Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-07-27
AutOmatGn Figures.

AUToMAToN figures or Androides, made
to initiate human actions, are OF early in
vention. Archytas of Tarentum, re-
nowned mathematician and mechanic, who
redeemed Plato when sold as a slave by
DiOnysius, the younger, about 400 years
b. c., made flying dove, which is men
toned ny several classic authors. But the
earliest autOmata are the tripods, moved
on living wheels and instinct with life,
which Homer describes Vulcan as having
made. Next are the curious creations of
walking and dancing statues,
and wooden COW, which moved and gave
milk.
In later times, Friar Bacon is said to
haze made a braZen head which spoke
This was made A. D. 1864 Albertus Mag
nus spent thirty years in making another.
A coach and two horses, page, lady in
side, were made by Camus for Louis XIV.
when a child. The horses and figures
moved naturally, variously and perfectly.
They were made in l643.
Vaucanson made an artificial duck,
which performed every function of real
one, even an imperfect Notwithstanding,
drinking and quackiDg. Vaucanson also
made flute player in 1888. He under
took to make machine, or automaton, to
display all the mechanism of the circula-
ton of the blood, the veins and arteries OF
which were TO be of gum elastic; but in
his day the art Of rendering India rubber
plastic was unknown, so the scheme fell
through.
In the fifteenth century, a German,
named John Muller Rigio Moutanus,
made an eagle and al iron fly. The eagle
is said to have flown from the city of
KoAigsberg, saluted the Emperor, who
was making his entrance, and returned TO
his maker. The fly, ii is recorded, would
fly about the room, with buzzing sound,
and, after minute or two, alight upon his
makers hand.
In the middle Of the last century, two
philosophical mechanics named Droz
Gather and SOM made some wonderful au-
tomatons in Paris. The father made the
figure of a child, seated at disk, which
dipped its pen in the ink, and wrote In
French, from diciatiop. The son made
female piano-torte player, which sat down
to the harpsichord, played several tunes,
following with her eyes and head the notes
on the musical book, and at the close rose
and saluted he audi nee.
A number of years after this Maillardet
exhibited female figure, which, seated at
a piano, played for an hour, moving the
fingers and eyes naturally, and Initiating
breathing by a gentle heavlng OF the
breast. With this he showed humming
bird CONN., out Of box, perching on a
Dough, moving wings, breast and eyes,
and opening its beak as If to emit song,
its little throat moving all the time. AT
the same time he exhibit the figure OF a
boy kneeling on one knee aid holding a
pen in his hand, with which ne wrote and
made various drawings He had also
made mechanical turnbler-a little image
about two inches high, inclosed in a glass
case the lower part of which contained
the mechanism When this fgurc was set
in motion it threw itself into variety OF
elegant and grOtesque attitudes, dancing
to some music produced by the machine.
In 1909, NJ. MsetZel, fine mechanic,
made a trumpeter for the Emperor OF Aus
tria which was exhibited at Vienna, and
ulayed the Austrian and French cavalry
marches with or. at skill. But NJ. Van.
csnson fageoet player, constructed In
174i, was wonderful II produced music
from fiageolet held in one hand, while
the other shook q tambourine.
In 1869, Roger Ba ION, one OF the finest
~
ton of the calendar, invented the magni-
fling glass, and is believed TO have discoY'
cred tsat charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter,
mixed in certain proportions, would pro
duce thunder and lightning He also made
brazen head which spoke, but was acct
dentally destroyed by some ignorant or SD
perstiiious person, who was alarmed whfn
in a deep voice, it uttered the oraculaI
words; time is; time was; time viii
be"
One of the most remarkable pieces OF
mechanism ever made was known as the
" Automaton Chess Player" 1t was made
by Wolfgang de KempeleD, Hungarian,
who. seeing some curious magneticai per
forms,,ues exhibited at Vienna, In 1859,
told the Empress Maria Tn. resa that ne
thought he could contrive som thing
which would throw these apparent won
d.rs into the shade. she was excited by
this boast, and desired him TO try 1t. In
six months he produced the "Automaton
Chess Pla, er."
For many years Kempelen refused 70
exhibit it in public, though he frequently
showed it in the Empress private rooms