Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-05-31
Curious Mechanism Or Oldem
Time.

Curious Mechanism 0f Oldem
Machines made to similate living ac-
ton have been constructed in all ages.--
Archytus, Of Tarentum, an able astron-
omer and geometrician, who fourished
four hundred years before the Christian
era, is said to have made a wooden
pidgeon that could fly, and Archimedcs
seems TO have devoted no small portion
of his time 10 similar mechanism. John
Mullen, German astronomer of the
fifteenth century, constructed a wooden
eagle, that few forth from the city met
the emperor, saluted him and returned;
he also made an iron fly, which few
out of his hand at feast, and returned
after sporting about the room. It was
said that these machines were nothing
more than an ingenious application of
the magnet. Albertus Magnus spent
thirty years in making speaking figure;
Bacon constructed another; and DR.. Hook
succeeded in framing flying chariot
capable of supporting itself for some
time in the air. lie Droz, q Swiss
matchmaker. also executed very curious
pieces Of flying mecflanism. One was
a clock, presented to the King of Spain
which had among other curiosities,
sheep that inflated the bleating Of
natural one, and dog watching basket
of fruit, which barked and snarled when
any one attempted to lift ii; besides a
number of human figures, exhibiting
motion, truly surprising. Another au-
tomaton Of La Droz's was figure of
man, about the natural size, which held
in the hand pencil, and touching q
spring that released the internal clock
work from its stop, the figure began to
draw a card; and having finished its
drawing on the first card, it rested, and
then proceeded to draw different subjects
on five or six other cards. The first
card exhibited elegant potraits Of the
king and queen facing each other; and
the figure was observed to lift its pencil
with greatest precision, in the transition
from one point to another, without ma
king the slightest blur.
One of the most celebrated mechan-
les of recent times was M. Vaucanson,
Of the Paris Academy Of Sciences. In
1898 this gentleman exhibited to the
Academicians his celebrated flute player,
which was by far the most wonderful
and curious machine ever presented to
the world. It was the figure of a man
the size Of life, who played on the
flute sweetly to tie number of twenty
tunes. The astonishing mechanism OF
this figure was able to produce all the
motions requisite for an expert player
on the flute, and which he executed in
such manner as to produce music equal
in beauty to that derived from each ex-
ertion of well prac.iced living perfor-
mer.
Some of Vaucanson's other automatons
were still more ingenious than his flute
player. His mechanical performer on
the pipe and cabor, constructed in l74l,
was capable of playing about 20 airs,
consisting Of minutes, rigadoons, and
country dances. His celebrated duck
was capable of eating. drinking, and
initiating exactly the voice of q natural
one, and what may still be surprising,
the food it swallowed evacuated in a
digested state, or at least in an altered
state by means of chemical solution
The wings, viscera, and bones were
made to resemble those of living duck,
and the action Of eating and drinking
showed the strongest resemblance, even
TO the muddling the water with its bill.
About twenty years afaer Vaucanson
had astonished the world with his me-
chanical inventions. Kempellen, Hun
garian gentleman, produced his automton
chess player. This machine was con-
sidered more wonderful than any which
preceded it; until it was ascertained
that small living man was concealed in
the body Of the figure, when all Il
novelty ceased, and automaton chess
players became quite common,