The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-07-24
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ing motion pictures exclusively cou1d almost be
counted on your fingers
Invention of motion nictnres oo, ,,or++o,1 -
attributed to a California incident Two raca
morse men argued to whether horse whfls
running had more than two feet on the ground
at any time To prove this, "a threads were
STetcned across the track and the end of each
attached to a separate camera. horse ran
down the stretch breaking each thread separately
and exposing "a Photographic plates One of the
men look copies Of the photographs to Europe
where they caused numerous experiments. Final
~ the task of making motion pictures was given
up because no flexible substitute for glass could
be found
Years later a New Jersey minister trying to
discover way of making nonbreakabIe stereop-
ticon sIidss for in his Sunday school, made
the discovery that ceIluloid was suitable. The
substitute was Immediately employed by a photo
graph supply manufacturer, which enabled
Thomas Edison to perfect his kaleidoscope,
peep-hole machine, first shown at Columbian
position, Chicago, in 1898. Forty feet of ribbon
film with continuity of action rolled past the lens
in hole in cabinet with intermittent move
ment that retained each picture before the peep
hole twice as long it required to move the pic
ture to this spot Back of the film an cleo
trio light, and directly in front of the lens small
hole through which the people could peep for the
sum Of five cents. The film had sprocket holes
in the margin side and corresponding
sprocket was placed on the rollers.
This device served idea for Robert W.
Paul of London, the. firm of Lumiere & Sons OF
Paris and man named Grey of New York city.
simultaneously these men thought of attaching
the film to a stereopticon lamp and projecting the
picture to a screen, and began working out
machines which would do this properly. The
first projected motion picture in America was
that of Greys eidoloscope in a basement store
room in New York city in 1895 Paul perfected
his projecting machine in March, 1896, and
Lumiere in 1897. At later date, William Ken
nedy Laury Dixon. formerly with Paul
ployed by Thomas Edison, perfected the Edison
kiQotOScODe. combination
the "peep-hole" invention, with sprockets each
side of the film introduced by Lumiere. more
accurate intermittent movement for the film car
riage, and powerful lamp perfected by Thomas
Edison Other machines appeared in America
about the time, but later patent rights
all merged with that of the Edison The projec-
ton machines were crude and it has required
much time and mechanical ingenuity to bring
them to the state of perfection.
With machines made, still greater problem
of securing interesting subjects confronted
the showmen who took up the novelty. There
being no completed motion pictures for sale, it
necessary for each exhibitor to make all his
subjects. No thought of making pic
lures of plays. Instead, they caught finishes of
races scenes in prize fights and topical events
of a sensational nature
About this time a Kansas City operator of these
machines, learning of the projecting machine,
made plans for a concession at the Buffalo Pan
American exposition which consisted of a rail-
way illusion made possible by rocking the coach
while pictures projected a in
end of the car Later this was exhibited
throughout the country in a specially constructed
railroad coach, and the name, "Hale's Tour of the
World" became famous.
The greatest step of the industry following
the perfection of projectors, films and cameras
was made simultaneously by Miles Brothers of
New York and Eugene Kleine of Chicago. They
established film markets exchanges. where
negatives were bought and prints sold rented
This system served to solve the problem of dis
tribution, by renting films to exhibitors for this
ff1,Nd TODD
world.
The exchange system assured permanent film