The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 30, 1896, Page 26

26 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY. AUGUST 30, 1896. THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND HIS MISTAKES R idea of the vast)calsand paper. But aside from the time ew pooglatints S0y Lo, they give to the work §2500 would hardly amount of money that is being spent by amateur photographers in San Fran- cisco. Unlike the bicycie-rider, the ex- penses of the camera devotee have on{y commenced after he has paid ‘for his outfit. These can be obtained, at prices varying from $5 to $500, but the expense of a picture with a cheap camera is the same as with an expensive camera of the same size. £ The amount of money invested in cameras by amateurs in Eau Francisco is almost impossible to approximate, as hun- dreds have been purchased by senaing di- rect to the manufacturers. Still it can safely be placed at $100,000. But as has been stated, this is the smallest part of the business. Many amateurs simply make the expos- ures and have the developing and print- ing done by men who make a business of such work. A visit to one of the largest of these places in the City last week revealed the fact that 2000 negatives had been devel- oped by them in sixdays. The cost of the sensitive plates, or films, ranged in price from 2 cents each to 30 cents each, or say an average of 10 cents apiece. This would make $200 for the 2600 negatives. The cost of developing. is about the same as the cost of a piate, which would make $200 more. Then comes the printing, which is also about the same, making another $200, or a total of $600. As there are three places in town that do as large a business as the one in question, and any number of smaller ones, $2500 a week is not too high for work done this way. ered are those who do all the work them- selves, and their name is legion. Theonly | expense they are to is for plates, chemi- vay for the material, are, if anything, too low, because many | sums must ehe_ figures reach w_hen the people have dozen of prints made from | whole country is counted, espe cially as it the same negative. The next class of amatetirs to be consid- | that $5000 a week would not cover what the amateur spending for the last four months. winter months the work drops off to al- | These calculations | most nothing. But considering only six months out of each year would give $30,- 000 for San Francisco alone. So what vast IFFLEY MILL WITHOUT SHADOWS AND DETAILS. It will be thusseen photographers have been In the eaid that the camera is much more DOpU- lar in the East than here. Surely it would reach many millions. Considering the vast sums of money spent, the question naturally arises, Does it pay? That is, are enough good pictures produced to pay for this vast outlay? The question can be answered both ways. If the securing of photographs of almost 1naccessible spots is considered, 1t does. If the work simply be considered as “pic- tures,” it does not, most decidedly. Some of the negatives secured by travelers of places never before visited by white men are, of course, worth hundreds of dollars for the scientific facts they contain, but may .be valueless as pictures from an artistic standpoint. Inlooking over the 2000 pictures men- tioned at the beginning of this article there were not 50 real godd pictures in the lotand not over 200 that had the cfaim to the title. The rest were all failures, for one, or all, of 8 dozen different reasons. Expbsure was bad, developing bad and plates were bad, but the greatest cause of failurs was the injudicious selection of subjecte. The negatives looked as if the people who took them had simply 'snapped”’ at whatever was in front of their cameras. Among the lot of pictures mentioned there was a batch of 300 taken by a young lady while on a tour through Mexico. Photographically considered the work was almost perfect. She had used a 6l4x81¢ camera of the most perfect pattern that $150 could buy and she got clean, sharp negatives, but she did not have a picture in the whole batch of 300. The plates, de- veloping and making one print from each negative cost her over $100. ‘Why did she fail to get pictures? Sim- ply because she didn’t have the art in her. It takes as much art to select a subject for a photograph as it does for a painting; that is, if you want to make pictures. If you simply want to make a negative of the front of youg house it does not take any art at all, end there won’t be any art in the result. But the plainest housefront is ca- pable of being made a picture if one will only study the light and shade on it as an artist would if he were going to paint it, The question then resolves itself down to light and shade, wh}ch is really all there is to any picture, for without the combination no picture can be made; = re that what you have on it is pleas- iz’g't?) the eye. Reilember that while you are studying your subject you are an artist and that as soon asyou “‘press the button” the art part of Jour work stops and ‘‘the | o 2, Y + IFFLEY MILL IN THE SUNLIGHT AND SHADE. it would be either all white or all black. To the amateur photographer there is only one bit of advice to be given, and it was given to the professional over twenty years ago—'‘study your ground glass.” rest’’ is science. Don’t think as long as you have a sharp, clean negative that you necessarily have a picture. The great fault with most amateur work is that it lacks shadows. Some seem to bave a horror of shadows, and wil] tarn their camera on a white building with only little streaks of dark under the window sills, and then wonder why they don’t get a picture. The accompanying drawings, made from two different photographs of Iffley mill op the Thames, will show how to take a pic. ture of a building and how not to take it. Both were made by the same person from the same spot about one hour and g balfapart. One is all white, and in the photograph has less effect than it has in the drawing. There is very little strength of detail, and the whole has a washed-out look. To tell what it is it must pe ex- amined closely. The other picture is almost the perfec. tion of light and shade, and can be seen across a room of ordinary size. Every de- tail shows, even to the soft moss that has grown over the ancient whitewashed walls. 1ffley mill is one of the mest tempting subjects for a photographer in existence, and it is very likely that more negatives have beer made of it than any other building in existence. In one month of the year 1892 it is known that 700 amateurs “took’ it. Few indeed are they who visit England without bringing back a photo- graph of the picturesque pile. The same rule that is demonstrated by these two drawings will hold good for any other building. Follow the rule laid down by the old masters in painting—‘one- fourth light, one-fourth dark and two- fourths middle tint,” and you will not ba far from getting a picture. It is the sub- division of these and the harmonious ar- rangement of them that makes the merit of a photograph of certain lines and forms. Of course forms cannot be changed by the photographer, but they can be selected by careful study so as to produce a good effect in a photograph. This is composition, bowever, and will have to be touched upon at another time. WiLL Sparks. EQUINE DISEASE Galls, Sitfasts and Warbles How Not to Arrange the Harness for Driving Down the Hill A kind-hearted man recently borrowed my pet driving apimal with which to go on a journev. I knew him to bea kina- hearted man, or I should never have com- mitted my equine friend to his care, but I was fated to learn, for the hundredth time, I suppose, that Evil is wrought by want of thought As well as by want of heart. In the kindness of his heart her new driver desired to make Madame as com- fortable as possible, and so in the interests of mercy he buckled the harness girth very loosely. The same good 1intention prompted him to let out the holdbacks, that the breeching might not chafe her: Then with a light spring-wagon and a camping outfit he departed into the mountains. It was a very hot day. The loose breeching was of no avail for holding back the load, and during every descent the en- tire weight bore upon the saddle. This would have been bad enough had the girth been snug enough to hold the saddle in place, but it was not, nor was the shaft- band tight enough to keep the shafts steady. Back and forth, from side to side, all day long the saddle-pad kept up a ceaseless chafing on the mare's back, and by evening it was bruised and sore. Then the harness was taken off, she was well watered and fed and left to enjoy a good P night’s rest, but hertired back got no taste of the brush. repetition of the first, and when camp was made Madame’s back was found to be badly blistered. What was to be done? The fence-rails and rocks, the trees and dead-walls for miles along the way had abounded in the praises of a wonderful liniment which all horsemen were ad- vised to use. Eurekal We will have some! And sosoon as it could be pro- cured the strong, blistering stuff was well rubbed in on the already blistered flesh. It was similia similibus curantur, with a vengeance, only “similia” and “similibus” were both too strong and the “curantur” was effected by the one obliterating the other, like Aaron’s rod, that swallowed up the rest. When next I saw my favor- ite it was evident to me, before I was near enough to touch her, that something was wrong. The signs of distress which the equine countenance hangs out are unmis- takable, and they were all there, together with well-expressed reproof for me that I should ever have exposed her to such suf- fering. It seemed hard, and yet I see horses on the streets of San Francisco every time I go downtewn who are enduring quite as much, as she did on that, trip. These warm days are particulariy hard on our faithful equine servants, and we owe it to them if we cannot lighten the burden at least to fit it to the back as intelligently as may be. The backs and shoulders of our City workhorses show, more often than not, unmistakable signs of neglect. Nor are the animals, in the majority of cases at least, properly harnessed. I saw a horse tied on Market street some time ago Whose harness had twisted about until the saddle-pad rested upon hisside. His back was badly chafed where the leather pad rubbed, all day, as he traveled up and down over cobble-paved hills. In nine cases out of ten the breeching is too loose for hill work. It isabad thing to have this part of the harness too tight, as then ) it should be tight enough to carry the ' load on a dowr: grade, as otherwise all the weight comes upon the tugs, which, sas- pended from the saddle, bear directly upon the back just behind the withers. The shaft bands should always be bucikled snug, and should come back of the tug both before and behind the tug loops. Fastened thus they are apt to pinch up the skin against the bellyband, and often make a bad sore. workhorses, to leave collars and saddles on, when the rest of the harness is re- moved, until the back and shoulders are thoroughly dry beueath them. This is a tolerably sure preventive backs and shoulders, but whether it is | done or not, no horse should ever be left harness touches are well gone over with a stiff brush. The currycomb should not be used. adjunct to a horse’s toilet. A card should be used in cleaning the mane and tail, and for the rest a stiff brush and a whisk horse’s shoulders or back there are reme- dies less severe and more effective than The second day was a ¢ | one stirrup than the other is a capital eggs. In this case they should be opened dula lotien. time form sitfasts, troublesome, painful and hard to cure. The sitfast cormes when sensible. forms a deep sore, it is held fast by it can materially shorten a horse’s stride |alive by the blood supply to the part. It and by that much increase his labor, but | may burrow ba'f an inch into the tissues, separated all : and shedding every now and then an un- pleasant scab, Itisa very common diffi- culty and can only be ®ot rid of by cut- | bad sitfasts by cutting deeply and well K about the root, then applying be: loops. It isa bad plan to wrap the shaft lead oot s straps about the shafts so that they come mend touching It is always a good plan, with heavy against sore for the night until all places where the caustic after cutting, but very high/Eng- lish authority recommends instead the application three times a day of the tinc- ture of calendula, a remedy which, by the way, seems peculiarly grateful to equine flesh. Girth galls sometimes form and need only to be fomented and kept clean, when they will disappear, but a saddle gall of the withers should never be neglected. If it is the result is likely to be fistuia of the withers, a very stubborn and serious trouble, indeed. All is not fistula of the \ A BAD WAY TO DRIVE DOWN HILL. The breeching is too loose and lets the weight of the vehicle come on the straps (called the tugs) that hang o each side of the saddle, and they are pushed forward by the shafts. The band that goes around each shaft and under the horse is also too loose and lets the shafts come up too high. It1s & harmful and unnecessary broom, well used, are sufficient to cleanse the coat and keep the skin healthy. But when, through carelessness or igno- rance, injuries are permitted to come on a burning liniment, however well blazoned over the landscape. Treatment in each se rhould be based upoun the conditions. If you have a simple gall, which in its na- ure is a bruise of the true skin, with swelling and tenderness, arnica lotion is the best remedy. It should be in about the proportion of one part oi the tincture to six of water, applied by means of a soft cloth, which should be kept upon the gall and saturated every two or three hours. If there is abrasion of the skin, with per- haps injury to the tiseues beneuth, apply benzoin ointment thrice daily, Later, when the soreness is gone, if the hair has come off to any extent, the parts should be kept well anointed with vase- line or crude petroleum, to prevent the new hair from coming in white. The flaid extract of logwood is also said by old horsemen to be admirable for this pur- pose, but I have never seen it tried. Sometimes, instead of the ordinary gall, you will have to treat what is called a * warble,” a soft, movable tumor under the skin, small, but painful. They are very apt to come under the collar or under the riding-saddie when a rider sits un- evenly. The common Californian trick of riding with the weight thrown more upon scheme for producing warbles on a horse's withers. Left to itself the little swelling breaksin time, but 1t is better to treat it. This is best done in the case of saddle or collar injuries by puncturing, squeezing out the contents and rubbing in arnica or calenduia lotion. Sometimes, however, lumps similar to warbles will be found on the hips and back, caused by the sting of the gadfly, who then deposits her and a weak solution of carbolic acid in water used instead of the arnica or calen- Neglected saddle-galls or warbles will in the injured skin hardens and becomes in- It loosens about the edges, but at the bottom ot which a sort of root and kept around from the true skin, ting or burning out. I have treated rather ointment. Most veterinaries recom- the wound with lunar withers, however, that 1s so pronounced even by experienced horsemen. Fistula of the withers is a burrowing abscess among the muscles between the shoulder blades. It needs to be opened below its lowest point and thoroughly cleansed, an opera- tion for the experienced veterinary; but I have seen saddle galls swell and break, so as to simulate fistulous withers, and I have found nothing better than a preparation of equal parts of powdered hydrastis and starch for bringing such troubles to a R BERT COFFIN, Champion Half- Mile Walker of the Pacific Coast. speedy recovery. It should be dusted on thrice daily and the gall should not be poulticed after it breaks. Thorough cleansing and the application of the pow- der are indicated. But prevention is always cheaper and less troublesome than cure. The essentials to it are plenty of saddle-padding, caution in removing collars and saddles, snug girths and holdbacks and a liberal use of the grooming-brush whenever a horse is brought in from work. Miss RussEru. _ BAIRD'S LIST OF RTHLETIC RECORDS Useful Data for Those Interested in Outdoor Events. Continuing my list of records, we come now to running times for less than a mile. One-quarter mile (440 yards) has always been popular. America has the honor of holding the best performance. Wendell Baker covered the distance in 473 sec- onds on a straightaway track at Boston on July 1, 18%. However, the best per- formance in this country on an ordinary curved track is 483 at Philadelphia, by Myers, October 15, 1881 England’s best time is 481 by a professional, R. Buttery, at Newcastle, on October 4, 1873, Almost equal to,this is the magnificent perform- ance of H, C. L. Tindall, at the champion- ship meeting held at London on July 29, 1889, 48}4 seconds. The same time has been credited to E. C. Bredin, I under- stand, at London, June 22, 1895. The best record for the Pacific Uoast is 50 3-5 sec- onds, by J. 1. Belcher, in Oakland, October 9,1880. The fastest of late years is 5134 seconds, by E. Mays. 600 yards, or nearly three furlongs, has been somewhat popuiar among amateurs, and it will be noticed that the records are of a truly remarkable char- acter. On July 1, 1882, T had the pleasnre of seeing L. E. Myers beat the record for this distance. It was on the old polo grounds in New York, and he accom- plished the distance in 1:11 2-5. Strange as it may seem W. C. Downs on May 17, 1890, ran the same distance in exactly the same time in the same city. But the extracrdinary part of the affair does not end here, for on June 10, 1893, E. C. Bredin ran the distance also in1:11 2-5in London, surpassing Tindall's best English record of1:12. The professionals are cast in the sizade by these performances, as the best they have been able to do wason February 20, 1864, when James Nuttall ran at Man- chester, England, in 1:13, nearly thirty years ago. We now come to the distance that is justly considered one of the most popular on any athletic programme, viz.: the half mile or 880 yards. As in the quarter mile America’s son holds the best on record in all the world, and better still, won it in an international race. On September 21, 1895, C. H. Kilpatrick ran haif a mile in the unparalleled time of 1:53 2.5, at the international games on Travers Island near New York. The next performance of note was almost one of antiquity, for on September 21, 1871, just twenty-four Manning covered the distance at Boston October 13, 1879, in 2m. 00 3-5s. The ama- teur record for this coast is exactly the same by Bert Coffin, May 5, 1804, On October 18, 1881, I had the pleasure of seeing L. E. Myers run 1000 yards on the old polo grounds in New York in 2:13. Everybody considered it a Tremark- able per‘ormance at that time, and our judgment has been substantiated by the lapse of time, for it still stands the best on record in the world,. barring none. William Cummings, the great professional runner, made an effort at this distance once, but 2:17 was the best he could do at Preston, England, April 30, 1881. W. G. George, when an English amateur, did his best to lower it at London on September 27, 1884, but could only reach 2:16. W. Pollock-Hill managed to shave a fifth of a second from that on March 8, 1889, but he could only make it 2:154-5.- This was done at Oxford. . Thus 2:13 stands to-day, and no one has been able to approach within 24-5 seconds of that wonderful time. The best recora on this coast is 2:24 by P. D. Skillman. Three-quarters of a mile has attracted more or less attention, although it is an odd distance. The best time ever made for 1320 yards was accomplished by Themas P. Conneff, an Irishman by birth and an American by adoption. This was done in 3:024-5 on Travers Island, August 21, 1895. England’s professional record stands next, for on June 30, 1866, before the present generation of active athletes was born, William Richards covered the distance 1n 3:07 at Manchester, England. The best by an English amateur is 3:083; by W. G. George before his retirement from the amateur ranks, The one-miile run is the great standard distance and measures 1760 yards. The greatest time ever made was on August 23, 1886, when George ran the course in 4:123{ at London. This was after he became a professional. Conneff ran the distance in 4:15 3-5 at Travers Island on Auguat 30 of last year. T:.ebest amateur record in Eng- land is 4:17, by F. E. Bacon at London, July 6, 1895. The professional record for America is 4:281¢, at Ottawa by J. Raine, May 24, 1881. ‘T'he best time for this coast was made on June 27 of this year by W. E. Tailant at Portland, Or., 4:31 3-5. The best on record for California is 4:36, by David Brown on May 30, 1894, STEPHEN CHASE, Who Holds the Record as Anfateur Champion Hurdler of the World. years before the one just mentioned, Frank Hewitt, a professional, isalsoa F Manchester, August 31, 1867, in 1:553. The b-st professional time for this country | in America is 9:323-5, by W. D. 13 poor indeed compared to the splendid New York, May 17, achievéments of our amateurs. for J. E. ran the distance | mile, in New Zealand in 1:53%. England’s best | mile run. As the last that was mentioned was one we will, therefore, take up the two- We find that the professionals splendid performance—1:54 2-5 by | lead at this distance, for the best on record J. K. Cross at Oxford, March 9, 1888, | is9 minutes 1134 seconds, by William Lange Nuttall, the English professional alluded | at Manchester, Eng., to made the distance on the border of the | 1, 1863. W. G. ‘middle ages, for he ran the haif mile at| while an amateur, at London, on April as far back as August George ran this distance 26, 1884, in 9:172-5. The best performance Day, in 1890. The best pro- fessional record in America is 10:04%, by Peter McIntyre, at San Francisco. The best amateur record on this coast is 10:19, by P. D. Skillman on the Olympic track, May 30, 1891, Next in order is the three-mile run. The best that has ever been done for this dis- tance is 14:19}4 by P. Cannon, in Scotland, town of Govan, May 14, 1888. In KEngland 2 professional by the name of J. White ran the distance in 14:36 at London, May 11, 1863. This was exceeded by the ama- teur Thomas, who ran the aistance at London, June 3, 1893, in 14:24, The rec- ords of amateur and professional in this country are the same—14:39. W. D. Day, an amateur, ran in this time at Bergen Point, N. J., on May 30, 1890, while James Grant, a professional, covered the distance in the time mentioned at Cambridge Field, Mass., August 20, 1890. The best time for the Pacific Coast is 16:204, by C. L. Tay- lor, at the championship games, October 15, 1893 Four-mile run. The best performance ever made at this distance is 19:25 2-5, by P. Cannon at Glasgow, November 8, 1888. Quite close to this stands the English ama- teur record, 19:33 4-5, by C. E. Willers, London, June 10, 1893. The professional record of this country is 20:1214, by James Grant, at Cambridge, Mass., August 20, 1890. Close to this also stands our ama- teur record, 20:15 4-5, by Day, at Bergen Point, N. J., November 16, 1889. This dis- tance is very povoular in England, where it figures in all the championship pro- grammes. Three miles is the favorite with the Oxford-Cambridge students. ‘We now take up the five-mile run. This is the distance that is always chosen for the championship of America. We call it an even distance, although in figuring we would call it an odd number. The great- est record in the world at this distance is 24:40, by J. White, and was made at Lon- don May 11, 1863. The performance of Sidney Thomas is not so very much worse, for on September 24, 1892, he covered the distance in 24:53 3-5 at London. The pro- fessional and amateur records in this coun- try are almost “‘neck and neck.” Grant’s time is 25:2214, at Cambridge, as above, while E. C. Carter, an American by adop- tion, ran the distance in 25:23 2-5, in New York on September 17, 1887. The best time ever made on this coastis28:30, by George D. Baird, at the championship meeting, May 30, 1892. Ten mile run. This race, although quite a favorite in England, is seldom run in America. Whether it is on account of our climate, or whether it is not a fad among HORACE COFFIN, Champion Mile Walker of the Pacific Coast. the runners, is difficnlt to determine. The best on record in the world is 51:06 3-5, by Wiiliam Cummings, at London, Septem- ber 18, 1885. ‘'W. G. George, when an ama- teur, ran this distance in the same city on,| April 7, 1884, in 51:20. The best time by an American professional is 52:40 1-5, by William Steele, at New York, on May 19, 1883. The American amateur record is even better than this, as W. D. Day cov- ! ered the distance in 52:38 2-5 at Staten COFFINS PAID FOR Living, but Ready for Death Many Healthy People Have Already Ar- ranged Their Funerals There are at least 200 people walking the streets of San Francisco, in good health and likely to live many years, who have already arranged the details of their funerals. They have selected the coffins in which they will be buried and paid cash for the same, as well as for the burial plat, hearse, etc. Nearly every undertaker in the City has several contracts of this kind, and all of them are made by people who are sup- posed to be in rational frames of mind. Age seems to cut no figure, for some of the contracts are signed by men in the prime of life, who ure noted for their cheerful- ness and good dispositions. They have simply provided for their funerals to as- sure themselves that they will havedecent interment. The undertakers think it nothing out of the way, but look upon it as sensible forethought. And according to stories told it has proved so in many cases. Men without families have dropped dead on'the street, ana had it not been for their arrangements with the undertaker they would have been buried in the pot- ter’s field. Some people have made arrangements for the minutest details of their funerals, even to the advertisements in the news- papers. There are a few people who have not been content with selecting their coffins, but have had them sent to their homes. Such cases are rare, however. ““Yes; T have a good many contracts of that kind,” said Undertaker Metzler when speaking of the matter. *‘and in a great many cases they have proved to be good things. It is a sensible thing for anybody to do who has not a family to look after them when they are gone. “1 have coffins in those cases there,’”” said he, pointing, ‘‘that were contracted for at least six years ago and paid for at the time.. It may be six years orsixteen years before they are wanted, but when the owner needs them they will be ready, and I will fulfill every part of the contract. “Itis not so long ago since I fulfilled a contract of this kind after I had had the contract several years. When the man made it he looked ready to die, and no doubt thought he would live only a few months. “In this case the casket was a fine one and he paid cash for it. He also made arrangements for the grave, hearse, car- riages, ‘shroud and eyery little detail. He left letters saying that I would be his undertaker, and of course I was notified at ouce and did all T agreed to. ‘‘But there are cases whnere I have to find out about the person’s Jeath myself. I always keep watch of those events, of course, and as soon as I know of s case I have been paid for I zo at onceand attend to it. In more than one case I came as a surprise to poor relatives who were almost crazy wond were going to bury their de “All kinds of people maxe these con- tracts—rich and poor, s Some think they are and some are preparing ©n % way off. Sometimes Boud we g sometimes just the revems dasrzens, You cannot tell anything sdwiti i T a man is going to die on & wevain dmr he is going to die, and if he fsn™ WA de won't. That, I think, is the reswan tHei many people want to be preparad fendisis when it does come.” A Gity Milestone. There is a quaint reminder in N in its earlier days in front of R Thira avenue. It 1s one of the old milestones used to designate the distance from the City Hall. These letters can be deciphered on the time-worn guidepost: ‘‘Seven miles from City Hall, New York.” — e la o Island, N. Y., October 26, 1889, To salute with the left hand is a deadly insult to Mohammedans in the Bast, -~