2. Arrangement for stopping the strip of film.]

Strips of sensitized films from sixty to ninety feet in length were not available at this time, and it was necessary to employ some makeshift. Images were taken from the chronophotographic apparatus upon a strip four or five yards in length, and were printed as positives upon a glass disk sensitized by chloride of silver, and it was by means of this disk that the projection was made. The number of images was limited to forty or fifty, according to the subject, but the advent of the long strips of sensitized film induced the inventor to so modify the apparatus as to be able to take images in long series and for projecting them. The apparatus of M. Demeny, which we show in our engraving, employs strips of any length, but at present the longest that have been used are one hundred and fifteen feet. This gives about one thousand images of the dimensions adopted by the inventor, one and one half by one and three quarter inches. This wide surface of the image has an immense advantage, since, with the electric light, it permits of throwing the moving pictures on a screen sixteen feet high. For a small screen the oxyhydrogen light will be sufficient. The lantern is provided with an ordinary condenser, in front of which is placed a water tank to absorb a portion of the heat. At the opposite end of the table stands the chronophotographic projector which carries the film wound around its bobbins. The lantern is so regulated that the luminous rays will fall exactly upon the aperture as the image passes behind the objective, O. [Illustration: FIG. 3.--INTERIOR VIEW OF M. DEMENY’S REVERSIBLE PROJECTION APPARATUS.] [Illustration: FIG. 4.--FIGURES OF ACTUAL SIZE FROM A STRIP OF FILM 115 FEET IN LENGTH.] After the focusing has been effected, all that has to be done is to turn the crank, M. At P and R are seen guide bobbins that serve to put in their normal direction the films that have been used. As is well known, the principle of all projecting apparatus of this kind consists of arresting the film for an instant at the moment it is uncovered by the shutter. The process employed in the Demeny apparatus is very simple. It is shown in Fig. 3 of our engraving. Upon coming from the bobbin the film passes over a guide roller, S, and then over a rod, D, mounted eccentrically; thence it goes to the toothed roller, C, designed for causing the images to register accurately. The film then reaches the magazine roller, B. The mechanism is entirely enclosed in a box, and the shutter disk, which is not shown in the engraving, is situated at the other side of the aperture, F. Beneath the bobbin, A, is a rubber roller, E, mounted upon a spring in such a way that it will bear against the film, whatever be the thickness of the ribbon on the bobbin. It is this roller which is moved by gearing that causes the film to unwind in a continuous manner, and thug prepares it for the eccentric rod, D, which pulls upon a portion of the film already unwound, but does not screen it. The film passing under the guide, S, passes between two velvet-lined frames, H and T, that are provided with an aperture F. It is upon making its exit thence, and passing over the guide, S, that the film is taken up by the rod, D, then runs over the toothed roller, C, and finally over the bobbin, B. All these parts, exclusive of the shutter, are interdependent, and are connected by gear wheels set in motion by the crank, M. None of them have a jerky motion. All of the parts of the mechanism have uniform rotary motion, and the stoppage of the films is prepared for by a graduated diminution of the velocity. One advantage of this apparatus is that it is very tender with the films. Our last engraving represents a few images on a strip made for a spectacular drama at the Châtelet Theater, Paris. This strip is one hundred and fifteen feet long, and embraces a thousand images, each of which was colored by hand. The effect is very pleasing. THE KINETOSCOPE STEREOPTICON. Since the time the “kinetoscope” brought the art of moving photography prominently into notice, many inventors have been striving to perfect apparatus for successfully projecting these miniature pictures upon the screen by means of a stereopticon, producing the same effect of motion as in the kinetoscope. In the kinetoscope the successive images are illuminated by reflected light, and are seen through a lens enlarging them considerably, say from half an inch in diameter to about four inches. The problem of the kinetoscope stereopticon was to successfully project these little images several thousand times, and secure sufficient illumination upon the screen to make them appear distinct and clear. The two factors which aided in solving the problem were the use of the electric lamp as an illuminant and of continuous flexible transparent celluloid films. Our first engraving shows some kinetoscopic pictures taken directly from the negative film, by the “phantoscope” invented by Mr. C. F. Jenkins. The successive motions of practicing “putting the shot,” shown in these fifteen pictures, may be traced by beginning at the lower left-hand corner and reading upward for each column of pictures. The device for taking the phantoscope pictures is shown in Figures 5 and 6. [Illustration: KINETOSCOPE PICTURES--PRACTICING PUTTING THE SHOT.] [Illustration: FIG. 1.--THE EDISON “VITASCOPE.”] On a shaft is fixed a disk supporting four lenses, and geared to the shaft is a vertical shaft engaging a bevel gear on the axis of the film-winding reel. As the shaft is revolved by the handle on the outside, the lenses are brought respectively behind the opening in the front of the box and transmit the momentary images as they pass the opening to the moving sensitized film which goes in the same direction as the moving lens, and at the same speed. The exposed film is at the same time wound up on the top reel. With the same apparatus the positive pictures may be reeled off of one spool to the other, being projected by the electric light in the rear, illuminated by rotating condensers, one for each lamp. The pictures may be looked at in the box, through a small screen; they are made at the rate of twenty-five to the second, and are about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and one-quarter of an inch apart, on a continuous sensitized celluloid strip about one and a half inches wide, having perforations in its edges, in which the sprocket wheels of the projecting device engage. The projecting apparatus is shown in Fig. 1, and consists of an electric arc lamp in front of which is a condenser. In advance of that is the motor for operating the feed mechanism, and in front of all is the film traveling device and the objective. Our second engraving is a view of the stand complete, showing the rheostat, switches, etc., for regulating the current. The film, after passing behind the lens, is wound up on the reel below. Our third engraving shows the use of the apparatus in the theater. It is placed in a cabinet surrounded by curtains, in an upper gallery, the images being thrown forward upon a screen upon the stage. [Illustration: FIG. 2.--THE EDISON “VITASCOPE.”] [Illustration: FIG. 3.--THE “VITASCOPE” IN THE THEATER.] [Illustration: FIG. 4.--FILM PROJECTING APPARATUS.] In projecting pictures of this kind it has been usual to employ shutters operating in unison with the movements of the picture ribbon. After a series of experiments it was found that the same effect of motion could be produced by causing the ribbon itself to have an intermittent movement without the use of shutters at all, which greatly simplifies the apparatus. A film-working apparatus based on this idea is shown in detail at Fig. 4. The electric motor operates a main shaft to which it is geared, a worm engaging a gear on the shaft with the main sprocket pulley, and draws the picture ribbon downward at a uniform speed. Back of this shaft may be seen the main shaft, intended to rotate rapidly, on the end of which is a disk having a roller eccentrically fixed thereto. Behind this is a standard supporting spring-tension fingers behind the lens. As the film is drawn forward by the main sprocket pulley, it is quickly pulled downward by each rotation of the rapidly moving eccentric roller on the disk. The sprocket pulley meanwhile takes up the slack of the ribbon, so that at the next rotation the eccentric roller quickly pulls the film down and makes the change; from the sprocket pulley the film is carried to the winding wheel operated automatically from the main shaft by means of pulleys; or, when it is desired to repeat the subject over and over again, the endless film is allowed to drop into folds in a box located under the sprocket pulley, passing out at the rear, upward over pulleys arranged above the spring-tension fingers, then downward between them again to the main pulley. [Illustration: FIGS. 5 AND 6.--THE JENKINS “KINETOSCOPE” CAMERA.] Fig. 7 is a diagram of a film-moving mechanism of an English inventor, Mr. Birt Acres, which has been successfully operated in London. [Illustration: FIG. 7.--ACRES’ PROJECTING DEVICE.] The picture film is drawn from an upper reel, passed over a sprocket pulley, downward through a retaining clamp, and over a second pulley to the bottom or winding reel. The film passes over both sprocket pulleys at a uniform speed, between a stationary and swinging clamp operated automatically from the shaft of the shutter and which holds the film stationary when the opening of the shutter is behind the lens, during the interval the picture is projected on the screen. The clamp is released; then the pivoted lever below, with a roller on the upper end, is pulled inward at the other end by a spring and immediately takes up the slack (as shown by the dotted lines), and causes, by such sudden movement, the bringing of the next picture into position. THE “MUTOGRAPH” AND “MUTOSCOPE.” [Illustration: THE DARK ROOM AND REEL FOR DEVELOPING FILMS.] The “mutograph” and “mutoscope” are names of very interesting machines for presenting moving photographs. The camera frame is mounted, by means of three adjustable legs, upon a triangular turntable, which may be placed upon any suitable support. Upon the top of the frame is bolted a two horse-power electric motor which is driven by a set of storage batteries; the combination of the turntable with a vertical adjustable enables the camera to be shifted so as to take in the required field. In the front of the camera is fixed a lens of great light-gathering quality which produces an image of exceedingly clear detail. Inside the camera is a strip of gelatine film two and three-quarter inches wide, and usually about one hundred and sixty feet in length, which is wound upon a small pulley and drum. The length of the film varies for different subjects. In case of a prolonged scene it may extend several thousand feet. The film is led through a series of rollers, and is caused to pass directly behind the lens of the camera, and is finally wound upon a drum. The object of the rollers is to cause the film to pass behind the lens with an intermittent instead of a continuous motion. At ordinary speeds this could be easily accomplished, but the difficulties are increased when it is remembered that the impressions are taken at the rate of forty per second, and that the film, which is running at the rate of seven or eight feet a second, has to be stopped and started with equal frequency. The film comes to a rest just as the shutter opens, and starts again as the shutter closes. The impressions vary in actual exposure between one one-hundredth and one four-hundredth of a second. While the ordinary speed is forty a second, the mutoscope can take equally good pictures at the rate of one hundred per second, if it is necessary. The highest speed would be used in photographing the flight of a projectile or other object which was in extremely rapid motion. After the mutograph has done its work, the films are carefully packed and sent to the New York establishment of the American Mutoscope Company. Here they are taken to the dark room, the interior of which is shown in our engraving. Arranged along each side of this room is a series of troughs, above which are suspended large skeleton reels three feet in diameter and seven feet long, the axes of the reels being journaled in brackets attached to the end of the trough. The films are wound upon the reels and subjected to the action of the various solutions for developing, fixing, etc., the reels being transferred from bath to bath until the films are ready to go to the drying-room. In this room are also prepared positive transparent strips for use in the biograph and the bromide prints for the mutoscope. [Illustration: TAKING PICTURES FOR THE “MUTOSCOPE.”] [Illustration: DRYING AND RETOUCHING ROOM. “MUTOSCOPE” SHOWN IN THE FOREGROUND.] [Illustration: THE SAUSAGE FACTORY.] The films are unwound on to large wooden drums about the same size as the reels, where they are carefully dried. At the far end of the room are seen the machines for cutting up the bromide prints. Here also is carried on the work of retouching the films and preparing them for use in the biograph and mutoscope pictures. The biograph is somewhat similar to machines which we have already described. The annexed engravings show pictures of clay-pigeon shooting and of the firing of a ten-inch disappearing gun at Sandy Hook. [Illustration: “MUTOGRAPH” PICTURES OF CLAY-PIGEON SHOOTING, AND OF THE FIRING OF A TEN-INCH DISAPPEARING GUN AT SANDY HOOK.] Upon the roof of the New York establishment of the company there has been erected a large movable stage for taking photographs of celebrated scenes from plays or of individual performances in which it is desired to reproduce the motions as well as the features of the subject. It consists of a floor of steel I-beams which carries a series of three concentric steel traps. Upon this rotates the massive frame at one end of which is a stage supplied with the necessary scenery, and at the other end a corrugated iron house, in which is located the mutograph. The stage is bolted to the frame, but the house travels upon a track, so that it may be moved to or from the stage as required. The frame carrying the stage and house rotates about the smaller circular track located beneath the house, and may be swung around so as to throw the light full upon the scene at any hour of the day. [Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE “MUTOSCOPE.”] The “mutoscope” is compact, and the pictures are large. It is not any larger than the cover of a sewing machine. The enlarged bromide prints, measuring four by six inches, are mounted in close consecutive order around the cylinder and extend out like the leaves of a book, as shown in the illustration. In the operation of the mutoscope the spectator has the performance entirely under his own control by turning a crank which is placed conveniently at hand, and may make the operation as quick or as slow as he desires, and can stop the machine at any particular picture at will. Each picture is momentarily held in front of the lens by the action of a slot attached to the roof of the box, which allows the pictures to slip by in much the same way as the thumb is used upon the leaves of a book. [Illustration: MOVABLE STAGE FOR PHOTOGRAPHING SCENES WITH THE “MUTOGRAPH.”] “CINEMATOGRAPH” CAMERA. The “cinematograph” camera, invented by the Messrs. Lumière & Sons, works on a somewhat different principle from those we have already described. In this camera the film is carried forward intermittently, no sprocket wheel being used. The film-moving mechanism is fully illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. [Illustration: FIGS. 1, 2, AND 3.--FILM-MOVING MECHANISM.] The film-moving device consists of two prongs which somewhat resemble a fork. It is shown at D in Fig. 3. The prongs are alternately pushed through or withdrawn from the perforated ribbon by the aid of a rotating bar, C. The film-moving device, D, has really a shuttle movement, having a rapid reciprocating motion. The rotating bar, C, which is secured to the main shaft, is so arranged that its ends, which are bent in opposite directions, strike on alternate sides of the wedge-shaped piece which is secured to the fork, D, and thus impart to the latter a reciprocating motion. The up-and-down motion of the film is accomplished by the aid of a cam which is secured to the main shaft. The reciprocating yoke piece, A, is given a vertical motion when the crank shaft is rotated. The arm, B, is attached to the yoke piece, A, and this carries down the film through the medium of the fork, D. When the film has been lowered the distance of one exposure, the rotating bar, C, strikes the fork and removes the prongs from the film. The yoke piece then raises the prongs, and the other arm of the rotating bar strikes the wedge-shaped piece, and forces the fork, D, through the apertures in the film. On the main shaft is also arranged the shutter, E, which rotates with the film-moving mechanism. Fig. 2 shows the simplicity of the camera. On the upper end of the box is the sensitized ribbon, which passes downward between guides before the lens opening. The bent ends of the cam operating bar, which give the fork, D, its reciprocating motion, are shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a general view of the instrument, showing the driving gear and film support. Fig. 5 shows the cinematograph camera in operation. It will be seen that the camera is very portable. The same camera can be converted into a projecting apparatus for throwing moving pictures upon the screen. The images are about an inch square. [Illustration: FIG. 4.--DRIVING GEAR AND FILM SUPPORT.] [Illustration: FIG. 5.--THE CINEMATOGRAPH IN OPERATION.] CAMERA FOR RIBBON PHOTOGRAPHY. The camera for ribbon photography which we illustrate is the invention of Mr. C. F. Jenkins, the inventor of the “vitascope,” which we have already described. Instead of using a rotary disk shutter, the 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 a diaphragm disk having radial slots of varying widths cut therein. 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 the exposure desired. This disk is rotated by hand, like an ordinary stop in a wide-angle lens. Back of the diaphragm disk is the battery of lenses, each of the same focus, arranged in a circle, joining each other, upon a rotating disk which is secured to a shaft which extends rearward and terminates in a bevel gear wheel which meshes with a side bevel gear wheel fixed upon the main shaft, suitably geared to the main driving shaft. [Illustration: RIBBON PHOTOGRAPHY--A NEW CAMERA.] The main shaft may be operated by a crank on the outside of the box, by hand or by any suitable motor. The sensitized celluloid perforated ribbon film maybe noticed passing downwards 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. A feed roll for the supply of unexposed film is not shown, but may be located at the rear of the camera, over the winding reel. The operation will be readily understood. The camera is placed upon the tripod or stand; the crank on the outside is rotated, which causes the film to travel downwards continuously, at exactly the same speed at which the lenses rotate, so that at every 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 the lenses and film both move in unison, it follows that a sharp picture will 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. In practice it is found that the motion of the hand-operated crank is sufficiently uniform to permit of the proper reproduction of motion by the positive pictures projected upon the screen. [Illustration: RIBBON PHOTOGRAPHY--EXPOSING AND PRINTING APPARATUS.] Our next engraving shows how the positive ribbon pictures for the vitascope and other forms of apparatus are printed; this is also the invention of Mr. Jenkins. It consists of reels supported on suitable upright standards holding respectively the sensitized ribbon film and the negative film. The film from the negative supply wheel is carried along over the sensitized film wheel, and both pass in contact, in continuous motion, under an exposing chamber illuminated by any source of white light, as an incandescent lamp or a Welsbach incandescent gaslight, thence over the toothed sprocket driving wheel to the winding wheels, the exposed film being wound first. This will be better understood by reference to our detailed diagram of the mechanism. It will be noticed that the reels are interchangeable, and 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 a special square shape, and give the square sprocket wheel of the propelling pulley a better tension on the film. The teeth pass through the perforations of both films, causing both to move at exactly the same time, and at all times to keep in perfect registry. The speed of the film passing under the exposing chamber must be absolutely uniform; this is obtained by propelling the sprocket wheel by an electric motor or by a spring motor. The electric motor is seen in the large wood cut. The axle of the motor has worm gear operating a cog wheel on the main shaft. The V-shaped elastic band holds the frame in which is a ground glass in contact with the film, producing a kind of tension on the film. To the left of the light chamber is a supplementary tension adjusted by screw nuts, as shown. Referring to the diagram, two slotted diaphragm cards will be seen. These 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 a card with a narrow slot is used, which allows a short exposure to be made if 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 a spool and is developed by passing through cloths of developer solution. The novelty in the device which we illustrate consists in the fact that the film moves continuously under a uniform source of light, under any intermittent motion or the use of shutters. The operation of exposing the film is carried out in a room illuminated by the usual ruby light. [Illustration: RIBBON PHOTOGRAPHY--DIAGRAM OF THE PRINTING DEVICE.] THE MICROMOTOSCOPE.[17] [17] By D. F. St. Clair. The principles of the kinetoscope or mutoscope have been applied to the microscope, with some interesting results, by Dr. Robert L. Watkins, of New York City. The instrument, though simple, was made a success only after many experiments and failures in adjusting the objective of the microscope in a line with the right sort of light and a rapidly moving film. The principal difficulties in making a mutoscope out of so delicate an instrument as the microscope are the light and the lens. Every electric lamp in the market, when its light has been concentrated sufficiently for photography, will, after a short time, with its heat, kill, dry up, or impair almost any kind of life in the microscopic field. The greater the magnification, the more intense the light must be and the nearer the microscope. This difficulty was often enhanced by the length of time it took to get a focus on the sensitive film, but most of the pictures taken were good, and show well the various characteristics of the action taking place in cell life, so far as it can be observed with the microscope. [Illustration: A ROTIFER AS SEEN IN THE MICROMOTOSCOPE.] Whatever is to be photographed, once it is put in the field of the lens, is adjusted to a horizontal plane. Near one end of the microscope is placed an electric lantern containing a small arc light concentrated on the object. Near the other end is the box that covers the apparatus for moving the long, sensitive gelatine film. The film runs like a belt, on wheels, and passes in front of a tiny window in the box and on a direct line with the lens and light. This machinery is turned by a crank, and its ordinary capacity is about 1,600 pictures per minute. It is possible to increase it to 2,000 or 2,500, but for most purposes 1,000 or even less per minute will record every motion taking place in most cell life. Dr. Watkins found, however, after a number of trials, that he could not turn the machine fast enough to photograph the motion of the blood circulating in the web of a frog’s foot. He simply needed a larger wheel. The advantages of mutoscopic photography to microscopy are quite evident, especially as regards the action of bacteria and blood cells. Nearly all the numerous families of bacteria have motion, many having motion that the eye cannot always follow clearly. It has already been discovered that the same kind of bacteria will act very differently under different circumstances. For instance, a flash of bright light will suddenly drive some kinds to cover. Some kinds will readily seek the negative pole of the battery. They will also seek food with avidity and reject poison with true instinct. All such phenomena can, of course, be followed with the eye, but not with the same detail in the microscopic field as in a series of clear photographs. The fact is that on account of the motion of some bacteria it has been well nigh impossible to photograph them. The books have had to depend upon the eye and hand of the draughtsman and upon vague description. This may not be of much importance either way, but as yet comparatively little is known about bacteria. It is not yet known whether they are the cause of disease, or its results, or neither. Photography, under the proper circumstances, is most needed for the investigator, and it can be only moving photography. The capillary or circulatory motion of the blood cells, after the blood has been drawn, is comparatively slow at best; but the amœboid movement of the white cells and the changes taking place in the nuclei are complicated, and often hard to intelligently watch in the field. Many of these changes occurring in the white cells are certain to escape attention, but all of them will be clearly recorded on the rapidly moving sensitive film. These motions in the white cells, though they are as yet imperfectly understood, are full of meaning to the physiologist and pathologist. The offices that the blood performs in the body are believed to be due mainly to the action of the white cells. Certainly, the character of their amœboid action is one of the surest indications of health or disease. But with the micromotoscope it need no longer be impossible to photograph the blood in actual circulation. With a better light the cells may be seen in the thin tissue of the ear or the web of the fingers. They have often been examined in the peritoneum during an operation, and Dr. Watkins himself has made a close study of them in the web feet of some birds and the tails of fishes. Unfortunately, the illustration of blood here reproduced does not show the white cells. They stuck to the glass, while the red cells, it will be perceived, retain something of their motion, continuing to flow across the field for half an hour after the blood was drawn. [Illustration: MOVEMENT OF BLOOD CORPUSCLES SHOWN BY THE MICROMOTOSCOPE.] APPENDIX. APPENDIX. _ADDITIONAL TRICKS._ THE MAGIC TABLE. This was a trick of the late Alexander Herrmann. In the center of the stage is placed a light table with three legs and a plush top. The prestidigitateur moves his hand over the table; suddenly it rises in the air and follows his hands wherever he moves them. The secret of the trick will be easily understood by reference to our engraving. A small nail is driven in the center of the table. This nail is not noticed by the audience, and the plush top tends to hide it. The magician wears a ring which is flattened on the inner surface and a small notch is filed in it. The ring is placed on the middle finger of the right hand; the hand is spread over the table until the notch fits under the head of the nail. The table can then be lifted with great ease, and it appears to follow the hand of the conjurer in obedience to the magic wand. [Illustration: THE MAGIC TABLE.] “GONE.” [Illustration: THE LADY READY FOR ELECTROCUTION.] This very clever illusion was designed by Mr. W. E. Robinson, the assistant of the late Herrmann the Great. It has been exhibited in several of the large cities, and is always a great success. When the curtain is raised the square frame is seen; this frame is braced laterally by side pieces. At the lower part of the frame, within easy reach of the prestidigitateur, is a windlass. Ropes pass from this windlass, over pulleys, to a crossbar in the upper part of the frame. A lady is now brought upon the stage and for some terrible crime is sentenced to be electrocuted. She is seated in a chair, which she grasps tightly. She is then tied tightly to the chair with ropes, and her hands are chained together. The prestidigitateur now secures the chair, with its fair occupant, to the ropes which are connected with the windlass, by means of hooks which fasten to the top frame of the chair. Wires are now secured to the unfortunate lady so that it really seems as though she was to receive the death-dealing current. The professor of magic now winds away at the windlass and raises the chair until the head of the victim is on a level with the crossbar. He then discharges a pistol, and at the same instant the lady disappears and the chair drops to the floor. Such is, in brief, the mode of operation of the trick called “Gone.” [Illustration: RAISING THE LADY BY MEANS OF THE WINDLASS.] In reality the illusion is a clever adaptation of the “Pepper Ghost” of which we have already described several variations. A reference to our first engraving will show that at the sides of the frame is a row of incandescent lights. While the lady is being secured to the chair, and while she is being hoisted up to the crossbar, these lamps are kept lighted; but the instant the pistol is fired, these lights are extinguished by a stage hand in the side scene. Up over the proscenium arch is arranged a background which corresponds to the background of the stage. Two wooden bars cross it. Directly below this screen, and carefully shielded from the observation of the spectators, is a row of incandescent lights. As the pistol is fired these lights are turned on, while those in the frame are extinguished. Now, according to the principles of the “Pepper Ghost” which we have already described, the person or thing which is brilliantly lighted has its image projected on a sheet of glass and appears to be real. The front of the frame, from the windlass to the horizontal cross piece, is covered with a sheet of glass which is not apparent to the audience. The image of the background is projected upon this glass, which hides the lady from view, although she is immediately behind it, and the pieces of wood and this artificial background take the place of the back posts of the frame, thus deceiving the audience. The chair is made in two sections, the lady being tied to the upper, or skeleton chair. She holds a heavy chair with her hand tightly, and at the instant when the pistol is fired she releases the chair, which falls to the floor with a loud noise. [Illustration: THE ILLUSION OF “GONE” EXPLAINED.] There is another illusion, called “Out of Sight,” invented also by Mr. W. E. Robinson, which is somewhat similar, but is not as interesting from a scientific point of view. It is, however, better adapted for a traveling company, as there is no glass to break, the large sheet of plate glass in the front of the frame being entirely dispensed with. When the pistol is fired, a curtain of the same color as the background is released by the prestidigitateur, and it is drawn down quickly by means of rubber bands. It takes only an instant for the curtain to descend, its lower edge being hidden from view by the windlass. The audience is usually deceived as easily by this illusion as by the more complicated one. THE SPIDER AND THE FLY. This is one of the most interesting of the series of tricks which depend upon mirrors, and of which the “Decapitated Princess” is a type. When the curtain rises, the scene shows a gentleman’s country house set upon the embankment and surrounded by grass plots and shrubbery. This is painted scenery such as is usually used in theaters. The house is approached by a set of stone steps which are built out from the scene proper, or, in other words, the drop. These are what is known in theatrical parlance as “practical” steps; that is, they may be ascended. The steps are encased by side walls, and these walls are surmounted by vases of flowers and handsome lamp posts. The steps lead to the doorway of the house; the door is also “practical,” and can be opened and shut. The story runs that the house was deserted for such a long time that the steps were covered by a gigantic spider’s web, and the spectator is surprised to see this web, which extends from post to post and to the side walls of the steps. In the center of this gigantic web is seen a spider’s body with a woman’s head. The steps leading to the doorway of the house are open, and a person starts to descend, but stops on seeing the spider, and retreats after taking three or four steps down the stairs. This adds greatly to the illusion, as it looks as if it could not be produced by a mirror. You can see both above and below the head, and the steps may be seen at any angle you choose. The puzzling part of the trick is the question of the whereabouts of the lady’s body. [Illustration: THE SPIDER AND THE FLY TRICK.] Reference to our second and third engravings will give the secret of the trick. The mirror lies at an angle of 45° and runs from the base of the posts to the rear of one of the treads of the lower steps. The mirror extends the full width of the steps. A semicircular hole is cut out of the center of the mirror, at the top edge; this is to receive the lady’s head. [Illustration: THE ILLUSION EXPLAINED.] The spider’s body is fastened to the network of rope; the lady has simply to affix this body to her head, and the illusion is complete, as the body of the lady is concealed behind the glass. The mirror reflects the lower steps, so that this reflection really appears to be a continuation of the steps, and the entire flight seems unbroken. When the person appears at the door and descends the steps, he must be careful not to come below the line of reflection, as his legs will not be visible. The top edge of the glass is concealed by a rope of the web, as it is directly in front of it, and for safety is usually cemented to the glass. In our diagram, No. 1 represents the steps; 2, the mirror; 3, the web; and 4, the lady. This trick requires the most careful preparation and adjustment, but when this is accomplished, the results are extremely satisfactory. [Illustration: DIAGRAM SHOWING ARRANGEMENT OF MIRROR.] THE TRUNK TRICK. This trick, which attracted the attention of the world for months, is of English origin, and was presented in England long before it was introduced into Paris. The experiment consists of having a trunk examined, tying it, securing a cover over it, tying it a second time, sealing it with wax, and then showing that in a few seconds a young East Indian has succeeded in getting inside of it without unfastening the cords, breaking the seals, or opening the trunk. [Illustration: THE TRUNK TRICK.] [Illustration: TRAP DOOR IN TRUNK.] Half the bottom of the trunk constitutes a trap door which is opened by inserting a round key in one of the ventilating apertures. As soon as the trunk has been tied, sealed, and placed under a canopy, the curtains of which are let down so as to hide the trunk from the spectators, the East Indian, who is also invisible to the spectators, lays the trunk down as shown in our second engraving, unbuckles the cover and slides it down, takes his key, opens the trap door, gets into the trunk, puts the cover in place, buckles it, and then closes the trap door. To raise the trunk to its proper position, he takes a long screw, something like a gimlet, from his pocket, inserts it in one of the holes under him, and turns it; the trunk rises slowly, and when it has reached its point of equilibrium, it falls back suddenly on its bottom. The noise thus made is the signal for the operator, who immediately draws back the curtains, finds by the weight that something is in the trunk, and then unties it slowly and presents the mysterious traveler to the audience. [Illustration: PUTTING ON THE COVER.] It will be seen by one of our engravings that the Indian appears tied in a bag in the trunk. This is a variation of the trick. The bag is made of some light or soft material, and is provided with a hem at the mouth. In this hem runs a cord or tape; the performer draws the string tight, and seals the knots at the same time. The bag is then placed in the trunk, and the trunk is secured as above. The assistant who enters the trunk has concealed under his blouse a similar bag, the string of which is long enough to correspond in appearance to that of the other bag when it is tied and sealed. There are a couple of stitches missing on each side of the hem, leaving space enough for the assistant to insert his fingers. When he enters the trunk he removes this bag from his blouse, placing the original bag in the place of the duplicate. He now goes into the duplicate bag and places it up over his head, and, inserting his four fingers into the opening in the hem, draws in all the slack of the string, thus closing the bag, which is, of course, to all appearances, tied and sealed as the original. [Illustration: METHOD OF RAISING THE TRUNK.] [Illustration: REMOVING THE BAG FROM THE INDIAN.] “LA STROBEIKA PERSANE.” This illusion, made popular a few years ago by the late A. Herrmann, under the name of “Strobeika” was originally produced at Houdin’s Little Hall, in Paris, by the inventors of it, two Germans, Herren Lutz and Markgraf. [Illustration: FIG. 1.--“LA STROBEIKA PERSANE.”] The trick is supposed to take place in a prison or dungeon. In the center of the stage, quite near the back scene, stand four upright posts about eight feet high, and set about eight feet apart on the long side, and four on the short. These posts are made fast to a rectangular iron frame at the top, from the four corners of which are chains supporting a plank about an inch and a quarter thick, all in full view of the audience. Curtains hang from the framework to about a foot below the level of the board; these curtains can be opened or closed by sliding them back and forth on the frame, rings being sewed on them to allow of this being done easily. A man supposed to be a prisoner is stretched upon the plank; his wrists and ankles are manacled and locked by a committee from the audience, who can furnish, if they desire, locks of their own. His neck is also enclosed in a steel collar and locked to the plank. At a signal the curtains are closed, and, as they reach only a little way below the plank, permit of a full view underneath, to the rear wall of the stage. In less than a minute the curtains are withdrawn again, and a young lady is seen to have taken the place of the man, who, at the instant of the girl’s discovery, is seen running down the aisle of the theater. Now, let us see how this strange trick is accomplished. [Illustration: FIG. 2.--TOP OF BOARD, SHOWING LOCKS AND HASPS.] [Illustration: FIG. 3.--BOTTOM OF BOARD, SHOWING PLATES.] The first thing is the explanation of how the man becomes released from the shackles. It principally lies in the construction of the board. There is no deception about the keys, locks, or manacles, since it is not at all necessary to the deception that there should be. The board is hollow and contains cunningly concealed levers, four in number, which move simultaneously. The eyes that the manacles slip over, and to which the locks are fastened, go into the board and are held fast by the ends of these levers, which enter a hole or notch, as the case may be, in the eye. The shackles and neck piece and their respective eyes are all made fast to an iron plate or bed which is bolted to the board; a bolt at each corner of the plates goes through the board and secures another plate at the bottom of it, making all firm. There is one bolt, however, that does not go through; it is riveted to one of the short levers, and by its means the system of levers is pushed backward or forward. There is a nut on the bottom plate to make it appear as if this identical bolt went completely through, the same as the others. The levers run in grooves made in any suitable part of the board and covered by a strip of wood or other material, thus rendering the mechanism invisible, and appearing as if the board was solid. [Illustration: FIGS. 4-7.--DETAILS OF THE MECHANISM.] [Illustration: FIG. 8.--THE ESCAPE OF THE PRISONER.] At each corner of the board is a ring or screw eye, into which the chain provided with a hook is secured, by which to suspend the board. The four levers are pivoted to a rocking lever in the center of the board, which is likewise pivoted. By this means all the levers are moved simultaneously. When the lever is moved it releases all the shackles, and the prisoner is then, of course, free, and it is but the work of a moment to climb out through an opening in the scene at the back, where the lady who is to take his place is now waiting on the end of a long board pushed out through the opening in the scene. The lady gets on the trick board, the man slams the shackles into place, moves the bolt back, thus shoving the levers back into their notches in the eyes, again making everything fast, makes his escape through the scene, and appears a minute later from the front of the theater. The trick is varied sometimes by using double curtains at the back; concealed between them is the lady. After the exchange the man hides in the same place, and another man, his exact counterpart, is the one who makes his appearance in the audience. “METEMPSYCHOSIS.” “Metempsychosis” is the name of an illusion which was the joint invention of Messrs. Walker and Pepper, of London. It was devised by the former gentleman, and the latter assisted in perfecting it. It is probably the most mystifying of any of the optical tricks. It has of late years been shown in America, by Kellar, under the title of the “Blue Room.” The first effect produced upon the spectator after witnessing the illusion is that he has been dreaming, or seeing ghosts or spirits, for it seems utterly impossible for man to accomplish the wonders produced by it. Our first engraving shows the stage set as an artist’s studio. Through the center of the rear drop scene is seen a small chamber in which is a suit of armor standing upright. The floor of this apartment is raised above the level of the stage and is approached by a short flight of steps. When the curtain is raised a servant makes his appearance and begins to dust and clean the apartments. He finally comes to the suit of armor, taking it apart, cleans and dusts it, and finally reassembles it. No sooner is the suit of armor perfectly articulated than the soulless mailed figure deals the servant a blow. The domestic, with a cry of fear, drops his duster, flies down the steps into the large room, the suit of armor pursuing him, wrestling with him, and kicking him all over the stage. When the suit of armor considers that it has punished the servant sufficiently, it returns to its original position in the small chamber, just as the master of the house enters, brought there by the noise and cries of the servant, from whom he demands an explanation of the commotion. Upon being told, he derides the servant’s fear, and, to prove that he was mistaken, takes the suit of armor apart, throwing it piece by piece upon the floor. This is only one of the countless effects which can be produced by this interesting illusion. [Illustration: FIG. 1.--“METEMPSYCHOSIS.”] The working of the illusion will be understood by reference to the diagram, Fig. 2. At A we have the proscenium opening; B B are two flats of scenery which close in the scene from the front wings to the steps, C, which in their turn lead up to the small chamber, D, at the back, in which all the changes occur. The walls of the chamber are lettered E¹, E², E³, E⁴. F is a large mirror extending from floor to ceiling, and capable of being wheeled back and forth on a truck or carriage. When this mirror is withdrawn, as seen at the dotted lines, G, the spectators see through the opening of the chamber to the rear wall. The suit of armor is marked H. Now, if the mirror be pushed across the chamber, both the armor, H, and the rear wall disappear, and the walls of the chamber at E¹ and E² are reflected so that they appear to be the walls E³ and E⁴. There is another suit of armor at I. It is placed so that, when it is reflected in the mirror, it will occupy the exact position of the other suit of armor, H. When the mirror is shoved forward and hides the suit of armor, H, an actor dressed in a similar suit enters behind the glass by a secret door, removes the dummy armor, and assumes the same place himself. All this time the suit of armor at I is reflected in the mirror, so that a suit of armor is always visible. The mirror is now drawn back, and the suit of armor which the actor wears is seen. When the servant now dusts the armor, it suddenly seems to become endowed with life and chases him around the room; and when it again mounts the steps in the smaller room, the mirror is shoved forward, the actor making his escape in time to place the first suit of armor where it formerly stood. Now the mirror is again drawn out, revealing the sides of the room, E³ and E⁴, and of course exposing the suit of armor, H. If the walls, E¹ and E², and the armor, I, are correctly placed as regards reflection, he can pass the mirror to and fro at will, without any change being detected, as the reflection takes the place of the reality, and we suppose we are looking at the real object. [Illustration: FIG. 2.] [Illustration: FIG. 3.] As the edge of the mirror passes the suit of armor a hard line is to be seen, a distinct vertical line, which would seem to wipe out the object as it passes. To avoid this, the inventors hit upon a novel and purely ingenious expedient. They etched vertical lines in the silver back of the glass at the end which first passes across the field of view, beginning with thick silvered spaces close together, and tapering, with the lines farther apart as shown in our diagram, Fig. 3. It can thus be seen that the reflected article gradually appears instead of coming suddenly into view, and when the mirror is moved away the real article gradually appears. In order that the edges of the glass may be better disguised as it moves forward or backward, the edge is cut or ground into steps, as shown in Fig. 4. [Illustration: FIG. 4.] By the apparatus described above, many changes can be made, as a living man appearing in a previously empty chair, flowers growing on an empty bush, a change of a man into a woman, a painted picture into a living one, etc. In some effects a table is employed, to all appearances the common square kitchen table. A person is seen sitting at the table, which is empty; suddenly there appears before him a large dish of oranges or a meal. This is arranged by providing the table with a slot which runs diagonally from corner to corner. This allows the glass to travel through it, and thus shuts off one-half of the table. Articles are placed on the table, behind the glass, which is now withdrawn, leaving them to be seen upon the table. The slot in the top of the table is covered with sheet rubber or other material. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NATURAL MAGIC AND PRESTIDIGITATION. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NATURAL MAGIC AND PRESTIDIGITATION. _COMPILED, WITH NOTES, BY_ HENRY RIDGELY EVANS. I. ENGLISH. ARNOLD, GEORGE, _and_ CAHILL, FRANK. The Magician’s Own Book; or, the Whole Art of Conjuring. New York, 1857. 8vo. 362 pp. ASTLEY, PHILIP. Natural Magic. London, 1785. BACON, ROGER. Discovery of the Miracles of Art, Nature, and Magic. (About 1260.) BAILEY, F. H. Hindu Jugglery. Journal of Education (Boston), vol. xliv. p. 378. BALL, W. W. ROUSE. Card Tricks. _In his_ Mathematical Recreations. BANCROFT, FREDERICK. Yogi Magic in India. Scientific American Supplement, vol. xliii p. 17845. BARTLETT, J. Second Sight. Scientific American Supplement, vol. xlii. pp. 17477, 17478. BECKMANN. History of Inventions. (About 1770.) BENJAMIN, M. Modern Magic and its Explanation. Chautauquan, vol. xi. p. 731. BERKELEY. Card Tricks and Puzzles. London, 1892. 8vo. BERTRAM, CHARLES. “Isn’t it Wonderful!” A History of Magic and Mystery. London, 1896. 4to. 300 pp. BISHOP, WASHINGTON IRVING. Houdin and Heller’s Second Sight. Edinburgh, 1880. BLITZ, ANTONIO. Fifty Years in the Magic Circle. An Account of the Author’s Professional Life, his Wonderful Tricks and Feats, with Laughable Incidents and Adventures as a Magician, Necromancer, and Ventriloquist. Hartford, 1871. 8vo. BRESLAW. Last Legacy; or, The Magical Companion. London, 1784. BREWSTER, _Sir_ DAVID. Letters on Natural Magic. London, 1832. 16mo. BURLINGAME H. J. Around the World with a Magician and a Juggler. Chicago, 1896. 8vo. 172 pp. BURLINGAME, H. J. Herrmann, the Magician. His Life; His Secrets. Chicago, 1897. 12mo. 250 pp. ---- History of Magic and Magicians. Chicago, 1895. 8vo. 41 pp. (Pamphlet.) ---- Leaves from Conjurers’ Scrap-Books; or, Modern Magicians and their Works. Chicago, --. 8vo. 274 pp. ---- Modern Magical Marvels: A Practical Treatise on Magic and Conjuring for Professionals and Amateurs. (In preparation.) ---- Tricks in Magic: Illusions and Mental Phenomena. Chicago, --. 8vo. A series of entertaining works on modern magic and its professors. BURSILL, H. Hand-shadows to be thrown upon the Wall; Consisting of Novel and Amusing Figures formed by the Hand, from Original Designs. Second series, in one volume. New York, --. CARLYLE, THOMAS. Count Cagliostro. _In his_ Miscellaneous Essays. This is a fascinating sketch of the most famous of charlatans and pretenders to magic. It is written in Carlyle’s characteristic style, and is, perhaps, more of a philosophical study of the _genus_ quack than an impartial biography of the celebrated necromancer of the old _régime_. A more detailed account of Cagliostro’s romantic career is to be found in the series of articles by William E. A. Axon, published in the Dublin University Magazine, vols. lxxviii. and lxxix. (1871, 1872). All biographies of Cagliostro are founded on the work published in Rome, 1790, under the auspices of the Holy Apostolic Chamber. The Italian life contains an elaborate _exposé_ of the great magician’s system of Egyptian masonry, also the full Inquisition sentence pronounced against him. This highly interesting product of papal jurisprudence makes strange reading for the nineteenth century. In the year 1791 the Inquisition biography was translated into French, under the title of _Le Vie de Joseph Balsamo, connu sous le nom de Comte Cagliostro_. It has for a frontispiece a steel-engraved portrait of Cagliostro. Original editions of this rare and curious old work may be seen in the Peabody Library, of Baltimore, Md.; the Scottish Rite Library, of Washington, D. C.; and the Masonic Library of Grand Rapids, Iowa. Cagliostro made adroit use of hypnotism, optical illusions, and chemical tricks. He was past master of the art of deception. Modern professors of conjuring are fond of using the name of Cagliostro for all sorts of magical feats, such as the “Mask of Balsamo,” “Cagliostro’s Casket and Cards,” “Cagliostro’s Cabinet,” etc. CARPENTER, WILLIAM H. At an Algerian Aissaoua. Current Literature, vol. xix. pp. 409-411. The Aissaoua are the miracle-mongers of Algeria. For explanation of their tricks, see the concluding chapter of Robert-Houdin’s memoirs. CONJURER UNMASKED, THE: With the Tricks of the Divining Rod, Magical Table, etc. 1790. CONJURER’S GUIDE. Glasgow, 1850. CREMER, W. H. Hanky-panky: A Collection of Conjuring Tricks. London, --. 8vo. ---- The Magician’s Own Book. London, --. 8vo. CUMBERLAND, STUART. A Thought-Reader’s Thoughts: Impressions and Confessions of a Thought-Reader. London, 1888. 8vo. DAVENPORT, REUBEN BRIGGS. The Death-Blow to Spiritualism. Being the true story of the Fox sisters as revealed by authority of Margaret Fox Kane and Catherine Fox Jencken. New York, 1888. 8vo. 247 pp. A rare and interesting work, with portraits of Margaret Fox Kane and Katie Fox Jencken, the pioneer mediums of American spiritualism. DESSOIR, MAX. The Magic Mirror. Monist, vol. i. p. 87. ---- The Psychology of Legerdemain. Open Court, vol. vii. Series of articles translated from the German. Of great interest to psychologists. DE VERE, M. S. Modern Magic. 1869. EVANS, HENRY RIDGELY. Hours with the Ghosts; or, XIX. Century Witchcraft. Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Theosophy. Chicago, 1897. 8vo. This work, in the main, is a critical study of the phenomena of modern spiritualism. It is divided into two parts--psychical phenomena and physical phenomena. Concerning the first, the author ascribes the manifestations witnessed by him in test séances, with professional and non-professional subjects, to telepathy, etc., not to spirit intervention. As regards the second phase, he takes a decidedly negative view. _Exposés_ are given of psychography, or slate-writing tests, had with such famous mediums as Pierre Keeler, Dr. Henry Slade, etc. The alleged miracles of modern theosophy are also treated at length. Interesting features of the book are the biographies of Madame Blavatsky, D. D. Home, Dr. Slade, etc., and the history of the Theosophical Society from its inception to the present time (1897). A Bibliography of the leading critical treatises on psychic phenomena is appended to the book. EWBANK, T. A Descriptive and Historical Account of Hydraulic and Other Machines for Raising Water, Ancient and Modern, with Observations on Various Subjects connected with the Mechanic Arts. New York, 1851. 8vo. Contains many descriptions of magical automata of ancient Greece and Rome. FITZGERALD, H. A Chat with Mr. Maskelyne and Mr. Charles Bertram. Ludgate Illustrated Magazine, vol. vi. p. 198. FORBES, JOHN. Card-Sharpers; their Tricks Exposed. (Translated from Robert-Houdin’s _Les Tricheries des Grecs_.) London, 1891. 8vo. FRIKELL, G. Hanky-panky: A Book of Conjuring Tricks. London, 1875. ---- Magic no Mystery: Conjuring Tricks with Cards, Balls, and Dice; Magic Writing, Performing Animals, etc. _Edited_ by W. H. Cremer. London, 1876. FROST, THOMAS. The Lives of the Conjurers. London, 1881. 8vo. ---- The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs. London, 1881. 8vo. GALE. Cabinet of Knowledge: With Mechanical, Magnetical and Magical Experiments, Card Deceptions, etc. London, 1803. GANTHONY, R. Practical Ventriloquism and its Sister Arts. London, 1893. 8vo. GARENNE, _Prof._ HENRI. The Art of Modern Conjuring, Magic, and Illusions. A Practical Treatise on the Art of Parlor and Stage Magic, Illusions, Spiritualism, Ventriloquism, Thought-reading, Mesmerism, Mnemotechny, etc. London, --. 8vo. GATCHELL, CHARLES. The Methods of Mind-Readers. Forum, vol. xi. pp. 192-204. Scientific account of the so-called mind-reading feats of Stuart Cumberland, Washington Irving Bishop, and others, showing