Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-20

tests will have greater basis for fair
ness.
The feats of autobiography are strik-
irglS illustrated in the collection by prints
which Will excite both wonder and adnira-
ton.
Telephoto Snapshots of Birds in Air.
a series of telephoto snapshots will show
intensive photography exerted to what
would seem to be the limit of power. The
snapshot Of a bird on the wing made 125
feet away with an ordinary camera would
show a mere speck. Yet Mr.. Smiilie. at that
distance. has photographed flying birds
which, upon his negatives. show up sharp
~ and with an image generally about two
Inches and often more from tip to tip of
wings The areas of their images upon his
plates are about twenty-five times great
as they would be upon the same plate ex-
posed in an ordinary camera Mr.. Srnillie
developed this interesting work and appara-
tuS in collaboration with the late Prof
Langley. when the latter was studying the
turkey buzzard and applying it's soaring
processes to mechanical Hight They work
ed out d plan for mea assuring the flight of
these creatures. photcgraphically, just as If
they were astronomic bodies moving vsibly
through the heavens. SO in section of the
suburbs frequented by buZzards they had
built two towers. fifty feet high and a hun
dred feet apart. Pivoted upon a theodolite
tripod on the top of each tower and appear
Ing very like machine gun aboard ship
tached TO gunstOck and with sight and
trigger. Like telescopes. the cameras had
scales for measuring altitude and azimuth
Mr.. Smillie in one tower controlled the en-
tire operation. AS soon as buZzard would
approach within range he and his assistant
IN the other tower would simultaneously
cover the bird with their guns. When Mr..
Smile pulled his trigger he exposed both
cameras ard automatically made record
of the altitude and azimuth. The moment
the exposure was finished he made an
thermometer record of the velocity and di-
rection of the wind. The electric wire con-
meeting the cameras was also attached to a
'CiironOgraph, which recorded the exact
time of the exposure. Each bird was sub
Jected 10 a rapid fire as long as ii remained
within range and ammunition held out
The rapidity of fire was three shots per
second, each exposure being 1-500 of
second From the chronograph record Civ
ing the exact time of each exposure the
time required by a bird I'm changing his
wings 10 the various positions shown in the
series was calculated. Comparison of the
two films of each exposure showed also the
exact position of the bird and the anemom-
eter showed the kind Of wind he was COM
batting The cameras giving the best results
were 4X3 inches. with 40 inches focal
length and each using focal plane shutter
with two opposite Sits in a continuous
circle.
Telephotographing Moving Airship.
Mr.. Smile used this apparatus also upon
the last Langley aerodrome model which,
at Whitewater Va. few outward about 200
yards, curved about and swept back nearly
to the starting point. Eight successive
snapshots of this 1Sfoot craft were made
some OF them when the propellers were
making 800 revolutions per second. In the
future, MIR. Smillie says, such apparatus
Will be used to study not only the flights OF
wild birds. but the habits OF wild terrestrial
animals in motion-such savage beasts as
cannot be approached by man. The most
rapidly moving living object can be thus
photographed at distance by any one
skilled in estimating distance and in sight
ing a rife.
Brought Goddess Within a Few Yards.
But the much greater power of telepho-
Biography when applied to stationary objects
admitting Of longer exposure is illustra ted
in the collection by another remarkable
photograph made by Mr. Smllie. This is q
view OF the bronze statue Of the Goddess
OF Freedom surmOunting the dome OF the
Capitol. 1t was made from the roof of a
four-story house one-thlrd of a mile east
OF the Capitol Yet the image of the God
dess from the top point of her head dress
TO the bottom OF her draperies measures
312 inches in the negative The area of her
image upon the plate is over 14OO times
what II would be from the same distance
an ordinary lens.
To reproduce this view of the Goddess
with this ordinary lens the photographer
would have had to be perched upon a tower
built up from the Capitol dome itself BY
order OF the secretary of the Smithsonian
this telephotograph was made for a COM
mlttee OF Congress considering processes of
treating the bronze In the statue
Enlarged &c, 500 Times Their Area.
The fine art of Autobiography will be
represented by striking engagements of
sections of wood and of granite. The wood
sections. about two-tenths of an inch
square, were cut across the grain by a
delicate instrument known as the micro
tome such as used in bioiOgic Laboratories
FOR slcing insects or other minute organ
isms. The wood sections were thinner
than the thinnest tissue paper. but Mr..
Smile with the phOtomicrograph appa-
ratus enlarged them to 100 diametere or