Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-03
Our 5yuung folks.
4 FUNNY Machine.

Joseph Bergman, who lives in little
wooden house on Farm street, Job Hill, has
for fourteen years been steadily working
3 with one object in yiew-the perfection of
4 wonderful piece OF mechanism. One
night fourteen years ago, he dreamed of a
machine such as he has constructed. At
first he thought little Of IT, Then it began
to occupy his mind to the exclusion Of
other subjects, and after a time he began
the work, at first at odd spells, and then
continuously for days. Some inexplicabIe
power was urging him on, whenever he
thought Of giving it up. When the spells
Of intatuation came upon him, everything
had to be abandoned His ordinary work
had to be laid aside, even though there was
no bread upon the cupboard shelf and
many 4 night the poor artisan went hungry
to bed. But after years Of anxious toll
the dream is verified, the work Is complct
ed.
But before we describe, even most i'm
tecty, the machine. Iet Us say something
Of its author i rgmann Is a German
about fifty years OF age, and speaks In
gIiSh imperiectly. lie is a little, dimnu-
tive man. with pale, ,alIow couutenauce,
and a look which speaks Of care and
thought, if not Of positive suffering. He is
very poor-aud the house is almost bare of
furniture-aud in speaking of the dream
and the work which had 80 infatuated hun.
he said it would have been better for him
IL he had never experienced the one or uu-
dertakcn the other lie Is a cabinet
maker. and the skill of au almost marvellous
handiwork as well as the stamp of remark
able inventive genius, Is TO be seen in the
construction Of the machine.
The machine eclipses all the automatous
in the world The reader must imagine a
beautiful miniature structure set upon
huge mass Of rocks. aud streams Of run
ming water coursing down prccipitous bluffs.
This miniature house represents the house
of a wealthy old miller, with his grist mill.
saving mill. oil mill, etc. adjoining. There
are some thirty figures TO be seen in The
foreground, and about the buildings and
mills. I here is also little fountain in
the foreground with the water playing. and
lake with boat and oarsman.
All these mills and figures ana playing
waters are set in motion by means Of a
combination Of machinery similar to the
works Of a clock. and when these are wound
up and set running, every figure takes up
its automatic movement. The old miller
sits in an elegant apartment reading a
newspaper. HIS eyes follow the column
downward, his head inclining with a cor
responding motion. The column is finished
and the sheet IS turned over, and the eyes
are attracted to another portion Of the pa
per. Every movement IS wonderfully life
like
The miiler's wife sits in another apart
ment industriousIy spinning The domcs-
tbs are going about performing their daily
toll. The saw-miiI Is a tQc smile 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 and cutting
it IN two. The attendants are all busy IN
their several duties. The grist-mill is also
going. One man i tending and feeding
the hopper Every now and then he goes
back and forth with a tray upon his shout
ders, the contents Of which he pours into
the mouth Of the hopper
The great water-wheel Is moving steudi-
ly under the pressure Of water from above
and the elevator keeps up its show of re-
lieving a canal-boat Of its load of grain
Teams loaded with sacks are seen gong to
and from the mills \ man is perchcd up
on the gable Of the miller's home, adjust
ing a little bird-cage to the caves, and
doing his work most perfectly.
The oi-mil is also at work, and the
figures are all busy about it, performing
their several missions. The boatman on
the lake 5 rowing back ward and forward,
and apparently having good time all by
himself. Thus the entire operations Of an
immense establishment are carried on
with as much definitenesS and aim as in
real life, every figure doing its work with
the utmost exactness-the whole forming
a wonderful combination Of machinery
Troy Times.