Panoramic View of Newport

(1900) kinetoscope clip

This is one of eight or nine short films (from twenty-seven to 121 seconds in length) that were made by the Edison Manufacturing Company in 1900 for use with Edison Kinetoscopes. Narragansett Bay and the Naval Training Station in Newport were the settings for these clips, which were filmed during two separate visits. The first four or five clips were filmed in late April or early May 1900, and the other four were made in September, October, or early November 1900. The quotes in this and the following eight entries (with one exception so noted) are from Edison's catalog summaries.

The United States Navy used Narragansett Bay as a torpedo testing ground during the early part of the twentieth century. The seventy-three-second Panoramic View of Newport is the first of a series featuring the United States torpedo boat Morris. "Possibly the sensation of the flight of a bird can be nearest realized by being on deck of one of the U.S. Government's fleet torpedo boats racing at its highest speed through the water. This picture was taken under these conditions and shows the beautiful scenery comprising the harbor of Newport, R.I. In the foreground, the spray of the vessel and the foam on the water gives a fair idea of the rapidity at which this boat is moving. In the distance can be seen the wharves and shipping, including the large steamers that ply between New York and Boston. Various other objects can be seen passing the rear, and the busy motion of the men on the deck and the immense volumes of smoke escaping from the funnels all add life and energy to this picture."

Full versions of some of these films are also available for download from the Library of Congress's Digital Collections website.