The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (October 1896)

AD BE EE A Field’s Opaque Screen.—A new form of scresn is being introduced by Messrs. Field & Co., of Birmingham. We have lately tried it and find that it gives superior illumination to any screen hitherto sold. A brilliantly illuminated picture of 10 ft. can with it be obtained with an oil lamp. The screen is faced with silver in a peculiar way. It is certainly the best screen extant. > & ~ Church Defence Institution.— As many as 300 lantern slides have lately been prepared by the Church Defence Institute, which are said to cover the whole period of English Church history. This institute goes into the matter in quite a business style, and will lend the slides at the rate of 5s. for sixty, with an additional charge of 2s. 6d. for carriage to and fro, with strict conditions that the slides must be returned the morning following the exhibition. Several energetic lecturers have also been engaged, including the Rev. C. A. Lane. Speaking of this gentleman, we understand that on the day of our going to press, he is to deliver a special lecture at Lavender Hill, S.W., by the special desire of Canon Erskine Clarke, on “‘ The Personal History of Queen Victoria.” ee & ~~ A Strange Lighthouse.— At Stornaway Bay, Scotland, there is a lighthouse which has neither lantern nor keeper, yet at sundown it gives off a brilliant light. This is effected as follows :—On the Island of Lewis, between five and six hundred feet away, there is a lighthouse, and from this, light is reflected on a mirror in the first-named lighthouse, and is then sent in various directions by means of prisms. oo ~ od Exhibition at India.—During January and February next the ninth annual exhibition of photographs in connection with the Photographic Society of India will be held at Calcutta. All pictures, etc., must be sent carriage paid, addressed to the Exhibition Secretary, Photographic Society of India, 57, Park Street, Calcutta, not later than December 24th. a a A Lucid Explanation.—A New York physician says that by using X rays he has found the stereytococcus erysipelatosus proliferating in the interspaces of the connective tissues. To this an evening paper asks:—Why does he not inform the police. & eo < Spontaneous Ignition of Coal.— Professor Meden, who had made a special study of this subject, gives it as his opinion that the spontaneous ignition of coal is directly traceable to the oxydation of iron pyrites, no coal being entirely free from sulphide of iron. & > > Short of Gas.—A correspondent writes that during his visit to Norfolk, he attended an exhibition given by a London lecturer, and when the lecture was half-way through it had to be announced that the ‘‘ gas’”’ had run short. We presume our correspondent referred to oxygen gas and not ‘‘speech”’ gas, as he did not say which. Anyway, there was bad management somewhere. ba > bad The Newnes’ Lectures. — Messrs. Geo. Newnes and Co. are preparing two lectures and sets of slides for loan this season. The titles are ‘‘ Behind the scenes of popular journalism,” and ‘‘ Popular authors and their work.” pongo OR anumber of years ether saturators were made and tried by private individuals with more or less success (often less), but it at last became apparent to certain persons that there was a future before this form of limelight. Notwithstanding the “cold water” that was thrown upon this mode by prejudiced writers, the subject was continued experimentally by a few earnest workers, until practically perfect instruments have been evolved, and the confidence that was at one time upset, restored. Perhaps one of our oldest experimenters in this line is Mr. Thomas Timberlake, who has made models innumerable during the last twenty-seven years, and who, a few years ago, produced one that he could with confidence recommend to lanternists endowed with ordinary common sense; this saturator is now largely used and will be alluded to later on. It might be well here to explain the principles of a saturating apparatus for producing limelight. These are very simple, and can be explained in a few lines. Given a supply of oxygen, which we will presume to be compressed in a cylinder, a short piece of tubing is attached to this, and in order to obtain two currents of the oxygen a Y piece of piping is then secured to the first piece of tubing. By turning on the cylinder, which should be provided with a regulator, it is