The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-04-19
Curious Mechanism Of 0lden Time.

tuiiUuS UCCndiiSW- vi UlutH IIiut.
Machines made to stimulate living ac-
tlonS have been constructed In all ages
Archytas OF Iarentum, an able astronomer
and geometrlclan, who fiourished four hun
dred years before the Christian era, is said
to have made wooden pigeon that could
fly; and Archimedes seems TO have devo-
ted no small portion of his time to similar
mechanism John Muller, German as
tronomer of the fifteenth century, con-
structed a wooden eagle. that flew forth
from the city, met the emperor, sa uted
him, and returned, he a SO made an iron
fly, which flew eut Of his hand at q feast,
and returned after sporting about the room.
1t was said that these machines were nota-
ing more than an ingenious application of
the magnet. Alburtus Magnus spent thIr-
ty years In making speaking figure; Ba-
con constructed another; and Dr. Heck
succeeded in framing flying chariot, ca
pable of supporting itself f,r some time
In the air. LIE DroZ, Swiss .chmaker
also executed very curious pieces of flying
mechanism. One was clock. presented
to the king of Spain, which had, among
o:her culosities, a sheep that initiated the
oleating of a natural one; ami a dog watch
ing basket of fruit W hich barked and
snarled when any one attempted to lift it;
besides number of human figures, exhfb-
ltng motions truly surprising. Another
automaton of LIE DroZ's was figure of
man, about the natural size. which held in
the hand pencil, and by touching ,rine
that released the internal clockwork fro !
Is stop, the figure began 10 draw en- card;
and having finished It's drawing on the first
card, II rested. and then proceeded to draw
different subjects on five or six other ca ,ds.
The first card exhibited elegant portraits
OF the k ng and queen, fecins each other;
and the figure was observed to lift tn pen
cll with the greatest precision, in the tram
sluon from one point to another, without
making the slightest slur.
One OF the most celebrated mechanics
IN recent times was NJ. Vaucanson, of the
Parls Academy of Sciences. In 1898
TINS gentleman exhibited 10 the academi-
cans his celebrated fiute-player, which was
by far the most wonderful and curious ma
chine ever presented TO the world. 1t was
the figure of man, the size of life, who
played on the flute sweetly to the number
of twenty tunes. The astonishing me-
chanlsm of this figure was able to produce
all the motions..requisite for an expert play
er on the flute, and which he executed in
such manner as to produce music equal
IN beauty to that derived from the exertons
OF well practised living performer.
Some of Vaucason's other automata
were still more ingenious than his flute
player. His mechanical performer on the
pipe and tabor, constructed in I74l, was
capable of playing about twenty airs, con-
slstlng OF mlnuets, rigadoons, and country
dances. His celebrated duck was capable
of eating, drinking, and initiating exactly
the voice of natural one; and what is
still more surprising, the food i. swallowed
was evacuated in digested state, or at
least in an alered state by means of che
mical solution. The wings, viscera, and
bones were made to resemble those of a
living duck, and the actions of eating and
drinking showed the strongest resemblance
even to the muddling the water with its
bill.
About twenty years after Vaucansou
had astonished the world with his mechan-
ical inventions, Kempelen, Hungarian
gentleman, produced his automaton chess
player. This machine was considered
more wonderful than any which had pre-
ceded 1t, until it was ascertalned that
small living man was concealed in the body
OF the figure, when all the novelty ceased,
and automaton chess-players became quite
comm on.