PHOTOGRAPHY UNDERGROUND.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2540, 26 February 1877, Page 3

PHOTOGRAPHY UNDERGROUND.

-° jvVe'have. t6'\recbr;d'is'ays''the;ffii^iid^-! 'Earn 'Post)' SLJiovel and interesting-i^Jjpli^ cation of this!most useful- art. < A few' '.'daysjagbi'fwe Irbelieve ; for'/thie.jfitjaf^linei;; an' experiment was successfully ; made, -foii-'c ~ihk> purpose of^ obtaining an accurate pic^ . tureisf[s6me ulddrgtound #o"rkrhg¥ Mia! acoal mine, the,f>£ocl>s&beingT«ffected by mpans/pi. the coxy?hydrogen flight, genetrally known as the lime ■ light, .'.in combi*' 'tion J scenp'.of the explosion; was thet •Bradford Colliery, Bentley, near Walsalty where a few, v days,ago Mr Ifrederick !!Bfown, of 'WAf^ll f s afccompanied fby Mr "Ctidliejjr.Tegiresenting; the firmof'jjMessrs J^and^'£o;,, town, attended at lihe mine.;; for .ther purp'pse^-jiof !^bbt£ining : re^es^o|ationa^ t pfi certain jportiansubC the] jinder^JCQund; a y6rkings to illustrate a question of prffd^ mining which is Incidental^ to. a liti%, ¥feßp3ctmg^; thrift'.;c<)lJiei^,Q attd" r£aving. ( .mad.e,,, sbtpe preliniibafy efe, iperimentsiVwitli magnesiaju-.light, came' ife>j- th^; concMsion^thatff^hotegTa^hy' conditions swbicb: exclude 'sQnlighti a!to* r Aether.- J "ißpfa^ |the,, following day^Mj^ Brownj'- attended I by.'oiie oftlie proprietor »•? 'of the mine aM the7deput^,.auccqssfully )^ obtained'pictures of the portions of tne !mine indicated by MrChidley. The pKotog^aplis, a¥ finished? are not f only/ 'inithpm'selresrvaluable:.„ fpi.. the; t purp,bses ofievidencS for which they were required, but, viewed in the stereoscppe, form* perfeictly; accurate' :<Jelineatioriß of,.theplkces from which, they were taken, and, indeed, without an explanation that they had been taken altogether by artificial light, the ordinary observer would suppose them to have Ibeen produced by the action of the sun in the% ordinary way. The process occupied for each picture from twenty-five minutes to half-an-hour, while the sensitive plate was under the action of the light. One of the principal technical-obstacles -which Mr Brown had to encounter iu the cal portion iof the process was that the ordidary wet place, although, so {much more rapid in its Action, would' not^retain its moistur.eJfor thrlengthened time of exposure rendered ~necesiary_unde ir v .the altered conditions of Jight, and, tho weft-, known increased temperature^ io t mines ;^ but this difficulty was, after repeated^ experiment, admirably overcome b"y a chemical formula which' Mr* Brown was fortunately able to-devise to ,meet thespeciaV^emergency 7; The difficulties\ lb£L '.focussing 'arising from-crarnpedT^osi- 1' "tion in the mine were,' -bP'course, merely mechanical, but consumed much time Jo overcome. . The result'appears important in many ways, as suggesting in future the possibility as well as the propriety of photographing the interior ofmines after accidents, and in the course of litigations and the like/for the edification* of those who-have-not had/ the opportn.-' nity of visiting the spots, and yet might have to decide questions respecting them.. The possibility also- of introducing a powerful and steady light completely under control, which may be fed from the» surface by means of flexible^iubiog, and which would' enable a light rivalling that .of day to be sent into dangerous places from.a; convenientj and safe" distance; apto us" tq-ppeji a pathway,to very important -practical application.,