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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1899)
0 OMAHAII/LTJSTRATiED BEE. November 6 , ISOi ) . Varied Uses of the Kinetoscope Already an Institution In recording tor both present nnd future the notable scenes and occurrences of the world , klnotoscopo or moving pictures are becoming useful tot scientific as well as for amusement purposes. In hospitals , particularly , tbo Invention li finding wldo application. One hospital In Now York Is now adopting a machlno to record minutely the actions ot patients In epileptic nts and similar affections and many moving pictures have been taken showlm ; the movements In walking of persons at- Illctcd with locomntor ntnxla , Reproduced a number of times , slowly , on the screen , doc tors arc enabled to study their symptoms moro carefully In their laboratories. And the pictured taken In Vienna , showing opera tions being performed by famous surgeons bucomo valuable Instructors to medical stu dents. It 1 also In hospital work that this Invention with the mlcrosocpa attachment , or mlcro-klnetoscopc , Is finding the greatest practical UHC. The movements of all kinds of microbes when thus photographed mnko striking animated pictures , which mean a good deal to the practitioner , nnd the ac tions of healthy and diseased corpuscles are easily distinguished when thrown upon the screen and magnified thousands of times. Such pictures ( if diseased blood , taken from tlmo tn time , show the Improvement or de cline In patients' conditions Dr. Robert L. Watson was 0110 of the first to discover ninny strange phenomena In the action of llvo lilcotl corpuscles In this way. It has Just been found by ono of the lead ing experimenters that X-ray photography , now so valuable In hospitals , may bo won derfully developed by the use of the bio- graph camera , as It Is equally possible to tnku moving pictures with the penetrating light. Ho believes there la no function of the human body which may not bo shown In action by such pictures , even to the beating preserve In photographic effects , making It possible for those at homo to observe the heavenlywonders that few now have the op portunity of ocelng. And as the microscope has been combined with the blograph , so also the astronomer's telescopic lenses are being combined , so that wo may eco distant movements Invisible to the naked eye. Many ot the moving pic tured of naval actions , which natural ! ) could not have been taken at close range , have resulted from the tcleecoplc attach ment. Captain John Flnloy , the expert on torna does , now In the American meteorological service , has taken some remarkable moving pictures of lightning storms and expects to got some striking pictures of the approach ot a Kansas tornado. Another now and novel exhibit Is a bril liant display of fireworks , taken at night. Whtlo It ban hitherto been impossible tn photograph fireworks , by the use of magne sium powder the blograph has faithfully recorded the shower and plnwhccl effects ot the most ccstly pieces made. tAn adventurous operator In Europe de vised the Idea ot taking pictures from the bottom of the car of a balloon In motion. As It ascended rapidly successive pictures wore taken straight downward , showing the spectators , then the surrounding houses nnd trees , then the roofs and country , fading rapidly until all that could bo scon were dark patches on the earth. The blograph camera was made to perform another remarkable feat. Placed , aa shown , on the top of a Brooklyn bridge tower ono clear day , It was turned so as to take pic tures In every direction of the compass , cov ering fifteen miles In every direction. In the few moments it takes to show these pic tures on the screen the spectators are given TAKING THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF TH E INTERNATIONAL YACHT ABOARD THE N. Y. YACHT CLUB'S REGATTA COMMITTEE BOAT. ot the heart and blood circulation , affording great possibilities for now researches in philosophy. Many of the animated pictures that are ex hibited now for tholr beauty nlono will likely bo useful In school Instruction and lecture work , but the dllllculty , so far , as was the cn.so with the early development of the phon ograph , IB that these machines nro reserved for exclusive prices , nnd will only bo brought within the reach of public1 Instruct or H as thulr possibilities and Improvements bring great demand for them , IlccorilliiK the Growth of Flower * , Ono of the novel subjects that will soon bo put on exhibition will show minutely the growth and ( lowering of plants from the time ot planting until In full bloom. To obtain such results as these a special room Is being sat nsldo In the now botanical gardens nt llronx Park , N. Y. In order to show the on- tlro growth of a lily on the screen In ono series the blograph cameras and the growing bulb _ will bo arranged In pcsltton In this room nnd a picture will bo taken every half hour ; continually for about thirty days and nights. In order to got u uniform light foi every \lo\v artificial Illumination will bo em ployed. Something like 1,000 will therefore bo mndu of ono subject , thu 11 mil pictures showing the opening of the Illy , and then lit fading away. Though such results lia\o pro- Ut unly been obtained , they wcro not taken with tlio nociwwry uniformity of light. This , woik will bo under the direction of T. S , Me- ( liegor , curator of thu gardens. Kxporl- inanu ot this kind , too , are being made to show rapidly the changes In scenery from winter to summer , etc. The experiments of F. Flammarlon , thu celebrated French astronomer , show the pos sibilities of the blograph for recording as tronomical wondora. Ho 1ms taken moving pictures which show moonrlso , the milky way , lightning , shooting stars , sunrise and sunset. Professors of astronomy In Colum bia college also realize the possibilities of the Invention In tholr work and experimen ters are Improving extremely sensitive films necofsary to tnko Impressions of the weak astronomical rajs at light. H Is particularly the phenomena of the heavens seen at Inter vals of many years a strange eclipse , Iran , sit or meteoric shower which men travel far to observe , which astronomers hope to a panorama covering something llko 500 square miles. Actliiir ( in Convincing EvItlenccH. An operator , speaking of some ot his ex periences , remarked : "I was crossing a ferry with my machine ono day when I saw what was sure to bo a collision between two schooners. I at once set my machlno work ing and when these boats struck It made an exciting scene for exhibition purposes , with snapping of spars and rigging. I got the pictures , but they never appeared on the screen. The case was taken to court and ono of the Interested parties who saw the pictures taken gave mo $250 to destroy what would have proven an unquestionable wit ness In court. " In exhibiting a Hamburg bridge scene In Boston recently ono of the persons who was shown to cross the bridge was recognized us one for whom detectives had been search ing. This at once put them on the right track for his capture. And the value of tbo HATCHING CHICKENS-FIRST AND LAST OF BURIES OF MOVING PICTURES TAKEN BY THE BIOGRAPH. klnetoscopo on the race track waa recently shown , having proven evidence which set tled a discussion over the places In a road race. Exciting and amusing magical moving pic tures are being exhibited by clover Parisian entertainers. By curious methods resorted to In taking the plcturca almost any result may be produced on the screen as though It really happened. By the use of their wnnds magicians make hosta ot living creatures appear and disappear , apparently behead aid shoot ono another In battle scenes on the screen and Immediately rcstcro them to life again or make them appear In two places at cnct ! . To get these natural effects dummy figures made up exactly llko the persons they represent nro used momentarily when the pictures are taken , the living persons sud denly taking their places again and ap parently reviving from death. And by omit ting several of the pictures tn a series of OF FIREWORKS IN ACTION. films , strange disappearances and sudden re appearances are produced In elaborate dramas. IVcw I'OMHllillltlca of the Invention. Ono expert , who Is doing perhaps as much as any ono man In Improving and develop ing the blograph , IB constantly finding re markable new applications for the machine. Ho believes" that it will furnish the bwt means ot Identifying criminals. Animated pictures for the rogues' gallery may bo mada ot criminals while walking or talking , fro.ii an adjoining room , without their knowledge , showing tholr real characteristics. It Is thought that a person's general actions are remembered better than simply one's features and the pictures so taken would be placed In the small mutoscopio cabinets , In which plctuica are observed by turning a handle. In fact this will soon be the popular way to have pictures taken. A large public gallery will shortly open In one of the world's greatest hotels , whcro people can have moving pictures taken of themselves in characteristic actions , which will bo placed Into the small mutoscopic cabinets , such as are used for home amusement. When these cabinets have 'become ' household articles this export sees a new field for them , In that they will enable people to witness the popular events of the day. Sots of pictures showing the exciting scenes the yacht race , athletic game , court scene or other event will be made in such quantities and so reasonably as to bo distributed dally like newspapers for home use In the cabinets ; thus we may sea the day's notable occurrences as well as reading the reports. A Keyless Lock There is more than $400,000 of the people's money locked up In postofllco kejs , says the Washington Times , each and every key- holder being required to put up with the postmaster a deposit for his key , the amount deposited being returned when the box Is given up and rent paid. Postmasters are re quired to keep a strict account of the key deposit fund , while the Postofflce department has a regular division sot apart for keep'.ng this account. As a postofflce official puts It , there Is a great deal of trouble and no money in the transactions , and the final outcome of the trial of the key ICES locks which are to bo tried In the principal oOlces ot tbo country Is eagerly looked for. The department has long wanted a keyless lock , but none of the lock Inventions until the present was regarded as In any way calculated to prove acceptable. Contracts have been made for a supply ot the now lacks , which will first bo tried In Now York , Boston , Philadelphia , Chicago and St. Louis , as the largest and most Im portant ofllcce , and then In St. Paul , Minn. ; Cleveland , O , ; Hartford , Conn. ; Madison , WIs. , and Rockford , 111. These offices will bo fitted out as Boon aa the factory can com plete the making of the boxes. If they prove In every way satisfactory to the department nnd to the patrcns they will bo placoJ In ofllces throughout the country , but not to the entire exclusion of leek boxes. It Is thi belief of the Postofllco department lok ex ports that the keyless box will piove a blessing. * After-Dinner Chat Indianapolis Journal : "Well , " said Hun- Kry Hlgglns , "hero Is the first 'good thing 1 over read about them college dudes. " "Wot is It ? " asked Weary Watklns , with llttlo interest. "Wy , it saja a lot of 'em had a can rush- no , It ain't , either. It's cane rush. They v/as a bit of gravy coverln. ' up the o. " Admiral Dewey's New Home I ( Copyright , 1839. by Frank G. Carpenter. ) WASHINGTON , D. C. , Nov. 2. ( Special Correspondence of The Dee. ) Admiral Dewey bat chosen well In selecting Wash ington for bis borne. There Is no place In tlio United Statca where property Is more stable or so likely to Increase In value. Within the last few years the leading men of all parts of the country have been Invest ing hero and gilt-edged houses are steadily rising. When Mrs. General Grant sold her homo In Now York eho asked George W. Chllds , who \\as then living , whore she had best put the hundred odd thousand dollars shu had received for It. Mr. Chllds advised her to ln\cst It In Washington property. Sbo did so , paying $50,000 of the amount for her homo on tbo corner of Q street and Massachusetts avenue. This house she bought of Scnatoi Edmunds , and Edmunds must have made at least $10,000 out of the deal. The lot cost him about $14,000 and the house could bo duplicated easily for $25,000. The property Is probably wortb $76,000 now. The homo of Mrs. General Sheridan , on the corner of Rhode Island avenue and Sev enteenth street , te worth almost twice what It cost when It was presented to the great cavalry leader. It was a gift from twenty-four of General Sheridan's admirers , Chicago men , each of whom subscribed $2,000. The house was bought for $45OflO. The money was raised quietly and General Sheridan know nothing of It until the deed bad ueen made out. He was completely taken aback when the papers showing that the property was his were handed over to him , and It was a long time before bo was able to make suit able acknowledgment. HoiiiuH of KlulitcrM. It Is not commonly known that a homo was recently purchased for General Miles. The money was gotten together by hla friends and a magnificent double brick bouse on N street , between Seventeenth and Eight eenth streets , was bought. The price paid was In the neighborhood of $36,000 , but whether this Included the furniture too largo and ho had It remodeled Into two dwellings , one of which ho occupied , and the other of which he rented. Later on ho moved further up toward the White House and lived In a threo-fitory brick structure below John Cham- on Fifteenth street , Just berlln's club house. Sherman had a house also given him In St. Louis , and General Grant , 11 will bo remembered , was presented ft 1th a cottage at Long Branch. liicrcnxliiir I'roDcriy Value * . Speaking ot Washington property In creasing lu value , the house ot Mrs. John A. Logan , on Columbia Heights , near Four teenth street , has steadily rlssn tlnco It wa/j / purchased. This house was the o'.d Stone mansion. It was bought by General Login shortly before his dca.h for $20,000 , only a portion of the sum being paid In cash. When the general died the popular sub scription enabled Mrs. Logan to pay oft the debt , so that the house Is to a largo exte.it a gift house. At the time the house was bought property In that vicinity was worth about 10 cents a square foot. It Is now wortb from $2 to $3 a square foot , nnd the Logan house nnd the land about It would probably approximate $100COO In value. Thj house has been remodeled. It Is beautifully furnished , and Mrs. Logan finding It now too largo for her use has been renting It from tlmo to time to one onl.llonalre or an other at such pi Ices that she gets more an * nually out of It than the salary Lf the chief 1 Justice of the United States. Just opposite Mrs. Logan's property , nnd between her and the city. Is a large tract of land belonging to Mrs Senator John Sherman. It Is worth nt least $2 per square foot that Is. a blcck of It as largo as a lady's pccket handkerchief Is worth $2 , for that la the way we sell land here. When Sen ator Sherman bought It , It probably did not cost more than 5 cents per square foot. Mr. Sherman was one of the syndicate who bougbt the Stone estate at the head of Four teenth street and plctted It out In lots. I have heard It said he made about a million GENERAL MILES' NEW HOUSE. or not I do not know. General Miles is now living in the house. It is a big double brick , beautifully fin ished. It will always bo a valuable prop erty. Tbo first house In Washington given to General Grant was on the north sldo of I street , between Second and Third , near the capltol. This was at about the clcse of the war , when that part of the city was the fashionablequarter. . A. T. Stewart of New York and other rich men raleed $100,000 by popular subscription. They bought the house , furnished It and presented It to Grant. General Grant occupied It from 186S until hla inauguration as president In 1869 , when bo moved to the Whlto House. It was at that time that General Sherman succeeded to the command ot the array , and as ho did BO a popular subscription was opened to buy him a home. A sum aggre gating about $100,000 was raised within a few weeks and as a result the property which bad been deeded to General Grant was bought from him for General Sherman. The sale Included the furniture , In which was a library of several hundred books which had been presented to General Grant by tbo citizens of Boston. General Sherman , like all of the family , waj thrifty. He found the home a little dollars out of It , though I have no authentic figures on the subject. Senator Sherman has always had a good eye for Washington real estate. He has been a resident of the city since 1855 , al most forty-five years , and bos been Invest ing moro or less during that tlmo. Some of his most valuable property has been lu 'ho nelgbboihood of his home on Franklin square. Ho bought a llttlo house there when ho was in congress. There was a fence around Franklin square at the tlmo and the boys used the place for a ball ground. Later on bo bi'Ut the house No. 1319 K street and still later the magnificent marble palace in which ho lives. I under stand that ho offered his old house , Nu 1S19 K street , to the Dewey fund commis sioners for $45,000. I venture that his pres ent home is worth considerably moro than $100,000. It is ono of the finest houses of Washington nnd tbo senator prides him self on its being thoroughly well built. Ho tells mo there is not a crack In U and It Is so constructed that I venture It will bo as sound a hundred years from now as It is today. Much of the materials In It came from Ohio , tno wood carving having been done in Dayton and all of tbo fine woods having come from there. Senator Sherman Is ono ot the largest ( Continued on Eighth Pago. )