Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-27
n
HVINo PICTURES IN
gfANT DANGER
HIS NgAvE With HIM
CONSTANTLY
Many Thrilling Experiences Fall te
the Lot of the Ma Who Would
Take Snapshots of
Animals


nicture show is delightful exhibition
enjoyed by thousands, and because one
can witness apparent hairpreaptn es-
canes free from danger we smile WIN
satisfaction at the tricks of the camera
But in the effort to reproduce reallstlo
scenes the modern snapshotter for the
moving picture concern does not al
ways depend upon camera tricks Ere
louently he gets the real thing' anu
sometimes, much to his dismay' ne en-
counters risks that make his halr turn
| gray. The recent death of man tleu
| 10 the rails for a moving picture con-
cern which hoped to give thrilling
| exhibition of Tobbers killing their man
in this horrible way, is point In ques-
tion. Through some mistake OF the
| train dispatcher train was sent over
the rails at the wrong time, and the
man was killed before the camera.
Another instance of this kind, though
not so fatal in its result, was that OF
taking picture of storm ana wreck
at sea. All the elaborate parapher-
MALTA were taken out into the ocean off
Coney Island. 1t was to be realistic
scene of the sea, and the day was
rough enough to suit all. The old dis
mantled schooner which had been
towed out for the purpose of wreck
had been too hastily patched up for the
occasion and 1t suddenly foundered
with a dozen men on board. There
was then real shipwreck, ana IoF
half an hour everybody turned to the
rescue of the amateur seamen. I'm
fortunately the camera man forgot his
| work in the excitement and failed to
get some of the best pictures of the
day.
/ Pirates Boarding Yacht
An amusing instance happened on
Long Island sound last summer. The
camera man had improvised a scene of
modern pirates boarding private
yacht and sandbagging the crew
Everything went well until a revenue
cutter hove in sight, and then the
would-be thieves met more than they
bargained for. The revenue men
cred the actors in the scene. and, in
spite of explanations and eXpostula-
tions carried them ashore prisoners.
The modern camerist can take fake
pictures so easily today that usually
it is not essential to run any great
risk He takes the photograph of
mountain, and then of a man in the act
of climbing it. A few minutes later
he stumbles, and the fall from the per-
enough for allessential purposes. But
there is one series of moving pictures
that represents the real thing. 1t was
taken in the Alps, and the fall of the
man was genuine. 1t was not intended
so by the party, but at the critical
moment the man lost his footing and
fell headlong down the slope In hor-
ror the rest of the party looked at. the
falling man, but the camera operator
ol,o nd no1f fzi
he had the chance of his life, he coolly
took shots at the unfortunate one un-
ill he disappeared in a bed of snow
hundreds of feet below. Yet to many
this real series of pictures would have
no greater naturalness than many of
the faxed photographs thrown on the
screen The man, however, was not
killed, but lived to enjoy the scene of
his rapid descent pictured on the
canvas.
Wild Animals Difficult
Geographic pictures of wild animals
are the most difficult to get, for ami
mails cannot always be made to act for
the picture man. Sometimes dummy
wild animals are made up and put
through antics, but they do not come
up to the real thing. So the biograph
man frequently haunts the wilderness
in the hope of picking up something
unusually fine. There are several ex-
cellent pictures of moving moose
swimming across lakes, with the hunt
ers on their trail, and of bears climb
ing trees or turning angrily upon their
pursuers But q genuine fight with
grizzly bear and man is gem worth
preserving. Such a picture was taken
two years ago in the Rockies by vet
eran biograph camera man, He had
been camping out with an old guide
and bear hunter for nearly month,
but no game had come their way.
IF we track a grizzly you must
tackle him, hand to hand" the camera
operator had jokingly said several
times.
I'll do my part all right" replied the
guide.
Stumbled on Grizzly
Then to the surprise of both one day
they stumbled upon genuine grizzly.
The animal snarled and was inclined to
edge away, but the sudden clicking of
the camera startled the beast. True to
his profession. the man with the
camera had thought only of his work
and nothing of his danger. Pictpre
after picture was being reeled off be-
fore the bear had decided upon what
course to pursue. Then, angry at this
queer-looking instrument. the grizzly
turned and rushed toward it.
Hold him! Hold him, Pete" the
snapshotter cried. addressing his guide.
Hold nothingp' was the surIy- reply.
With a. quick, short-range aim he shot
directly at the bear. The bullet took
effect, but die not kill the animal With
a snarl of rage he turned upon the guide
and caught him with both front paws
The guide tried to strike a home thrust
with his knife, but, the bears hug was
crushing the life out of him. Meanwhile
the biograph was reellng off pictures SO
fast that the continuous click of the in
strument sounded like a prolonged buzz.
Death, however came to the help of the
guide, for the bear rolled over with one
final growl. When the guide regained
consciousness again his companion was
wiping the blood from his wounds: In
his enthusiasm he was muttering:
Great The greatest picture ever
taken! 1t will make my fortunew
Guide Didn't Enjoy II
The old guide raised himself on his
elbows and, glaring at the young man,
said:
Take your old pictures away or I'll
smash them You are darn, drlveling
idiot or a cowardly cur to see man
killed by bear and do nothing to help
him Git, now, or I'll shoot the whole