The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-10-19
The utomesfon Flute Player.


pleted his wonderful flute player. J.;
produced u great sensation wherever 1t
was exhibited. The French savans
RECEIVED his autoDaton with great
suspicion evidently fearing that liv-
ing performer WAS concealed within
the figure Naucanson soon diSabused
them of this notion, as lie exhibited
and explained the whole of the mech
anism TO committee OF the Paris
Academy of Scieuces. This learned
body under whose auspices the invent
or published an account OF his con-
strucLion in 1893, became enthusiastic
over the ingenuity displayed III this
mechanism, and even went so FAR as
To say that '-thc machinery employed
Tor producing the sounds OF the hute
pertormad in :he most exact manner
the very operation of the most expert
flute player, and that the mechaniclan
bud initiated the effects produced and
the means employed by nature with
al accuracy exceeding all expectation.
The boiy of the flute player was about
five and one-haif feet high, and was
placed on pedestal tour and one half
feet high by three and one half feet
wide Nine pairs Of bellows, which
were made to blow in succession 10y
the rotation of steel axis, by means
of clock work, supplied the necessary
wind. Three tubes ascendad through
the bpdy of the figure, and terminated
in tlIree small reservoirs in the trunk,
and three pairs of bellows discharged
their wind into each of these tubes.
The reservoirs became united SO that
the whole volume Of wind rushed up
the throat and into the mouth, which
was terminated by two small lips, III
the cavity of the mouth there was a
small, movable tongue, for preventing
and permitting the wind to pass
through the lips, which had the power
of opening more or less, and OF ad
vLncing or receding from the hole OF
the flute. The motion of the fingers,
lips and tongue OF the figure were pro-
uuccd ov means of a revolving cylIn-
q +, thirty inches long and twenty
one inches i'll diameter BY means of
pegs and staples fixed in fifteen differ
.nt divisions in its circumference, fiji
teen different levers, similar to those
i'll Il barrel organ, were raised and de-
pressed. Seven of these regulated the
motions Of the seven fingers for stop
ping the holes of the flute which they
did by means of steel chains rising
through the BODY, and directed ly
pulleys to the shoulder, elbow and fin
gers Other three of the levers com
nunicating with the valves Of the
three reservoirs regulated the ingress
oi the air, SO as to produce Il stronger
ora weaker tone Another lever opcu-
ed the lips, SO as to give free passage
10 the air, amt another contracted
them for the opposite purpose. A
Thrill lever drew them backward from
t'tc Orifce of the flute, and a fourth
pushed them forward The Remaining
l.aver enabled the tongue to stop NJ
the Orifice Of the flute"
Naucanson III his flute PLAYER con
structed machine that could play
certain airs as well as living perfor
mcr. In the "pipe-and-tabcr player,
instructed n few years later, the au-
u nation not only performed complete
airs. but in rendering them greatly cx
c-lled the most esteemed living per
formers on those instruments. TIL,
great mcchanician began its construc
tion with but a dIm perception of th'
difficulties which he would have tC
surmount in achieving success, anC
was often about to abandon his self
appointed task in despair. But per
severance in this case, as in so man,
others, had its due reward. Tie fig
IRE Of the pipe and-tabor-p player
stands ON a pedestal, and is dressed
like a dancing shepherd. "1le hold:
In one hand flageolet, capable Of per
forming about twenty airs, and in tn,
other a stick with which to beat tn,
ttmbourine as an accompaniment
lie ilageole. has only three holes ,anC
the variety of its tones depends prin-
cipally on proper variation of TIN,
force of the wind and on the difteren
degrees in which the oriticcs are Gov
cred. These variations in the force o
the wind llad To be given with rapidit,
which the eat can scarcely follow, ant
the articulation Of the tongue was re-
quired for the quickest notes, other
v ise the effect was far from agreeable
Us the human tongue is not capabl,
rf giving the requisite articulation t.
n rapid succession of notes, and rener
silly slurs over one-half of them, til,
automaton was thus able to excel TIL,
hest performers, as it played complete
:irs with the articu!ations Of the tongu,
ut every note" No description of th,
machinery by which the movement.
at the ''pipe-and-tahor player wer,
produced was published at the time
Int there is little question that il was
sImilar to that of the flute-plaver.-
ADplctOn'S Journal
STRANGE RITEs.-A according to Mr.
w lii, ...I....