The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-10

- tlV0S ana lT1SuQS, SudIlCS
Francis Jenkins, OF Rich
mcnd, made the first successful dem
onstration Of a projecting machine
for the production Of life-size motion
pictures from a narrow strip of film
successive phases of mo-
ton.
Today $4,000 people are engaged in
the motion picture industry and
10, 100000 persons go daily to the
to enjoy what are popularity
termed the movies" Cities compris-
ing actors, scenic artists, electricians
and stage mechanics have been built
around the industry in order to enter
tain the millions who enjoy that form
OF amusement and thrills. Men and .
women have sacrificed their lives that |
the American soul might be stirred. |
Children cry for the movies, old folk
go in wheeled chairs that they NAV
see heroes and heroines of Movieland !
flashed on the screen. Broadway has |
its motion picture palaces; the humb- !
lest villa &c has its movie theater
where Mike and Mauler used to main !
tain THE Red Onion" bar. And it |
all had it's beginning in jewelry (,
store in Richmond. Ind, U. S. A.
The invention of Charles Francis /
Jenkins has been mentioned before in !
print, hut his recent development of
a machine that carries the movies
into the homo has revised interest in
this Hoosicr genius. Homer Croy, |
writing in tho New York Tribune, !
credits Mr.. jenkins with being the ,
inventor OF the movies, as does the
Literary Digest. Mr.. Jenkins today
maintains laboratory. in Washing !
ton, where he is a. work on other !
devices. some OF which may com
pletely revoiutionize the motion pic !,
ture industry.
Born on Farm.
Charles Francis Jenkins was born |
on a farm north Of Richmond, and his !
early boyhood was spent there and in |
Richmond. During young manhood I
he spent periods in Earlham college
and the old Spiceland Academy He |
had only little liking for farm life and |
during his youth went to Oregon to
live with an uncle, carpenter. There
the young Hoosier began making his |
first experiments in an effort to re-
produce motion through a camera. 1t /!
was while in Oregon that the idea
struck him to try for job in Wash |
ington, where he would be near the |
patent Office and the newest devices |
in Photography. He took a civil serv-
ice examination for a clerkship. Win
ming that, he was assigned to posi- |
ton as clerk in the life-saving division |
of the government.
After familiarizing himself with his
new job in Washington he began
laboratory work in a room at his !
home. In the summer Of 1894 he came
to Richmond for his vacation. A queer
looking machine came with him. a de-
vice on which he worked instead Of
visiting among relatives and friends.
He told his parents and brothers that
he believed he had achieved motion
photography.
Charles" said his good old Quaker
mother Il wish thee would quit thy
messin'."
She did not understand what was
in his heart. One day he went to the
jewelry store of his cousin. To him
he explained that he wished some
place in which to test a machine that
would project moving pictures on a
screen. Tho cousin had seen many
still pictures thrown on the wall by
stereopticon. but motion pictures
that was ridiculous. Young Jenkins
asked for an opportunity to try the
machine in his cousins jewlery store.
The room was long and jenkins saw
that it easily could be darkened. The
1eweler consented to the test. 1t was
in midsummer, business was quiet and
a few hours Of closed doors didn't
matter.
Machine "Set Up"
The young inventor darkened the
windows with black cloth bought at
a nearby drygoods store Then he
set up" the machine. a queer con-
tlivance, the like of which the jew
eler had never seen. Electricity for
operating the device was obtained
from a trolley wire in the street Aft
er some delay young Mr.. jenkins got
the machine going. Then he sent for
his relatives and friends--a few of
the chosen that he could trust The
mother and father came. each believ-
ing that their son had only been
"messtr' again Newspaper men,
among them Demas Coe, then a cub
reporter on local newspaper, also
appeared to see what was going to
Happen.
While working with the machine in
his Washington workshop, jenkins
hit on the idea of having Annabelle,
a popular vaudeville dancer then ap-
pearing in Washington. dance for him
in front of the new motion picture
camera. She was dancing the then
popular butterfly dance. The expert
ment with Annabelle was tried just
before Jenkins started to Richmond
for his vacation. He brought the film
with him, for he had discovered that
films were the only means by which
motion could be reproduced. Glass
plates would not do. So Annabeile
and her dances, reproduced on the
film travelled to Richmond.
On the afternoon of the first movie
show ever presented, young jenkins
was the least nervous of all in that
select little audience. He seemed to
have feeling Of sureness about the
experiment. Finally the machine be-
gan throwing the beautiful Anna
bellies moving likeness on the big
white sheet in the north end of the
room. 1t was a faint reproduction,
broken by a constant flicker, but the
audience saw the figure move, saw
her skirts mount higher as she con-
tinued her amazing butterfly dance.
Some thought it an illusion, others
stood mystificd. unwilling to believe