The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-11
+ NEW TALKING MACHINE.


From the New YofS Sun, october g.
There is soon to be exhibited in this city o
combination OF wood, wire and India rubber
"a machine-whlch cal talk In any language
say anything; pronounce distinctly; laugh, cry
hiss, shrek, squeal; sling dlvinely In alto, 80
| prane and basso; In short, do anything o.
which the human voice Is capable. This ex
| traordinary result of Ingenuity and persever
ance Is the invention OF Professor Faber. o.
Vienna, and his nephew. The latter has
| brought 1t to this country, after an extended
| tour throughout Europe, during which 1t has
eliclted The commentator OF some of the
greatest scientists of the Old World.
A reporter visited the Prescott House yes
terday for The purpose Of testing 1t. 1t con
sists OF fancy gilded table, beneath which l:
foot lever tor moving bellows above. Ol
top are combination Of wires, strings, aeii
cafe wooden levers, rubber tubes and trestlt
work forming the speaking machine. Behlno
Is bellows, which represents the lungs. Tne
air is forced through narrow aperture Into
tube representing the wlndppe, and thence
into large swelling representing the glottls
Thence it passes out through vent represent
ing human mouth, with movable lower Jaw
lips and tongue OF India rubber. Wires from
below push up the Jaw and tongue, IN imlta
ton ofthe human mouth and tongue, giving ex
preston to the sound oil the rushing air
These wires, and others which act Instead o.
teeth, are worked by wooden levers, atthe
end of which are keys.
There were fourteen levers and wires, each
creating different sound when manipulated,
and certain combinations OF these sounds pro-
duce any sound or syllable asked for. sepa.
rate lever makes laughing SOUND. Sklliu
manipulation OF all these levers causes the or.
ti6clal mouth to speak as well as that Of hu
man being. except that there is no infection,
and the solind of the final d or t Is Imperfect,
being pronounced like tn. The principle Is q
sort Of inverse stenography, combining the
component sounds of syllables Into perfect
words. A small box, furnished with plano
KEYS and filed with wires and wooden Stats.
produces the singing In computation with Q
mask made In Imitation OF Tue human lace ana
Its organs of speech.
Madame Faber, modest looking lady, play
ed mon the keys with great skill. There was
mo hnmbug about 1t. Every sentence, short
and long. every word asked for, no matter
how difficult OF pronunciation, In English,
French or German, was instantly reproduced
with astonishing distinctness. Its style of talk
ing is as follows: ,,,, T., ...
can-talk-as -well-as--you--sir-r-r Mr..
Faber said that he was seven years endeavor-
ing to produce the sound OF !. To show how
hs snccpeded at last he touched q number OF
keys and the machine said "Mis-sis-sip- -
Several of the most difficult words were csKed
fer-such as shrimp, sister, Paulina. and the
German letters lcks, upsllon, tlel, out all were
nrononnced with the greatest readiness. The
ntility of the machine may be questioned; but
90 a curiosity OF Ingenuity its success cannot be
disnnted IL ia the only one ever perfected.
There have been others Invented at different
nariods hut their articulation has been confn-
ppd to ? few sentences This can arliculate
anything.