The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 6, 1896, Page 26

26 AMATEUR PHOTOGR It would bs an easy matter to make pictures if there was only one object in one kind of light to be considered. But a picture made under these circumstances would be very uninteresting and certainly not pleasing as a combination gf light and shade. To make a picture it is necessary to combine a number of objects of inter- esting and pleasing appearance with such combinations of light and shade as will bring out the beauties of all of them. This js called “composition,” and the better it js done the more perfect the picture will be. It matters little whether the person selecting them intends to reproduce them with oil colors or by the aid of a camera, the result will depend altogether on the taste and artistic skill used in the selec- tion. A well-known painter once said to his pupil, “If you can’t make a picture with the first five lines you put on the paper, you had better try again, for you never will make a work of art with a wrong foundation.” By this the master meant that the construction lines had to be right before the details could be added to ad- vantage. So it is with selecting the subject for photography. The lines must be right in the first place. If you get a clump of trees against a sky and they make an ugly outline, no amount of developing will ever make them otherwise. It isthe subject that makes the picture. A well- selected subject badly focused, badly de- veloped and badly printed will come nearer making a picture than the finest kind of a negative where the subject was badly selected, or one might say, not se- lected at all. Inmaking a selection every part of the subject must be considered on the ground glass. Each part is subordinate to the other parts. The blank white of the sky must be considered just as much as the other objects in the field, for an excess or deficiency of this is just as disastrous to good results as the disproportionateness of any of the objects. To be pleasing, and that is what photographs are made for, everything in the picture must harmonize and balance. The light and shade and the different objects must *‘fill'’ the space. Things must look as if they belonged there. If this is not done there will be an effect of “‘emptiness” that is not at all pleas- ing. How many young photographers make pictures like the accompanying drawing, entitled, ‘“‘Scene Near Stockton,”” and just as many times wonder what is the matter with them. They do not have the same effect as the scene in nature, although all of the details are there. But the picture is empty. There seem to be a great many things in a space too big for them. There is too much sky, to begin with, and the distant objects are too far away from those in the middle distance. This is parily due to using a cheap lens, which has a tendency to do just this very thing. It is true that if a fine lens had been used THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1896." quence, would have taken away considera- ble of the interest from this part of the picture. As the picture is they could only prove a detraction. To be sure those forms might have been pleasing and in a way made a picture, but it would have A LANDSCAPE SUBJECT TO BE AVOIDED. SCENE NEAR STOCKTON.—This is a favorite motif with many amateurs, but it will not make a picture except with a fine anastigmatic lens, and only then when there is an exceptional sky effect. Oth as shown in the drawing, which is taken and there were a few clouds in the sky the result might not have been so bad. But as very few amateur photographers use any*but the ordinary rectilinear lenses the advice must be to let such'subjects alone. The rectilinear lens throws dis- tant objects farther into the distance and makes the view look much more empty than it does in nature, But under any circumstances the view is not a good com- position. No painter would ever think of making a picture of it, unless for some particular purpose, and then it is hardly likely that he would put his name on it. How much more pleasing is the drawing of “A Spring Morning.” Every line sug- gests something, and the different objects are all picturesque in the extreme. This is called the “upright” style of composi- tion, and the same objects could not be combined in any other shape to preduce the same result. If the camera had been turned the other way there would have been a lot of other forms on one or both sides of the willow tree, and, as a conse- erwise the effect will be that of emptiness, been a different picture and coula not pos- sibly have been made to express the same idea. Such compositions are plentiful enough in this part of the State. Uparound San Rafael there are any amount of just such scenes, and if the amatenr gets started on them he will find it a hard. job to tackle anything else. The best result will be ob- tained on a picture like this by making it early in the morning, when the distant trees are softened by mist. Don’t use too fast a plate ana you will surely be pleased with the result. *‘San Joaquin Ranch” is an oblong com- position and is very easy to make. Be sure that you get close enough to the trees in the middle distance. After fo- cusing your camera cut off your fore- ground with the rising front and leave plenty of sky. The exposure must suit the subject, although the one from which the drawing was made wasa very short one. A print taken from this plate will not at first produce a pleasing effect. There will be too much sky. Say it isan 8x10 plate. It will then be necessary to cut off about three inches of the sky, leav- ing the print 5x10 inches. The effect of doing thisis to make the objects and the lightand shade balance and harmonize. By studying the drawing it will be seen that the light of the water and sky are about equal in quantity to the dark of the trees and grass, which wasnot the case be- fore the sky was cut off. A composition like this will make a picture atany hour between the first break of dawn and the last ray of daylight. “Buildings in Mexico” shows the cir- cular form of composition, which is the n from a photograph. easiest to work. The same picture printed square was not at all pleasing. There was considerable ground in the front that did not mean anything and did not even help to fill out the light and shade. By cutting this off the different walls of the buildings all go back into their proper places and vroduce a balance. The light and shade happen to be zood on this picture or nothing could have been done with it. The circular form of composition will be found a very .useful shape in more ways than one. Many pictures that do not look well wher printed the size and shape of the negative give most satisfactory results when printed in a circle. A negative with a bad spot on it can often be utilized with a cireular mat. The same rules that apply to the sub- jects mentioned apply to all other land- CIRCULAR COMPOSITION—BUILD- INGS IN MEXICO. AN OBLONG COMPOSIT ION—SCENE ON A SAN JOAQUIN RANCH. scapes, The first thing to do is to get & -subject that is either picturesque or inter- esting or both. Then study it from dif- ferent views and decide which shows it to best advantage and also brings out the Do not get best effect of light and shade. APHY—LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION in any more than is necessary to the sub- ject, but give that all you. can: But after all more can be learned in a day by trying than in a week of reading, provided that you will “study your grourd glass.” ‘WiLL SPARKS. GOOD UPRIGHT COMPOSITION—"A SPRING MORNING.” THE HANDS OF WOMEN/ Athletic Girls Who Often Find It Easier to Row Th an to Darn Stockings It has lately come in my way to ex- amine the hands of a number of girlsin various walks of life. The results of my observations have been at once interesting and surprising. | 1 found, for instance, the best developed, | most capable hands that came under my | observation to be those of a hair-dresser and of a young girl who devotes many | hours daily to piano practice. In all cases | the development of the hands was faulty. Curiously enough the hands of the three athletic girls who submitted their mem- | bers to my investigation were inflexible, | unequally developed and but imperfectly dextrous. Each of them had a good grip, | but was awkward in certain little delicate | manipulations with which she was tested, | and could bear but little strain mpon the outstrefched fingers. One of them could not darn stockings well because to hold | the needle ‘“tired her hand dreadfully.” Nevertheless, she counld hold the handles of her bicycle for hours ata time; could | travel on her hands along the parallel | bars, sustaining her entire weight by each band alternateiy. She could come down a rope hand over hand, and pulled a capi- tal oar, but she was groaning audibly over her cramped fingers after writing for half | an bour. | Now, it was not unwillingness to darn stockings, or to write, that caused this tired feeling to take possession of the ath- letic hand. We are most of us deficient, through neglect, in manual dexterity and endurance. Nearly all our work, nearly all our play, and quiteall of our ordinary | athletic exercise is of the sort that harts rather thgqn helps the hands. Your trained oarsman has particularly helpless hands when it comes to anything more delicate than gripping an oar. Notice the hands of the bicyclist, man or woman, the ball-player, the cricket expert, and you will see that they have a tendency, when idle, to close upon themselves. You can already tell the bicycle girl by her clenched fists. The reason for this is ob- vious. Those muscles of the hand that grip and hold are getting too much exer- cise, while those that extend the fingers, that keep the palms open and assist in the more delicate moves of the hand, are be- coming small and feeble from disuse. These latter are the muscles that give roundness and firmness to the wrist and fingers; that will develop, -dimple the knuckles and cushion the palm, and add to the beauty of tne hand. Their neglect, moreover, means distinct loss in useful- ness of the member. Tothe doom science has written for the race—that itis to be bald, toothless, sightlessand but feebly en- dowed with locomotion —there is danger, unless we take heed to our employments, | that it shall also come to be written, ‘‘with hands that have lost their cunning.” This would indeed be a pity, for the human hand, more than any other physi- cal attribute, has determined human supe- riority. The development of the thumb had more to do with man’s spiritual growth than had the loss of the tail. Every girl who desires useful and shapely hands, fingers able to remove a foreign substance from the eye, as well as capable of exerting a fourteen-pound pres- sure uvon a piano-key, or of gripping a handle-bar, should devote a certain amount of time each week to the training of these members. There is no better exercise to counteract the excessive development of the gripping muscles than opening the hand and ex- tending the fingers, separating them as widely us possible and bending them backward. Simple? Try it and see how almost instantly your inflexible fingers are exhausted by the effort. Open the hand, bring the fingers into line and prac- hands are more supple than most that I have examined, you will find it difficult to | keep the fingers from co-operating with the motion of even this comparatively isolated member. Now, keep the thumb and all the other fingers perfectiy straight and still move the little finger sidewise, as far as it will go. Persist in this until you are able to keep all the other fingers perfectly still. Then prac- tice keeping the little finger close to the others and bending it at the second joint. Keep the first joint stiff and the other fingers motionless. It will be exceedingly difficult at first, but by persistent exercise you will in time be able to do this with any finger on the hand. It isan excellent exercise for suppling the fingers. If your hands are stiff and inclined to cramp the following 1s a good exercise: Sit at some distance from a low table; tice rotating the toumh. Unless your stretch out your arms, and rest the tips AR R of your fingers and thumbs on the table. Keep your fingers as straight as possible | to the first joint. Let the bend come here. | Now, sustaining your weight upon the | outstretched fingers, rise slowly to your | toes; stand thus for a moment, then sit | down, still keeping your fingers on the table. When vour hands have become stronger try sustaining yourself upon your tiptoes, with your fingers against the wall, standing at arm’s length from it, and, finally, practice lying upon the floor, face downward, and pushing your- self up with your fingers pressed against the floor. Do not let the palms touch the floor at all. This 1s a good exercise for the arms, as well as the fingers, and tends to develop the triceps muscles, giving roundness and fuliness to the back of thearms and helping to build up the | shoulders. Lifting weights is good exer- ‘cise for separate fingers. Begin with small weights and gradually increase. | You will find yourself in time able to lift a very heavy weight, even with the little finger. If you have access to a good gym- nasium you will do well to practice this lifting with the aid of the proper appli- ances, but, lacking these, proceed cau- tiously and patiently with such apparatus as you can contrive at home. Be careful, however, not to overdo. Your object is to supple and strengthen the fingers, not to strain them or enlarge the joints. Vary your exercises from time to time tween the tip of the thumb and that of the first finger. Extend this exercise to each of the other fingers, until you can hold the coin, tightly, betweefi the thumb and little finger for five minutes without fatigne. Try holding it, aiways tightly, between the ends of the fingers as well. A rnbber ball or a wad of paper squeezed in the hand tora few minutes every day will develop the grip and strengthen the fingers, but simply opening and shutting the fingers is better still. Close the right hand and put it in the left palm holding both hands down at one side. Now press upward with the left hand and down- ward with the right until you have raised both hands on a level with your chin. | Repeat with the left hand in the right valm. This is capital for strengthening wrists and forearms. A month of this sort of work should make an appreciable difference in your abilitv to endure man- ual exertion. You should find sewing, writing, the use of small tools and instru- ments, of pencils and brushes, in drawing and painting, and in fact, every sort of minute manipulation easier. At the end of six months of faithful exercise of the hands you will find you have made great by holding a small coin, say a dime, be- | event is243-5seconds by J. L. Bremer Jr. of | 26 seconds by Harry Torrey on the curye of Hurdling—150 yarde, eight hurdles, 3 feet 6 inches high. H.L Williams ran this distance in 13}4 seconds in New York, September 20, 1890. 120 yards, over ten flights, 3 feet 6 inches high. This is the most popular hurdle | race of all and is on the championship list |in England and America, also the inter- | collegiate and inter-university. The best | on record in the world is 5 by Stephen Chase on Travers Island, N. Y., Septem- ber 28,1895. Next to this stands the Pacific | Coast record of 153 seconds, by W. | Henry, at the championship zames. May 30, 1892. England’s best is 15 4-5 by D. D. | Bulger, at Ballsbridge, Ireland, August 1, | 1892, and the same by Godfrey Shaw, Lon- | don, July 6, 1895. 220 yards over ten hurdles, 2 feet 6 inches high. The best on record for this Harvara at the intercollegiate games, New York,May, 1895. The Pacific Coast record is the Olympic track. Thisevent isnot pop- ular in England. ; We will now turn our attention to the records for walking. For one mile we find that W. Perkins has held undisputed pos- session of the record for nearly twenty years. On June 1, 1874, he walked a mile at London in 6:23. The best amateur record in the world is 6:29 3-5 by F.P. Mur- ray at New York October 27, 1883, The best professional record in America 1s 6:36 3-5, by J. Meagher, at New York November 29, 1882. The best amateur record for England is 6:32 1-5, by H. Whyatt, at Birmingham, May 3, 1884. The best on record for the Pacifi¢’Coast is 6:48 3-5, by Horace Coffin at the championship games May 30, 1891. The best record for two miles is 13:14, by J. W. Raby at London August 20, 1883. The English amateur rgeord is 13:44, by W.J. Sturgess at London Sep- tember 14, 1895. America’s best is 13:48 3-5 by Murray at Brooklyn, N. Y., May 30, 1884. Only a trifle worse than this is the performance of J. Meagher, the pro- fessional, 13:49 3-5, November 29, 1882, at New York. The best coast record is 15:2414, by Horace Coffin at the champion- ship games, October 15, 1893. Three miles. Best on record, 20:21%, by Raby, at London, August 20, 1883. The best amateur time is 21:16 4-5, by Stur- gess, at London, September 28, 1895. In RECORDS OF ATHLETES \Useful Data for Those Interested in Outdoor Sports—-By George D. Baird Sturgess, October 19, 1895, An American amateur, W. H. Purdy, covered the dis- tance in 38:00 5-8 at New York, May 22, 1880. Seven miles. This is the championship distance on the English and American programmes, although we do not contest them on the same day with the other events, as formerly. The best professional record is 51:04, by Raby, August 20, 1883. The English amateur record is 51:27, by | Merrill at Boston, October 5, 1880. In the race in which he established the records mentioned above Meagher mace the dis- tance in 51:1114. Let me say concerning the above that I have no confidence whatever in the rece ords credited to Raby. My reasons for this opinion can be found in my article on walking in ‘the issue of August 9. Meagher’s records I have the utmost faith in, s, altbough I did not witness the per- formance, I watched him while he was training for the race. The next subject that we will consider is jumping, and the first in order is the run- ning high jump. In this game the ama- teurs far -exceed the professionais. The best on record in the world is 6 feet 55 inches, and it is held by an American amateur, M. F. Sweeney, at New York, September 21, 1895. The next best is by M. Conroy, at Melbourne, Australia, De- cember 21, 1891, The best Irish record is 6 feet 4} inches by J. M. Ryan, August 19 and September 16, 1895. The best Eng- lish record can be regarded with pride by Americans, fos it 1s held by W. B. Page, our champion at that time (record 6:4), | Sturgess, October 19, 1895. The best by | H. |an American amateur is 54:07, by E. E. namely, 6 feet 31 inches, and was made at Stourbridge, Eng.. August 15, 1887. The best by an Englishman is 6 feet 214 inches, by M. J. Brooks at London, April 7, 1876. The highest point ever reached by a pro- fessional is 5 feet 11 inches, and curiously enough by three men on two continents. D. W. Johnston cleared this height on July 1, 1879, at Bellville, Ont., and John West the same at Brooklyn, N. Y., July 23, 1881. As just remarked, England’s professional record is the same, by E. Vardy, Haydon, August 27, 1859. The Pacific Coast record is 6 feet 2 inches, at Portland, June 27, 189%. Running broad jump. This record is almost as much of a curiosity as the one America we have an amateur record a | progress in manual expertness, You can contrive for yourself all manner of deli- cate exercises. There is none better than dropping water from a vial. Hold the vial in one thumb snd forefinger, the cork in the other, and let the water run, drop by drop, upon the cork and thence into a saucer. Count the drops as they fall. Thus hands, nerves and eyes get a wholesome and delicate exercise. PENELOPE POWELSON. little better. On November 6, 1883, Mur- ST 1 (R ray walked the distance in 21:091-5 at New York. The professional record for America stands at 21:1134, by Meagher, on November 29, 1882. The best for this coast is 23:31 1.5, by James Jarvis at the championship games, May 30, 1891. Five miles. Raby holds this record also, having been credited with 35:10, August 20, 1883, The American profes- sional is 36:08, by Meagher, as above. England’s best amateur time is 36:27, by AT l’.ll'|illl‘q h 'H t just mentioned, for the best in the world is 23:634, by C, 8. Reber, at Detroit, Mich., |‘l|] July 4, 1891, and by C. B. Fry, at Oxford, England, March 4, 1893, Irelana’s best is 23:2, by P. Davin, twice in 1883. America holds the best professional record, 21:6}4, by Johnston, as above, at Guelph, Ont., October 13, 1879. There does not appear to be an English professional record that I can discover. The coast record is 23:21¢, by V. E. Schefferstein, at Oakland, June 9, 1888. Standing high jump. Again the ama- teurs exceed, for the best reccrd is held by an American, 5:314, A. P. Schwaner, at New York, June 11, 1892. ‘Scotland’s best is 4:11, by H. Andrews, at Dalkeith, in 1875. The best in England is 4:10, by F. Hargreaves and E. Moore, at Pendlebury, August 5, 1871. Professionals prefer to use weights when jumping in the stand- | ing high, so I decided to omit their per- formances. Standing broad jump. The greatest leap on record is 12:1}, by an English professional, J. Darby, st Dudley, May 28, 1890. H. M. Johnson, the distinguished American professional, who was known and died in this City in 1890, cleared a dis- tance of 10:10¢ at New York, September 4,1884. Schwaner, the American amateur just referred to, leaped a distance of 10:97% | at Travers Isiand, near New York, October | The best by an English amateur by J. J. Tickle, Manchester, Septem- ,1871. The best on the Pacific Coast isa. most creditable pertormance, 10:314, by H. | P. Hammond, at the University of Cali- fornia, November 12, 1891. Pole vaulting. The best on record in the world under the American rule, which forbids the leaper to climb the pole, is 11 feet 53¢ inches, by W. S. Roden- baugh, at Philadelphia, September17, 1892. The English record, under more lenient rules, is 11:9, by R. D. Dickenson, at Kid- dermaster, Ireland, Julv 11, 1892. The best coast record is 10:1014, by C. E. Dole, May 3, 1896. A Throwing the hammer. The best Amer- ican amateur record is 145 feet 3{ of an inch, by J. 8. Mitchell, at Travers Island, N. Y., October 8, 1892. The best British record under our rules is 147 feet, by J. Flanagan, at London, April 6, 1896. Our best coast record is 136 feet 714 inches, by R. W. Edgren, May 3, 1896. Putting the shot (16 pounds). Best on record in the world, 47 fest, by G. R. Gray, at Chicago, September 16, 1893. Great Britain’s best is 46:514, by D. Hor- gan, Dublin, August 5, 1894, The best pro- R. W. EDGREN, Champion Hammer- Thrower of the Coast. 7Ty fessional record is 42:614, by D. C. Ross, at New York, November 4, 1882, The preatest ever thrown on the Pacific Coastis 40:10%4, by Ralph Lloyd. Throwing the 56-pound weight (seven- foot circle with turn), 36:6, by J. 8. Mitchell, at Philadelphia, October *25, 1888; Great Britain, 36:1, by T. F. Kieley, at Clonmel, Ireland, August 7, 1893; Pa- l R BlG RAFT A Hundred Miles of Piles Tied Together The work of breaking up the big raft of piles that the steamer Mineola succeeded in towing down from the Columbia River, a couple of weeks ago, is steadily progress- ing in Oakland Creek, and the huge chains that go to make up the sixtv tons of metal that bind the gigantic mass together are being removed one by one. It will be an- other week, or more, perhaps, before the last one is loosened, and the thousands on thousands of logs that comprise the raft are safely stored inside of the boom that has been constructed to receive them. It takes less time to break up than to make up the great raft, but the task is far more difficult in its way. The big struc- ture is built in a cradle that rests in the water and gradually sinks as the weight increases above, and as it is formed chains—hnndreds of them—are woven into the mass to prevent it from being twisted and broken by the action of the waves while at sea. When the ponderous cigar-shaped raft isfinished as to form huge chains are bound around it every few yards from stem to stern. These chains, of course, are drawn taut and snug tothe logs as they are put on, but that is nothing compared with the tension on them after they have been four or five days at sea. The logs swell from contact with the water until every link is strained to its utmost with a power from within that nothing but the stoutest metal could resist. ' To loosen such chains is only possible by cutting the fastenings where the ends were joined, and such a task is alaborions one when the weight of the metalistaken into consideration. As the outside chains are removed and the outside Jogs pitched into the water more cables come into sight, and they, too, are as tight as fiddle strings, and must be cut to loosen them. To hear of a cigar-shaped structure be- ing towed down from Astoria, or even to see the raft lving in the creek, conveys no definite conception of the immensity of the affair to the average man. It is only ‘when figures are reached that the true idea of the vastness enters the mind. To begin with there are 560,000 linear feet, or over 106 miles of vpiles, in that raft. Enough, if placed end to end, to reach from San Francisco to San Jose and re- turn, with a few extra miles left over tfor good measure. Cut intoiuch thick planks there would be enough placed end to end to reach from one end of California to the other and half way back again. Then look at the iength, breadth and depth of the monster. She draws 24 feet of water on a beam of 51 feet and a length of 528 feet and still 8 feet project above water. When she went into Oakland Creek at high tide there was just a foot of water between her and the bottom. To have bumped on that bottom was to have wrecked the raft right there and strewn the bay with piles, and it took careful en- cineering to place it here safely at anchor. Then there are some interesting | figures connected with the cost of the raft and the saving that was effected by bringing the piles down in that shape. Heretofore, up to the time the first raft got through, it was necessary to ship piles down from Oregon and Washington by v‘eusel or by rail, both routes being expen-« sive. The raft thatlanded in the bay recently cost her owners over $60,000, but they made $10,000 or more by her reaching this harbor safely, that being the difference in the price between ship rates and the expense of making up and towing down the mass. These piles were all carefully selected as to length and condition, as they are to be used in a portion of the new ferry building, and there are nearly 10,000 cific Coast, 28:1, by V. N. Baculich, at the Olympic track, September 9, 1891. of them, enough to make a forest of many acres.