The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-08-13
THE AUTOMATON CHESS PLAYER.

Probably no contrvance of the fertile
genius of man ever excited so much wonder
and delight for upwards of half a century
as the automaton chess player. The an
nOuncement and subsequent production of
machine which appeared Sc to vary its
operations and modes of action as to suit
the every varying circumstances of a game
of chess were sufficient to account for this
excitement through Europe. The chess
.autOmaton was the invention of Wolfgang
de Kempelen, a native of Hungary, auic
counselor to the royal chamber of the
domains Of the emperor of Germany, and
celebrated for his skill in mechanics In
the year 1863, de Kcmpelen being at Wen
ma on business relative to his office, was
ordered by the court to be present as
scientific witness Of some magnetic games
or performances which one Pelietier, a
Frenchman, was to exhibit before the En-
press Maria Theresa. During the the ex-
hiJtiou, Her Majesty having condescended
to enter into familiar conversation with dc
Kcmpeler, he was induced to hint that he
thought himself capable of making ma
surprising and the deception nore com
plete than any thing Her Majesty had
seen during this magnetic exhibition. Tue
empress took him at his word and ex-
pressed so earnest u desire to see his project
carried into execution that she obtained a
promise of him to set about it Immediately.
lie kept his word and in six months APP
peared again at the court of Vienna in
company with the automaton chess player.
In may readily be supposed that this
automaton excited the admiration and
surprise of every one who either saw it
played or played with it. An account of
the invention soon spread through a great
part of Europe the newspapers and jour
nails were eager to announce its marvellous
powers; the smallest scrap of information
respecting it was read with avidty and
the result of all this excitement was that
these accounts become daily more exag-
gerated and contradictory. Even an in
innate friend of the inventor, who had re-
peated opportunities of witnessing the per-
formances of the automaton, expressed
himself in the following high flown terms;
''The boldest idea that ever entered the
the brain of a mechanic was, doubtless
that of constructing machine to initiate
man, the masterpiece of the creation, in
something more than figure and motion.
NJ. de Kempelen not only conceived this
idea, but also carried it into execution
his chess player being beyond contradiction
the most astonishing automaton that ever
existed. Never before did any mere me-
chanical figure unite the yis mOrtriE with
.he Uis dtrectrir, o. to speak more clearly,
the power of moving itself in different di-
rections, as circumstances unforeseen and
depending on the viii of any person
present might require. Was a wooden
figure ever before seen playing at the most
difficult and complicated of all games,
frequently beating the most consummate
adept, and setting him right if ever he
deviated from the rules of the game ?''
The chest in which the automatcn is
fixed is three and a-half feet long, two feet
Deep and two and a-half feet high 1t
stands upon four castors, by which means
it is easily moved from one place to another.
Behind this is figure, the size of life,
dressed in the Turkish fashion, seated in
a wooden chair, attached to the chest, and
which moves with it when it is wheeled
about the room. This figure leans with its
right arm upon the table, and its left hand
holds a Turkish pipe, in the attitude of
person who has just been smoking.
Before the automaton is a chess-board
screwed down to the table, to which its
4 eyes are constantly directed. NJ. de Kem-
I pelen opens the front door of the ches: and
takes out the drawer at the bottom. The
chest is divided by a partition into two
unequal parts ; that on the left hand is the
narrower; it occupies little more than one
third of the chest, and is filed with wheels,
cylinders, levers and other pieces of clock