24 



Popular Science Monthly 





Getting ready for a "hold-up" picture. The blackness of 

 night is genuine but the lights are brought from the studio 



The Poison Gases That Kill 

 Men in Trench Warfare 



WE do not know defi- 

 nitely the composition 

 of the gases used in trench 

 fighting. From the appear- 

 ance, odor and effects on 

 the men it is believed that 

 a mixture of chlorine and 

 bromine is employed with 

 the possible addition of sul- 

 phur fumes or formaldehyde 

 gas. Germany produces 

 chlorine and bromine in large 

 quantities. These gases at- 

 tack the eyes, the lining of 

 the mouth, throat and nose. 

 One part of bromine or 

 chlorine in one thousand 

 parts of air produces almost 

 instant death. The gases 

 first cause a violent cough, 

 followed by spitting of blood. 



Making "Night Scenes" for the 

 Motion Pictures 



THE Limited is held up! Light from a 

 switchman's lamp or from the high- 



waymen's bull's-eye illuminates the harrow 

 ing scene. Or so it appears on the screen 

 at the motion picture theater. As a matter 

 of fact the light is supplied by a semi- 

 circle of flaming arcs such as are 

 used in the ordinary studio for 

 "close-up" photographs. The 

 only necessary feature which the 

 studio cannot supply is 

 the darkness. In order 

 to get the realistic impres- 

 sion which marks the 

 success of a picture, a night 

 scene such as the one described 

 must be taken in the genuine 

 blackness of night. 



The accompanying illustration 

 shows the director of such a motion 

 picture lining up his characters and 

 adjusting the lights preliminary to 

 taking the picture. The arcs are fed 

 from the dynamo of the car. The 

 light is very brilliant and is exceed- 

 ingly hard on the eyes since it 

 has to be flashed directly 

 into the faces of the actors. 

 For this reason such night 

 scenes are not as popular 

 with the performers as with 

 the spectators. 



The Largest Straw Hat in the World Is 

 Yours If It Fits 



IN the display window of a large hat 

 manufacturing company in New York 



city the hat in the photograph below was 

 recently placed on view, bearing the pla- 

 card, "The Largest Hat in the World. If 

 you can wear it it is yours." Immediately 

 one of the editorial family of the 

 Popular Science Monthly be- 

 came interested. Perhaps he 

 needed a new straw hat. He was 

 too modest, however, to 

 take the company at its 

 word and step right in 

 and claim the hat by 

 right of head dimensions. 



Not so the editor's mascot — 



the office boy. He was not 



absolutely sure that the hat would 



fit but he was unwilling to let 



it pass without a trial. Boldly he 



went inside and tried it on, finding 



to his surprise that it covered not 



only his head but his shoulders and 



a goodly portion of all the rest of 



him. Thus convinced against his 



will, he nevertheless, 



proved his ability to 



wear the hat long enough 



to pose for a photograph 



in it, or under it, though 



it required both hands 



the largest straw hat in the world for the task. 



