56 PHOTO-TELEGRAPHY 



great many people, among them some of our lead- 

 ing scientific men, began to watch the results with 

 curiosity. Some of them doubtless wondered 

 whether the system would ever have much com- 

 mercial utility, and the limit set to the process 

 owing to one being confined to the transmission of 

 portraits made this easily understood. It was not 

 until the installation of Korn's telautograph (see 

 next chapter) that the enormous possibilities of 

 photo-telegraphy became clear. 



The Franco -British Exhibition took place in 

 1908, opening in May, and the selenium machines 

 were exhibited there by the Daily Mirror in a small 

 pavilion erected for the purpose. The drawback 

 to such a method of demonstration was that, beyond 

 watching the movement of the galvanometer shutter 

 and the revolving photographic transparency, little 

 was to be seen. A trunk line was installed, and 

 photographs were received from Paris at the pavi- 

 lion each evening that the line was available. A 

 picture of the King was transmitted at four o'clock 

 on the afternoon when His Majesty formally opened 

 the exhibition. 



The great fire which occurred in September, 

 1908, and burnt the Paris telephone exchange to 

 the ground, will doubtless be remembered. This 

 effectually put a stop to photo -telegraphic experi- 

 ments, and little more was done except to give 

 demonstrations to the visitors. As a general rule 



