Antique & Classic Cameras

"STEVENS is under a heavy debt of gratitude to William Hall Walker. At a time when the campaign for the Stevens Tech Fund to free the college from debt and provide needed endowment and equipment seemed most discouraging, Mr. Walker stepped into the breach with a donation of $100,000 that put new life into the campaign and made the ultimate success of the Fund a matter of history.

In view of his generosity and great service to the college, the following outline of some of the experiences and achievements of the man whose name the new Gymnasium is to bear, will be of keen interest to every Stevens man.

Mr. Walker was born in Scio, Michigan, July 26, 1846. His preliminary education was obtained at several boarding schools. Very early he evinced a decided interest in engineering science. Owing to reverses met by his father, he was obliged to think of his own support and, without the approval of his family, started as an apprentice at Colts Armory at Hartford. Mr. Walker has said of this part of his life’s experience: “Twist drills, taps, dies, and reamers were not made commercially until they were made at Colt’s Armory; and here, as far as I know, was established the first organized tool room. The entire system of drop forgings was developed at Colt’s Armory, and also the system of manufacturing interchangeable parts, which system was first suggested by Eli Whitney, a New England schoolmaster, the inventor of the cotton gin.”

Later young Walker worked as a machinist at Pratt & Whitney. Still later he was employed by the Morgan Iron Works on the construction of marine engines. His next step was to undertake independent work as a contractor and, in that connection, in one instance he took over an entire factory to produce special tools by new methods.

During his connection with the Morgan Iron Works, he attended night school at the Cooper Institute, completing the full course in mathematics and mechanical drawing. On the completion of this course, he became a partner in a firm interested in the manufacture of machinery, and traveled over practically the entire United States representing this firm and introducing their products. This connection was deliberately undertaken by Mr. Walker, with the idea of familiarizing himself with all branches of the manufacturing business, and with machinery and processes in general.

During certain investigations into the history of the gas engine, he was struck with what appeared to be contradictory practices and designs, and so attempted to procure financial assistance to prosecute some independent experiments, having in mind the obtaining of correct engine cylinder diagrams. Failing to obtain this necessary financial support, he then directed his attention to a complete study of the photographic processes from the earliest known down to the then new “dry plate” process. At that time this new process was little understood and was giving no little trouble to the manufacturers.

For a year his attention was directed wholly to these photographic studies, which were supplemented by experiments with practically all the then known processes and apparatus. The result of these investigations was the development on a commercial scale of a small camera for amateurs known as Walker’s Pocket Camera. This camera attained a marked success and was purchased particularly by engineers for facilitating preliminary surveys of projected railways and other works. It was the first camera specially adapted to the needs and capabilities of amateurs.

During this year of experiment, he became convinced that a substitute could be made for glass for the manufacture of photographic plates and, after about six months of work, produced a film and was successful in producing negatives and prints.

It was soon after this that he associated himself with a concern known at that time as the Eastman Dry Plate Company of Rochester, and, in his position as technical expert, he perfected the first comrnercial roll holder for exposures. This roll holder was a fore-runner of the practical hand camera which has since become familiar throughout the world under the trade name of “Kodak.”

During Mr. Walker’s early years with the Eastman Company, he perfected the first set of machinery for coating photographic films and paper of continuous length; also machinery for automatically dividing glass plates which, at that time, were but poorly cut and, in many instances, due to these eccentricities, would not enter the commercial plate holders. He also perfected machinery for automatically spooling the films and for determining the exact amount of film required.

Many patents were taken out for these inventions which were the initial efforts of the Eastman Dry Plate Company to perfect a complete system of film photography and coated papers.

Mr. Walker went to London many years ago to make an exhibit of the products of the Eastman Company before the Inventions Exhibition and, as a result, the company was awarded the highest prize for progress. As a further result of this London trip, Mr. Walker opened an office in London, finally becoming the Managing Director of an English Eastman Company. This was the beginning of the present branch system whereby the home company is represented by its own agents in many of the capitals of the world, thus keeping the parent company in close touch with the world’s needs and demands.

Mr. Walker retired from active business some thirty years ago, and has devoted himself of late years particularly to microscopic studies and many interesting engineering problems in connection with the development of his estate in the Berkshire Hills.

We are privileged to add a brief account of a trip made in 1862 to China by Mr. Walker, then a boy of sixteen:

“I made a trip to China in the year 1862, on a steamship built for Russell & Company of China. This ship was modeled after the North River type and was known as the Hugh Quang. The quards or projecting decks, which, starting from the sides of the hull enclosed the paddle boxes, were fitted with sponsons, which connected the outer edges of the guards with the hull. The object of these sponsons was to break the force of the seas, but before we were well into the gulf stream we cut out every other plank from both sponson and guards, and even then we could not keep anything in the racks of the steward’s pantry on account of the shattering effect of the seas, which sometimes seemed as if they would lift the entire deck.

“The engine was the old-fashioned beam engine 60” bore and twelve feet stroke. The entire vessel was stiffened with what is known as a ‘hog’ frame, which was tied together with 2" and  2 1/2” rods tightened with turn buckles.

“These rods were continually breaking, and so a constant watch was necessary, especially during rough weather; and during the crossing of the Mozambique Channel we had busy night keeping these rods intact. The blacksmiths gave out and we commandeered two of the engineers as smithies, and I stood watch for two hours working the engines by hand. This was the toughest job I ever had, feeling as it were for the coming sea; for the only way was to feel the bow rising and judge when the wave had struck the paddles and ease her off and then catch her again before she went ‘dead.’

“All Chinese boats have two eyes painted one on either side of the bow, for, as the Chinese say, ‘No have eye, how can see; no can see, how can walkee?’ So all ships in the coastwise trade of China have two eyes. This ship was built to run on the Yangtze River.

“We made the fastest run from New York to Shanghai, of over 14,000 miles, in 58 running days. We then took her masts out. I was appointed purser and went up to Hankau, which at that time was the head of navigation.

“We all went armed out there. Having charge of three hundred coolies, all potential pirates, was no joke if they ever took a notion to run amuck. Going up the river we gave three dinners, one for the Chinese officials, consuls etc.; one for the merchant class (High Chop Men); and a third for merchants of lesser degree.

“The Taiping rebellion was on at that time and the river was full of dead bodies, sometimes tied to pigs or other animals. When we tried to turn the engines over preparatory to departure from Shanghai, we were unable to move until we went down into the paddle boxes and cut the dead bodies away. This was not pleasant work with the thermometer at 110 F., and a moist atmosphere.

“I made plenty of spending money bringing down Chinese cash and making the difference in exchange between Shanghai and Han-kau.