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HAWTHORNES CAMERA President Albert Sabath Announces Foto Electric Eye Selected. 4 Device May Be Adopted by Other Chicago Tracks Film for Inspection in Two Minutes. Following an extensive study of all types of camera finish now in operation in the country, president Albert Sabath of the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association announced Thursday that the Foto Electric Eye would be used at the coming Hawthorne meeting. The Foto Electric Eye, in use at Tropical jPark last winter, will record all disputed f in-;ishes during the thirty-one day Hawthorne meeting that opens May 23. The official pictures will be displayed to the racing public soon after the finish. Hawthorne thus brings the camera finish to Chicago for the first time. Racings latest and most successful innovation is sure to be adopted by all other major Chicago tracks and very likely they will use the Foto Electric Eye as well. Four types of camera finish are now in use about the land. Most important requisites are speed and size of the picture. The machine that can place a large-sized picture, capable of reproduction, in the judges hands shortly after the finish of each race, is the machine that can do the work. The Foto Electric Eye guarantees to do this, and president Sabath concluded arrangements for its installation during his recent trip to New York. The Foto Electric Eye, designed by William P. Moorefield, former RCA engineer, guarantees a negative to be in the hands of the placing judges or stewards within two minutes after the finish of the event. From this the official decision can be made and the numbers posted. Also guaranteed within four minutes of the finish, is an enlarged picture, eight inches by ten, to be posted in the stands for the public to see. Both speed and size are taken care of by the Foto Electric Eye. Its accuracy cannot be disputed. Four cameras are used by Moorefield in operating the Foto Electric Eye. They are placed in a vertical row exactly on the finish line and at some distance above the horses. Camera No. 1 is set off by the winning horse. At a point a few inches from the wire an invisible screen of electric rays is projected across the track. When the front horses nose penetrates this wall of electric rays Camera No. 1 is automatically set off and the horse takes his own photograph. The other cameras operate off the first one, taking four pictures at small intervals and catching the place and show horses as well. But, should the second , horse be more than a length back of the winner and daylight show between them, Camera No. 2 is not affected by the winner, but is set off in the same manner by the place horse. Moorefield has operated his camera at night at dog tracks. Even then, under adverse conditions, the results were clear and accurate. At Tropical Park the Foto Electric Eye caught the closest finish of the meeting and showed one thoroughbred to have a whisker advantage. Viewing the picture, the winner is not in doubt, but any set of placing judges might well have given the nod to the other. Among those recommending the Foto Electric Eye are Walter Donovan, Florida race commissioner, and Tom Thorp, well known racing and football official, who served in the Tropical Park stand.
