UNCLE SAM IN THE MOVIES 



535 



incidents in connection with the con- 

 struction of the huge dam in the Rio 

 Grande Canyon. Taking pictures from 

 a skip while crossing the canyon on the 

 cable ways, 400 feet above the river, 

 furnished some thrills but did not result 

 in very good film owing to the swaying 

 of the car and perhaps also to the 

 nervousness of the operator and those 

 who assisted in holding the camera 

 steady. Standing directly under a 

 17-ton derrick while it was being swung 

 skyward on the cableways tested our 

 composure but in this instance, we 

 secured a splendid film. 



On the Salt River project, we found 

 excitement in taking pictures from a 

 rapidly moving auto on a ticklish piece 

 of mountain road skirting a canyon 1 ,000 

 feet deep, and later in a trip across the 

 top of the Roosevelt Dam where, the 

 speed limit was overlooked. The cam- 

 era was tightly strapped to the car and 

 then held in place by two men who clung 

 to the tripod while the operator turned 

 the crank. There were moments when 

 the taking of pictures ceased to interest 

 us, particularly when the car swung 

 sharply on the curves and a chasm, 

 which seemed bottomless, yawned below 

 us. 



On the big ostrich farm in the valley, 

 the camera was set up in a lane and 1 .000 

 full grown birds were driven directly 

 toward it. If you have never faced an 

 army like this, you can not appreciate 

 the tremors you feel, particularly when 

 you recall the fact that a Missouri mule 

 has nothing on a full grown ostrich in 

 the way of a kick. It was a toss up, 

 however, as to which was the more 

 frightened the operator or the birds. 



At Yuma, on the fourth of July, with 

 the thermometer at 118, we gathered 

 excellent material for our exhibit, in 

 quarry blasts, huge steam shovels and a 

 trip on the new Government railway, 

 down the levees on the Colorado River. 

 A close-up view of the cars dumping 

 rock and the leveller smoothing the 

 levee top gave excellent results. A 

 week later, at Riverside, California, 

 1,000 feet of excellent film were made 

 at the Indian school. Our subjects 

 here covered the whole institution and 

 showed the Indian boys and girls at 

 work and play. 





