Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-23
A STEAM MAN.
A Wonderful Piece of Mechanism.

Dedrick, a Newark machinist, has
invented a man; one that, moved
by steam, will perform some of the
most important functions of hui
manity, that will, standinging up
right, walk or run, as he is bid, in
r any direction, and at almost any
rate ofspeed, drawing after him a
load whose weight would tax the
) strength of three stout draught
horses. The history of this Curl
Gus invention is as followsi
Six years ago, Mr., Deddrick, the
inventor, who is at present twenty
two years of age, conceived the
novel idea of constructing a man
that should receive its vitality from
a perpetual motion machine. The
idea was based on the well-known
mechanical principle that if a heavy
weight be placed at the top of an
upright slightly inclined from a
vertical grayitation, will tend to
produce a horizontal as well as
vertical motion.
The project was not. successful.
However, by observing carefully
the cause Of the failure, preserving
and perfecting the man-form and
by substituting steam in place OF
the perpetual motion machine the
present success was attained.
The man stands seven feet nine
inches high, the other dimensions
of the body being correctly proper
toned, making him a second Dan
iel Lambert, by which name he is
facetiously spoken of among the
workingmen. He weighs five hun
dred pounds. Steam is generated
in the body or trunk, which is
nothing but three-horse power en-
CINE, like those used in our steam
fire engines. The legs which sup
port it are complicated and won
derful. The steps are taken very
naturally and quite easily. AS the
body is thrown forward on the ad-
vance foot the other is lifted from
the ground by spring and thrown
forward by the steam. Each step
or pace advances the body two feet,
and every revolution of the engine
produces four PAGES. AS the engine
is capable of making more than a
thousand revolutions q minute, it
would get over the ground, on his
calculation, at the rate of a little
more than a halfmle minute. AS
this would be working the legs fast
er than would be safe on uneven
ground or on broad street cobble
stones, it is proposed to run the en-
CINE at the rate of five hundred rev.
olutions per minute, which would
walk the man at the modest speed
of half a mile q minute.
The fellow is attached to com
mon rockaway carriage, the shafts
OF which support him in a vertical
position. These shafts are two
bars of iron, which are made fast in
the usual manner to the front axle
of the carriage, and are curved so
as to be joined to a circular sus-
tanning bar, which passes around
like a girth, and in which the man
moves so as to face in any direc-
ton. Besides these motions, ma
chinery has been arranged by which
the figure can be thrown backward
or forward from vertical, nearly
forty-five degrees, This is done in
order to enable it to ascend or de-
scend all grades. TO the soles of
the feet spikes or corks are fixed,
which effectually prevent slipping.
The whole affair is so firmly sus-
tanned by the shafts, and has so ex-
cellent foothOld that two men are
unable to push it over, or in any
way throw it down. In order to
enable 1t to stop quickly, it is pro-
vided with two appliances, one of
which will, as before stated, throw
it backward from the vertical, while
the other bends the knees in a di
rection opposite to the natural po-
sition.
An upright post, which is ar
ranged in front of the dashboard,
and within easy reach Of the front
seats, sustains two miniature pilot
wheels, by the turning of which
these various motions and revolu-
tions are directed. 1t is expected
that a sufficiently large amount of
coal can be slowed away under the
back seat of the carriage to work
the engine for day, and enough
water in a tank under the front
seat to last half day.
In order to prevent "the giant
from frightening horses by its
wonderful appearance, Mr.. Ded-
drick intends to clothe it, and give
it as nearly as possible, likeness
to the rest of humanity. The boil
er and such parts as are necessarily
heated will be eucased in felt or
wooden undergarments. Pants,
coat and vest, of the latest styles,
ore provided. Whenever the fires
need coaling, which is every two
or three hours, the driver stops the
descends from his seat,
Daniels" vest, opens a
door, shovels in the fuel, buttons
up the vest and drives on. On the
back between the shoulders the
steam cocks and gauges are placed
AS these would cause the coat to
set awkwardly a knapsack has been
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