Evening star., 1934-12-23

Continued From First Page)
portion of the incoming picture is
very black, the aperture which ad-
mits light to the negative is nearly
closed. Where it is very white, the
aperture is almost open. At the end
of the picture the receiving machine
automatically cuts off. The negative
is then developed in the customary
way.
Size Governs Transmission.
Transmission time naturally de-
pends on the size of the picture. II
it is the maximum, IL by IT inches,
about IT minutes are required, and
S more must be allowed for the de-
velopment of the negative. In any
case, in less than half an hour a
photograph of any event can be trans
mitted from any part of the United
States after it has been received at
a sending station.
Through the day and night the
schedules will change constantly as
unpredictable events occur. The con-
troll station must constantly rearrange
the order of its sending. AS the news
volume reaches its peak, this becomes
a more exacting task, but while the
pressure increases, the machines are
operating steadily, in perfect syn
chronism, delivering the pictures
while the automatic printers, close
at hand, deliver the news. On i'm
portant and continuing stories there
will come, every few hours, fresher
and later pictures, keeping abreast OF
the news. On normal day the ma
chimes will function for 16 hours. A
minimum of about 60 pictures will be
transmitted-more than any news
paper is likely to publish and giving
a considerable range for editorial Sc
lection.
For events Of extraordinary inpor-
tance, the system will be in operation
"a hours day. 1t can be set in opera
ton at a moments notice, to meet
any emergency.
Well Developed in Europe.
The wired photo system already
has undergone considerable develop
ment in Europe, where more than 20
cities in Great Britain, France, Ger
many, Italy, Russia, Austria, Denmark
Norway, Sweden and The Neither
lands are connected to send photos by
wire and II newspapers have their own
receiving equipment. 1t all dates back
27 years-to the development in 1907
by the German physicist Kolm of the
first apparatus for picture transmits
sion with the selenium cell as its
basis. Pictures were sent between
London, Berlin and Paris. London re-
ceived pictures from Manchester and
on November 2, 1907, the first pho
tographS were transmitted by this
system.
The pictures, however, were very
small-only a little more than 2 by
inches It required nine minutes
to transmit one of these. Only one
in eight or nine was satisfactory and
even then the picture received was SO
coarse that it was little less than
fantastic. The system was aban-
doned after two years when expert
ments failed to produce improvements.
1t was less than 10 years ago that
the first developments took place
prophetic of the marvel of today.
Improved systems appeared almost
simultaneously in Germany, the
United States and France. Several
British and continental newspapers
acquired machines for the exchange
of pictures by wire and the results
improved steadily. The British gen.
eral post Office inaugurated a COM
mercial telephotography service in
1880 and in 1882 a French network
was formed.
The sending of pictures by radio
has been placed on commercial basis
between New York and London, New
York and San Francisco. New York
and Buenos Aires, and from Buenos
Aires and Melbourne to London. Pic
lures from any of these points can
be delivered the same day in the
United States for immediate trans
mission to The Evening Star and the
other newspapers in the wirepfDto
chain of the Associated Press,