International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1954)

Evolution of the Simplex Projector By EDWARD B. GARRISON I HE BASIC requirements of machine fitting placed the thousandth of an inch as the limit of latitude, and on important parts ten-thousandths of an inch." This was the credo of Francis B. Cannock, who, together with Edwin S. Porter, laid the foundation for the design and manufacture of the precision instrument which is known throughout the world as the Simplex motion picture projector. But preceeding the Simplex projector were a series of events which left a deep impress on motion picture technological development and contributed substantially to the present structure of International Projection Corp. These events stemmed from the brain, hand and heart of Nicholas Power. Posessed of great inventive ability and an agile and far-seeing business talent, Nicholas Power built his first projector, the Peerlescope, in 1902 in a little shop on Nassau St. in New York City. This projector was equipped with a gaslight source and was belt-driven directly from the rim of the crankwheel. The film, upon passing through the projector, dropped into a cloth bag which, however, was soon replaced by a sheet metal box. As much as 3000 feet of film was run into this box in a loose heap, with the ends of each reel left hanging out of the opening to be retrieved later for rewinding. Contemporary with the Powers projector were the Edison Kinetoscope, the Lubin, the Dressier, and the Vitascope (built by Thomas Armat and reputedly the first loop-forming mechanism). There were several other "-graphs" and "-scopes" marketed during the ensuing five years, among which was the Standard projector. All this equipment was extremely crude, by presentday standards althought it was used with fair success in the "store shows" of those days. Nicholas Power, however, with his great flair for this type of apparatus, quickly replaced model after model, each succeeding one being a great improvement over its predecessor. Basis for Success of the Powers From the beginning Nicholas Power began to build up a strong patent wall around his developments, beirig the first to invent (1904) a satisfactory device for centering the picture in the aperture while the projector was operating, thus obviating the need for shutting down the equipment and showing a slide very common in those days: "One minute, please, to frame picture." Two years later Power obtained two other valuable patents covering the takeup device, or method of "rolling a film on a lower reel without tearing the film during the operation," and the basic patent covering upper and lower film magazines having fire-prevention film valves. These three patents were the basis for the subsequent success of Nicholas Power and his successor, Nicholas Power Co., a corporation formed in 1907. Between 1904 and 1922 Nicholas Power obtained 57 patents covering the design and construction of important improvements in Power's projectors Nos. 4, 5, 6, 6A, and 6B, the latter being the last one manufactured. These patents covered The famous Powers No. 6 Cameragraph (1909) having a solid-pin movement and employing the then conventional straight arc for illumination. The 6B v/as the last Pov/ers made (1920) utilizing a roller-pin cross movement. No. 7 Powers was designed but was never manufactured. Old standby through the years — the Regular Simplex (1910). Note old framing lever. Light source shown here is the first McAuley reflector lamp. 30 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST « July 1954