pebbles and shot. Upon turning
SLOWLY the sound is made similar to
that of the first few falling drops OF a
rain. while upon revolving faster the
sound broadens into a close re-
semblance of the noise made by a
heavy rainstorm.
one of the improvements is that IN
the operation of miniature railroad
trains, which lend a natural appearance
to A. city in its work-day ascot. Each
engine weigh about fifty pounds, and Is
weighted down with lead to keep 1t
from jumping the rails. las it IS not
POSSIBLE to have third rail, the regu-
! lar rails are charged with electricity,
and thus the current is sent to the
| locomotive, which contains tiny one
eighth horsepower motor.
To produce flame effects a small pipe
connects with a. blower underneath the
scene. Over the mouth of the pipe Is
quantity of red silk gauze. This
mate, is cut in long strips to resemble
flames. AS the time for the fire to
break out comes the operator releases
small quantity of air, which, act
!