Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-15
PHOTOGRAPHIC TRICKS.

Some interesting and amusing stunts"
that may be performed with talking ma
chine, glaphophone, or photograph, are
described in the Scientific American by
Dexter w. Allis. In addition to the ma
chine itself, the author notes. a recorder
and a few blank records will be needed.
The first trick which he names the Speech
by Tom Thumb is thus performed.
The machine must be speeded up as
high as possible, and an announcement
recorded on a blank in a deep, loud voice
The machine should be quickly slowed
down TO about so revolutions per minute.
and the speech or monologue recorded at
that speed, care being taken to articulate
distinctly. When the blank is full the re-
producer may be substituted for the re-
corder and the machine be brought up
again TO high speed at which the an
noucement was made. When the record
is reproduced at this speed, the result
VIII be the loud voice of the announce
ment followed by o rapid ,pinched-up little
voice making th, speech. "
The second trick described is the repro
duction OF whistling duet, in which both
parts are performed by the same person.
This is effected as follows:
Put on a blank, and, after the speed is
at about 100 revolutions, whistle some
popular piece of which you know the
second part When the record is full. set
the recorder back to the beginning again
without stopping the machine. When
the recording point gets to the COM
mencement of the piece, the first part will
soundly family in the recorder, thus
giving the cue and the pitch for the second
which should be recorded not quite so
loudly as the first.
Several notifications of this expert
ment will suggest themselves The first
may not be perfectly successful. but that
ueed not be considered a drawback. rs a
spoiled record can be easily cleaned with
rag and a little kerosene. The rubbing
should be lengihwise OF the cylinder tin
the lines are removed. after which a soft
cloth Is rubbed around the record to give
a polish. Hard or gold-molded records
may also be cleaned In this way. which
fact suggests another amusing trick.
This will call for two records. pre-
ierably talking selections, which are exact
| Implications. One Of these is doctored
/ by cleaning off the latter half, the rest
being protected by piece Of writing
paper wrapped around and secured by an
elastic band. On this blank space various
remarks should be recorded, which should
be very different from those originally
/ there. The good record is TO be played
through hri While saying that you will
repeat il, the second one is quickly sub.
stituted in the machine, and, of course
starts of exactly like the first one. Wher
/ the 'doctorod portion is reached. how
ever, a change will be noticed, but can
not be accounted for by the hearers.
BY taking two records of entirely diff
ierent character, cutting each in two anc
/ putting ON a half Of one and a half Of tn,
other, we can often jump from the sub
lime TO the ridiculous by quicker Tipping
the reproducer across the gap, from one
/ 20 the other With care the thinner hal
of one of these records may be slipped half
way on. IN a reversed position, and wher
made 70 run true will produce everythin,
| backward. A curious thing about sucl
records is that the voice one hears in tn,
| proper direction is instantly recognized
when reversed, but is, Of course, unintellt
/ gible