The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

8 THE PHONOSCOPE July, 1897 THE PHONOSCOPE Copyrighted 1896 published monthly by THE PHONOSCOPE PUBLISHING CO. 4 EAST 14th STREET, NEW YORK, U. S. A. Russell Hunting, Editor. Emtl Isiandt, Manager. SUBSCRIPTION : United States and Canada .... $i.oo per year Foreign Countries 1.50 " Single Copies 10c. each ADVERTISING RATES FURNISHED ON APPLICATION THE PHONOSCOPE is the only journal in the world published in the interest of Talking Machines, Picture Projecting and Animating Devices, and Scientific and Amusement Inventions appertaining to Sound and Sight. Correspondents in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Alexandria and Constantinople, Australia, South America, Central America, Canada and 108 cities in the United States. The Publishers solicit contributions from the readers of The Phonoscope, and suggest that any notes, news and items appertaining to sound and sight would be acceptable. It is the desire of the publishers to establish a widelj circulated magazine, and to further that end every idea will be acted upon so far as possible. H IHovel Cbrono pbotoarapbtc Camera Since the introduction of ribbon photograph}-, by means of which successive pictures are rapidly made of moving objects upon a long ribbon or strip of sensitized film, various devices have been invented, some complicated and others very simple, for the production of the pictures and the manipulation of the picture ribbon. C. Francis Jenkins is the inventor of quite a novel camera for making accurately the continuous series of pictures. Instead of using a rotary disc shutter with radial apertures and a fixed lens, this camera has a single opening in the front, the size of the aperture being regulated at its rear end by diaphragm disc having radial slots cut therein of varying widths. The operator is thereby enabled to govern the amount of light admitted to the lenses according to the subject to be photographed and the length of exposure desired. This disc is rotated by hand on its axis like an ordinary stop in a wide angle lens. Back of the diaphragm disc is the battery of lenses, each of the same focus, arranged in a circle, adjoining each other upon a rotating disc, the axis of which extends rearward, terminating in a bevel gear wheel, which meshes into a side bevel gear wheel, fixed upon the upper shaft, suitably geared to the main driving shaft. The main shaft may be operated by a crank on the outside of the box, by hand or by any suitable motor like a spring. The sensitized celluloid perforated ribbon film passes downward near the front end of the camera in front of the exposure tension plate, the square aperture in which is exactly in line with the front aperture in the box. From this point the film, after exposure, passes downward between the sprocket wheel and pressure roller to the winding reel in the rear end of the camera, which is rotated by belt connection to a pulley on the upper shaft, and takes up the film ribbon as rapidly as it is exposed. The feed roll for the supply of fresh film is in the rear of the camera over the winding reel. The operation may now be readily understood; to obtain successive pictures of a particular object, the camera is placed on a stand or tripod, the crank on the outside is then rotated, which causes the film to travel downward continously, with exactly the same speed that the lenses rotate, so that at even fraction of a second that it takes for each lens to pass behind the camera aperture, an impression of light is made on the downwardly moving film, and as they (the lenses and film) both move in unison, it follows that a sharp picture must be the result, while the brilliancy of the illumination is at its maximum. The camera can be carried about as readily as any other camera, and in practice it is found the motion of the handoperated crank is sufficiently uniform to permit of the proper reproduction of motion by the positive pictures when projected on the screen. The method of printing the positive ribbon pictures from the negative by means of artificial light is also designed by Mr. Jenkins. It consists of reels supported on suitable upright standards holding respectively the sensitive ribbon film and the negative film. The film from the negative supply reel is carried along over the sensitive film reel and both pass in contact, in continuous motion, under an exposing chamber illuminated by white light, either incandescent electric light or a Welsbach gas light, thence over the toothed sprocket driving wheel to the winding reels, the exposed film being wound first. It will be noticed that the reels are interchangeable, hence to make duplicate copies it is only necessary to remove the negative spool from the winding up end to the supply spool standard of the apparatus and begin over again. The perforations in the edges of the film are of specially square shape and give the square sprocket teeth of the propelling pulley a better pull on the film. The teeth pass through the perforatious of both films, causing both to move exactly the same and at all times to keep in perfect register. The speed of the film passing under the exposing chamber must be uniform, and this is obtained bypropelling the sprocket wheel by an electric motor or by a spring motor. The electric motor is behind the light chamber. The axle of the motor has worm gear operating a cog wheel on the main shaft. The Y-shaped elastic band holds the frame (in which is a ground glass) in contact with the films, producing a sort of tension on the film. To the left of the light chamber is a supplementary tension, adjusted by screw nuts. Two slotted diaphragm cards are placed over the ground glass just mentioned, at the bottom of the light chamber, and are for the purpose of regulating the amount of light that acts on the negative. If the negative film as a whole, should be thin, then the card with the narrow slot is used which allows a shorter exposure to be made, as the negative and film are passed under it. If the negative is full of density, then the narrow card is removed and the wider slotted card substituted, which allows a larger volume of light to act upon the negative film. The exposed film is wound around large open reels from its spool, and developed by passing through troughs of developer solutions. The necessity of providing apparatus to quickly reproduce positive impressions from the negative ribbon films is one of the reasons why this simple device was invented, and its novelty consists in the fact that the film moves continuously under a uniform source of light without any intermittent motion or the use of shutters. The operation of exposing the film is carried on in a room illuminated by the usual ruby red light. — Scientific American. The Central New York Telephone Company has just placed one of their long distance automatic or "nickel-in-the-slot'' instruments in the office of the railroad station at Lowville which must prove of great convenience to the general as well as the traveling public, and will be duly appreciated. Uelepbone Clock In conversing by telephone over long distances the rate for using the line is made for five minutes' conversation. The correct estimation of time when seated at the telephone is a rather difficult matter. Many people are in a hurry, thinking it is but a short time; others over-estimate the period and talk slowly, and the five minutes are over before they realize it. To avoid either conditions a Berlin watchmaker had the excellent idea to provide a telephone clock, which starts at the moment connection is made, and at the termination of the five minutes sounds an electric bell. The clock is fastened in full view of the person using the telephone, and at any moment the speaker can see how much time he still has at his disposal. The use of the clock is vers simple, for pressing the button is sufficient to set it going, and another pressure returns the hand to the starting point. After experimenting for over sixteen months I have discovered a lens that will take pictures that do not vibrate on the screen. The pictures come out clear and distinct, the new process used being a decided advantage over the old as the films are never scratched and never become hard and brittle. I have also overcome the trouble that operators have experienced with misfit films. My films fit the sprocket correctly. The machine used for that purpose is the finest and most intricate machine ever produced to make films fit the sprocket wheel. It never fails. I have in my employ three experts who were employed formerly in the following factories, viz: Thos. Edison, International Film Co. and A. Lumiere & Sons, at Lyons, Prance. I am therefore enabled to produce the finest and most serviceable films ever brought before the public, and sell them at prices that are simply astonishing. Send for samples and prices. Note the beautiful clear effect and finish. The following Atlantic City subjects are new and were taken by myself: Life Rescue, The Boardwalk, Sixty Minute Flyer, Japanese Village, Japanese Rope Walker, The Bathers, Shooting the Chutes. The gauge used on my films will fit Edison's or any make of standard projecting machine. S. Lubin, largest manufacturer of Projecting machines and films, 21 South Sth Street, Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. ***