West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-11-03
The Automaton Flutc-Playcr.

/ ceivcd this nutomatOn with great sus
| picion, evidently fearing that Twins
/ performer was concealed within the fig
ure. NauCanson soon disabused them oi
/ this notion, as he exhibited and cN
| planned the whole of the mechanism Il
Committee of the Paris Academy of
| Sciences This learned body, under
whose auspices the inventor published
an account of his construction i'm 1888
! became enthusiastic over the ingenuity
displayed i'm this mechanism, and even
went 50 far To say that Z" the machinery
employed for producing the sounds of
the flute performed in the most exact
manner the very operation of the most
expert tlute-playcr, and that the me
chanician had initiated the effects pro-
ducCd and the means employed bv ma
ture with an accuracy exceeding all eN-
pectation.' The body of the flute
player was about five and onc-half feet
high, and was placed on pedestal four
and one-half feet high by three and one
half feet wide. Nine pairs of bellows.
which were made To blow in succession
by the rotation of n steel axis, by means
of clock-work, supplied the necessary
wind. Three tubes asCcndcd through
the body of the figure, and terminated
IN three small reservoirs i'm the trunk
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. In the
cavity of the mouth there was n small
movable tongue, for preventing and per-
mitting the wind To pass through the
lips, which had the power of opening
more or less, and of advancing or re-
Ceding from the hole of the flute. The
motion af the fingers, lips and tongue of
the figure were produced by means of a
revolving cylinder, thirty inches long
and twenty-onc inches i'm diameter. Bv
means of pegs and staples fixed in iif-
teen different divisions i'm its circumfer-
cnce, fifteen different levers, similar to
those in a barrel organ, were raised and
depressed. Seven of these regulated
the motions of the seven fingers for
stopping the holes of the flute, which
they did by means of steel chains rising
through the body and directed by pul-
lcys to the shoulder, elbow and fingers
Other three of the levers communica-
ting with the valves of the three rescr-
voirs regulated the ingress of the air, 30
as to produce stronger or weaker
tone. Another lever opened the lips, 10
as To give free passage TO the air, and
another contracted them for the oppo-
site purpose. a third lever drew them
backward from the orilicc of the flute
and fourth pushed them forward
The remaining lever enabled the tongue
to stop up the orilicc of the flute.
Naucanson in his layerconstructed
machine that could play certain airs as
well as living performer. In the
" pipc-and-tabor-playcr," constructed II
few years later, the automaton not only
performed complete airs, but in render
ing them greatly eKccllcd the most eB-
teemed living performers ON those in
struments. The great mechanician be-
gan its construction with but dim per-
ccption of the difficulties which he
would have To surmOunt in achieving
success, and was often about To abandon
his self appointed task in despair. But
perseverance in this case, as IN so many
others, had its due reward. The figure
of the pe-and-tabor-p player" stands
on pedestal, and is dressed like a
dancing shepherd. 4" He holds in one
hand fageolet, capable of performing
about twenty airs, and i'm the other a
stick with which to beat the tambOuriDe
rs an accompaniment. The nageolet
has only three holes, and the variety Of
its tones depends principally y on proper
variation of the force of the wind and
on the different degrees in which the
orifces are covered. These variations
in the force Of the wind had 90 be given
with rapidity which the ear can
scarcely follow, and the articulation of
the tongue was required for the quickest
notes, otherwise the effect was far from
agreeable. As the human tongue is not
capable Of giving the requisite articula-
tiOn 10 a rapid succession of notes, and
generally slurs over One-half of them,
the autOmatOn was thus able to excel
the best performers, as il played com
pletc airs with tho articulations Of the
tongue at every note" No description
Of the machinery by which the move
mcnts Of the pipe-and- -tabor-player"
were produced was published at the
time, but there is little question that il
was similar to that Of the hute-player.
NEW York Hcrad: a little boy of
twelve years, named Henry Ford, was
arraigned before Justice Duffy mt the
Tombs Police Court, charged with throw
ing stones at passcrs-by. The youthful
prisoner was very penitent and promised
never again TO handle even pebble. BY
way Of propitating the magistrate he
added "And once went to your school,
Judge"
How much do you know g' asked the
court.
ooh, / know lots ~ grammar. 'rithe.
mctic and 'jography," answered the lad
Well, if you can parse the sentence
] promise to be a good boy ! will LET
you go"
The little fellow gladly accepted Tho
offer and succeeded in correctly parsifp
then sentence. Accordingly tho court
directed his release, and the officer IN
charge Of the gate was ordered to parse
him out.
SHREVEPORT (fa.) Times: During tho
/ progress Of the Liberia movement her,
one Of the workers in the cause got an old
/ darky who did not take kindly to th,
movement OF 10 one side and began de
/ sCribing the great benefits the ncgr,
/ would enjoy by emigrating and anon,
/ other things told him that there tho nc
gro did not have 90 work nature hao
/ provided everything for his comfort
there the milk and honey, and bread an,
sugar trees covered the forest and ban
anas, cocoanutsy pineapplcs lemons, an,