A Panoramic Device.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
A Panoramic Device.
I, EZRA WILDMAN KEELER, of 712, Sutter Street, in the City and County of
San Francisco, State of California, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to a novel arrangement for panoramic or other views
which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which :-
Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of a device.
Figure 2 is a transverse section taken through the building showing the interior
arrangements.
Figure 3 is a modification showing the panoramic surfaces interior to the line of
the track.
My arrangement is designed to give a continuous and constantly changing vista
through an indefinite number of arcs of circles so constructed that they may form
parts of various figures, such as octagons, figures of eight or other irregular forms
for maintaining the same angle of light upon the picture, and an exact visual
distance from the beholder at all angles, and in connection with this device, I
employ a series of cars, platforms, floats, or movable supports, peculiarly constructed
to contain the beholders and to be propelled by any suitable mechanical device,
together with other mechanical effects.
In Figure 1 I have shown the arcs for the support of the different views as
arranged in series A. around the interior of the walls of the building or structure
within or upon which the pictures are designed to be shown. Interior to these
arcs, corresponding with them in curvature, and at a sufficient distance from the
surfaces to give the proper visual angle, is arranged a railway B upon which
suitably arranged cars or moving platforms are designed to travel.
These cars are made to contain any desired number of individuals, and for con-
venience the seats may be arranged in tiers, one above the other, so that two, or
three, or more tiers can be arranged upon each car, and give all the spectators an
uninterrupted view.
These cars
are propelled by cable, electric, or other power, and may be
moved at any given rate of speed, so that each car in the series will be successively
transported from one of the views to another and so on until the entire circuit has
been made.
It will be manifest that the arrangement of these ares may be varied.
In Figure 3 I have shown one series of pictures arranged upon the inside of the
outer wall, either in a regular or a series of curves, and a second series upon the
convex surface of an interior wall. In this case two lines of track, one for each
view, are separated by a partition, and by returning the track upon itself, as shown,
the two sets of views may be seen successively.
The design of the device is to have the arcs of such a curvature that each scene
will be measurably separated from the adjacent ones, while at the same time all the
scenes are in a manner continuous so that sections of a country, or other views may
be shown, one after the other, and conveniently inspected by passengers in the cars
without fatigue.
This will ensure also the transportation of a great number of people through the
building without any unnecessary delay or crowding.
The building may be arranged with a basement, a first floor or hall, and a second
floor within which the pictures will be arranged.

page_text: Beneath the platform upon which the railway travels is arranged an inclined
wall, as shown at D, Figure 2, and this wall has as many series of lighting and
ventilating windows E as may be found desirable, so that the large first floor space
is well lighted and may be employed for any purposes, as an audience hall, or for
exhibitions of various sorts which may take place in connection with the pictorial
exhibition shown above.
Entrance to the building may be obtained by stairs leading into the basement
and from the basement up to the other floors, or in any other suitable manner.
The space interior to the line of the railway track B, as shown in Figures 1
and 2, is built up so as to represent a mountain or other elevation, and this
elevation is made as realistic as desirable by the use of earth, rocks, trees, etcetera,
or, if desired, the building itself may be made to conform to irregularities in the
surface upon which it may be built, and take advantage of natural irregularities of
surface.
A line of railway may be made to commence in the basement, or near the
entrance, and passing up at a gradual incline from one end to the other, either
outside, or through tunnels in the mountain, it is made to return upon itself as
many times as found desirable or convenient to reach the altitude of the exhibition
floor.
Within these tunnels are exhibited illustrations of coal or silver mining, the
catacombs of Paris or other cities, or the interior of the pyramids of Egypt, or
any underground passages which may be of interest to visitors to the exhibition.
It will be manifest that various arrangements and modifications of this device
may be made to suit different exhibitions, but the subject is to exhibit a large
number of scenes to a great number of people without fatigue, without crowding or
unnecessary delay, and at the same time parties of any desired size can be made up
to occupy one or more cars, conversation may go on in each of the cars without
interfering with those in the other cars, and the whole series of views may be
enjoyed without parties becoming fatigued.
The arrangement of the mountain is further made interesting by locating wayside
houses or chalets where refreshments may be obtained so that, if desired, parties
may leave the car at any point to obtain refreshments or a longer view of any
particular scene than could be obtained in the ordinary travel of the cars.
If it is desirable to interrupt the continuity of the views, at any point, the
intervening space may be utilized as a room or enclosure of any desired size or
shape.
In place of cars with seats, floats or movable platforms can be substituted to suit
convenience. The spaces occupied by the pictures, and that above the cars and
tracks will, preferably, be roofed and protected from the weather, as shown in
Figure 2, and the interior central space which is occupied by the mountain may
be left open. Between the mountain and the line of the track is a vertical
partition with glazed and sliding windows which may be thrown open when the
weather is fair, and to give access to and views of the mountain, but which may be
closed in inclement weather.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A panoramic device, consisting of a series of ares forming continuous or
interrupted and independent surfaces, with pictorial representations displayed
thereon, a track fixed upon interior or exterior lines with relation to the views,
and having a curvature concentric with that of the arcs to maintain a constant
distance therefrom, and cars or platforms movable upon said track so that a proper
visual angle to the pictures is obtained, substantially as herein described.
2. A panoramic device consisting of walls forming a series of continuous or
independent concave arcs with pictorial representations displayed thereon, a central
interior structure in form of a mountain with rocks and trees thereon, a tunnel or

page_text: tunnels traversing the interior of said structure with tracks and cars for the trans-
portation of passengers, and a track skirting the outer sides of the mountain, in
curves concentric with those of the pictorial surfaces, and cars or platforms
adapted to convey passengers, and movable upon said tracks, protective roofs, and
movable walls or partitions adjustable between the line of track and the interior
structure, substantially as herein described.
1001