The Indianapolis journal., 1885-03-13
TALKING BY MACHINERY.
An Invention that Will Open Up Frightfnl
Prospect When 1t Is Perfected.

New York sun.
In one of the front parlors of the Belvedere
House has been set up bewildering jumble OF
levers, springs, rods and pipes around q bellows
capable of holding about half bushel OF wind,
and all on daintiy carved and completely
glded table. The affair is called a talking piano,
and has just been brought to this country by the
Societe Anon de Vienna
Next the bellows pipe is wooden box about
as big as brick representing the human larnyx.
In front of this are lips and tongue of rubber
dyed red The lower jaw and the tongue are
movable, and the oil used to prevent friction
gives to the lips look as if the machine chewed
tobacco.
chamber, about the size and shape of cheap
lemon. From this pipe, curved upward, al
lows the air to escape, thus supplying the place
of the nose in the pronunciation OF the letters m
and n. Within another small box adjacent to
all the others is thin strip of alleged hippo
potamus bone, with rubber side, which
produces the tone. The inventor has supplied
the place of the teeth by an arrangement In the
larynx; and gets polite French roll on the
letter by means of a small wind mill which ls
shifted into the current by a lever.
There are fourteen keys which regulate the
sounds, and with these and three side keys,
which move the lower lip, the tongue and the
windmill all combinations are produced. All
these arrangements require for their operation
the numberleSS rods, springs and levers. 1t Is
said that the piano is the product of the continu
Gus labor and study from 1924 to 1860 of two
members Of the same family. whose name Is
withheld by the owners. In 1863 1T was exhlb-
tied to the King of Bavaria
The history and the description of the machine
were supplied yesterday by a curly haired
Frenchman who said it made him sweat to talk
English. Then a very slim little woman, with
her hair combed straight back and with an ab-
stracted looking face and brown dress, came in
and sat down behind the piano, with her foot on
the bellows pedal. Her arm accidently struck
one of the keys There was shuttle and rat
tie among the springs and the rods, a quiver of
the big rubber lips, and the spectators were
startled by voice very similar to that made
when a hen tries to squawk Immediately after the
head has been partially cut off. The French
man smiled, and said ''he vas missteek." The
operator frowned and tightened of the
screws.
Now" said the Frenchman, ''say papa"
The little woman began to shake like birch
tree in an Iowa cyclone, her hands flew up
and down on the jaw keys, the tongue keys,
and some of the other keys, and the piano cried
'papa' as 600 0pound infant might.
Now, say Maria" said the master French
man.
This time the machine got in good work with
with the windmill on their roll
Philadelphia" said the Frenchman triumph
antly.
This,time the little woman fairly pounced upon
the levers. The lips, the jaw, the tongue, and
all had to be worked. 1t was a great test. One
screw fell out, and one spring flew out and nit a
spectator on the head. Then the spectators were
asked to suggest word. Some said Blaine .
The little woman approached the keys timidly,
for it a word. She didn't get wind
enough in the bellows and it sounded like a
whisper In the dim future: The piano closed the
exhibition by rattling off long word, and the
spectators were asked if they understood it, No
one did. Then they were told that the piano had
said, 'Adieu. Thank you"