The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-09-20
By FREDERICK VI. KERRY
N. Z. A. STAFF Correspondent
passed by l.. S. Censor


Ithaca, n. Y, Sept. 20.-Training
the Eyes OF the Army" is one OF the
most technical and important branch
es Of war work.
Aerial photography Is a new science
and the one in which the allies have
the biggest jump on the HUNS. The
French and British have developed
the science until marvellous feats are
performed.
Here at Ithaca, where Cornell Uni
yersity has turned over to the gov
eminent it's Photographic laboratories.
the finishing touches are being put
one the men whose wiZardy or pho-
tographic Interpretation will furnish
Pershing information about what the
HUNS are doing. With French la
son officer, Lieutenanta>Andre Cartier.
at his elbow. Lieutenant VIM. ID.
Wheeler and corps OF 80 instructors
is teaching advanced students.
Aerial photography differs radically
from ordinary photography. The men
do not go up in airplanes. The real
work is done on the ground. and so
thoroughly that the commanding OH
Ger of sector each morning has be-
fore him a big Photographic map OF
his entire front, showing to the last
ammunition dump and battery what
the HUN has done on the day before.
This is mosaic" composed of hun
dreds of separate photograp hs, taken
from many airplanes, the overlapping
portions cut away and all carefully
fitted together.
Photos Aid Every Move
Beside it hangs the battle map
with which the mosaic is kept to
scale. On the map is placed every
bit Of military information obtained
from the Photographic map. This is
checked with information obtained
from prisoners. No military move is
made now without consultation OF the
latest photographs.
Recruits are sent to Madison Bar
racks, at Sacketts HarbOr, n. Y.
where they receive three weeks OF
military training. From there they
go to the preliminary training school
at Rochester, Here their training is
merely the technique Of the dark room.
They are taught to work for different
results than in commercial phOtOgra-
. ply. An aerial photograph must show
every possible detail; shadows are OF
the utmost importance-the aerial
eye" is hunting always for what the
enemy wants to conceal. To develop
certain colors in the ground and to de-
tect camouflage, photographs are TAX
en- through color screens; also differ
ent plates are used to bring out
ground color.
TO determine elevations and con-
tours, stereoscopic pictures are TAX
en-; that is, the observer in the plane
takes two pictures of the same piece
of ground at intervals. The two pho
tographs are mounted side by side,
and observed through a stereoscope.
iMagnified this has the effect of plac-
ing the intelligence officer directly
above the German military works. and
enables him to look as closely at what
Fritz is doing as if he were suspended
in balloon.
Interpretation Is Important.
The work at Rochester is merely to
develop Photographic mechanics, but
from these certain men are selected
for their ability to be sent to Cornell
for a nine weeks advanced training
course, from which they are graduated
into various responsible positions
while some become Photographic in
telligence officers.
The real work is devoted to Inter
pretation," the most important branch
of aerial photography. Interpretation
means picking out every military OBJ
ject; telling what every line, dot, blot
speck, light, shadow and black and
white in it means. 1t means distin-
gushing woods. railroads, trenches
machine gun nests, etc.
Nowadays very few pictures are TAX
en- below 10000 feet and many at 90.
900. Aerial cameras must have the
best lenses obtainable, of long focus
anywhere from IS centimeters tC
1870 en-. Both plates and films are
used-flms for mapping when hun.
dreds of photographs must be taken
A sector may take 300 or more pic
lures day, and from each negative