American literature -- Periodicals; Literature -- Periodicals
All this being arranged, it is only necessary to send the camera up
to any desired altitude and pull the camera cord, in order to get
photographs of wide-stretching landscapes, extensive cities, like New
York, and panoramas of every description. Such photographs could
not but be of the greatest value to geologists, mountain climbers,
surveyors, and explorers. And they must possess particular interest
for students of geography and for map-makers.
POSSIBLE USE OF KITES IN WAR.
It is obvious, too, that kite-photographs might be of great value
in time of war, since a detailed view of an enemy's lines and
fortifications might be thus obtained; while at sea a perfected
kite-photographing apparatus might be of great value in recording
the approach of an enemy's ships. Mr. Eddy regards it as perfectly
possible to send up a tandem of kites from the deck of a man-of-war,
with a circular camera, such as has already been devised, attached
to the main line, and an apparatus for snapping all the shutters
simultaneously; and photograph, not only the whole horizon as seen
from the deck of a vessel, but, because of the greater elevation, many
miles beyond. A battle-ship provided with this photographing device
would enjoy as great an advantage as if it were able at will to
stretch out its mainmast into a tower of observation a mile high.
It is true that some of the lenses in the circular camera, the
ones facing the sun, might give imperfect pictures; but in whatever
position the sun might be, at least one hundred and eighty degrees
of the horizon would be clearly photographed. And by taking such
observations in the early morning, and again in the middle of the
afternoon, it would be possible to cover the whole circuit, and thus
be aware of the approach of an enemy's ships long before they would
have been visible to a telescope used on the deck. In such a circular
camera each lens would be numbered, and the position of each would be
accurately determined with regard to the points of the compass by the
use of guy-cords stretching from the main line to the framework of the
apparatus. Thus, on looking at the number of a lens, the photographer
would immediately know from which direction any vessel whose image was
shown might be coming.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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