The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-11-24

| DER-A CURIOUS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
| STORY OF THE AUTHOR OF THE WORK.
| [From the Troy Times, November ST.
A few days since we told singular story
detailing the arrest Of two burglars through
| the iustrumentality of dream. We have now
to record more singular tale-how man
| for fourteen years has been steadily working
with one object in vieH-the perfection of a
most wonderful piece of Notwithstanding
in the first instance received the impression
of the idea from dream, which wrought
such an influence upon his mind that during
all these intervening years he has followed it
with an irfatuation that could not be resisted,
and which was sometimes so great that his
daily avocation was neglected, and even his
family were left without the necessaries of
! life
| For the past SIX months he has labored al
most constantly at his pet machine; and al
though often disappointed in the realization
Of this grand idea, often casting the work Of
months aside, as some obstacle interviewed to
necessitate change of plans, he has never
been discouraged or disheartened To the
jeers of friends and the pleadings of his fam
lily he would always respond: my dream,
my dream" 1t was to him the agnis fatuus
which shone across the marshes and moors of
disappointment, and proved to him the means
| by which one Of the most curious and won
derful mechanical contrivances ever produced
has been produced. The name of this man is
Joseph Bergman, and he lives in little
wooden house on Farm street, Ida Hill. Yes
terday, having previously heard of Berg.
mann's invention or continuance. we took
walk up to the locality with two other gentle
men, and after being nearly mired in the mud
in our efforts to reach the house, we at last
found it, and were kindly received By the pro-
prietor. He ushered us into room about
eight feet square, in which stood his wonder
the result Of days and nights Of toll -occu-
| plying goodly portion of the apartment
There was little work bench near the win
dow filed with diminutive tools without num-
| Der, with which tho curious thing had been
fashioned and shaped, and cut and carved
But before we describe, even most imperfect
| ly, the machine we had come to see, let us
say something Of its author. Bergman is
German, about fifty years of age. and speaks
English most imperfectly. He is a little
dlminutive man, with pale, sallow connie
| nance, and look which speaks of care and
| thought, if not positive suffering. He is evi-
IDENTIFY very poor-the house is almost bare of
| furniture-and in speaking of the dream and
| the work which had so infatuated him, he
said it would have been better for him if he
had never experienced the one nor underta-
ken the other. t
He IS cabinet maker by trade, and the
skill OF an almost marvellous hand work as
well as the stamp Of remarkab inventive
genius is to be seen in tho construction of the
machine Bergman informed us that four
teen years ago he dreamt one night of ma
chine such as stood before u.s. At first he
thought little Of it. Then it began to occupy
his mind to the exclusion of other subjects,
and after time he commenced the work, at
first at odd spells, and then quite continuous.
ly for days. Some inexplicable power was
urging him on every time he thought of Civ
ing it up. When the spells OF infatuation
came upon him, everything had to be laid
aside, even though there was no bread upon
the cupboard shetland many night the
poor artisan went hungry to bed But after
years of anxious toll, the dream is verified
the work is completed. 81
| Y THE WONDER
We will now attmpt to describe the mach
inc. It is SO complicated and does such won
derful things that a perfect description would
ill columns. We hardly know what to call
it, even. It beats all the automatons in the
world. The reader must imagine beautiful
miniature structure set upon huge mass Of
rocks with road beds winding up the sides of
| tho ocI CIV e
ing down precipitous bluffs. This miniature
house represents the residence of wealthy
old miller, with his grist-inill saw mill, oil
mill, &C., adjoining. There are some thirty
figures to be seen in the foreground and about
the buildings and mills. There is also lit
tie fountain in the foreground, with tie water
playing, and lake with boat and oarsmen.
All these mills and figures and playing wa
ters are set in motion by means Of combi-
nation Of machinery similar to the works of
clock, aud when these ere wound up and
setrunning every figure takes up its automat-
ic movement. The old miller sits in an ele-
CANT apartment, reading newspaper. His
eyes follow the column downward. His head
inclines with a corresponding motion. The
column is finished and the sheet is turned over
/ anu tile eyes are atCTacieu to a1Otilef pOrtlOu
of the paper. Every movement is wonder
fully life-lke. The miIlers wife sits in
another apartment industriously spinning
The domestics are soing about performing
their daily toll. The saw mill is fac simile
of such an Institution. The log is in its place
and slides along to meet the teeth of the saw,
which is working up and down cutting it in
two. The attendants are all busy in their
several duties. The grist-mill is also going.
One man is tending and feeding the hopper.
Every now and then he goes back and forth
with tray upon his shoulders, the contents
Of which he pours into the mouth of the
hopper. The great water-wbeel is moving
steadily under the pressure of the water from
above, and the elevator keeps up its show Of
relieving the canal boat of its load Of grain
Teams loaded with sacks are seen going to
and from the mills A man is perched upon
! the gable of the miller's home, adjusting 9
little bird cage to the caves and doing his
work most perfectly The oi-mill is also at
work and the figures are all busy about il
performing their several missions. The boat
man upon the lake is rowing backwards and
forwards, apparently having good time al
} by himself. .a sea
Thus the entire operations of an immense
.. r