St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-14
AN AUTOMATIC Roy.
An Iron Youth Who Drags a Cart
With Horrible Grimaces and


Noises.
Bridgeport Letter.
George MoultOn has invented boy,
not the ordinary human boy, but one
that walks and pushes a cart before
him-a mechanical Toy. This boy when
in motion makes as much noise as a
railroad train, because of the internal
workings of his forces. His head is out
of proportion to the rest of his body, and
has horribly grotesq,fe appearance
with its ii eyelidS. The head is calcu-
lated to brighten the average woman
and the noise to scare sensitive horse.
!. CONSEQUENTLY the trial tripS-0f. this me-
chanieal pedestrian have been made at
night.
There is much to perfect in this boy
to make him success in his walks, but
already there is so much in him-eX-
emplificationS of years or study and toll
sett47tiiat it is safe to predict bright
future for the wonder. The inventor.
George MOulton. is carpet and
is in the emplo. Of the Read Carpet
company, on Middle street. Mr. Moul-
ton has been in this country four years,
and does not speak the English language
fittently. He is graduate of the uni
versitY at Heidelberg, Germany. Mr..
MOnIton conceived the idea of a walk
ing boy while pursuing his studies in
the university, but was unable to prac-
tically carry out his theory until facili-
ties for so doing were afforded in this
country.
The boy in question is feet inches
tall. 1t is well shaped. excepting the
head, which is made to cover some
n0h iI,n nh 10 oil In
disproportionate. The features are dis
torted. and when in motion OCCASION
ally give diabolicai grin. Mr..
Moulton hopes to remedy the expression
i'll due time. The boy is attired in
Scotch tweed trousers and white
shirt. The hands firmly grasp the ham
dies of tWO-wheeled cart. The vehicle
Is calculated to carry man weighing
not over $50 pounds. From the cart and
hidden in one of the handles is steel
rod. which starts or stops the boy. A
person can sit in the cart. and by pull
ing this rod the boy will commence
walking. He picks I'D his feet and
marches off in perfectly natural MALI
.ner. He will walk up and down hill,
aud has rapid stride of 1917 inches.
Inside the left handle is lever, which
causes the boy to turn his steps either to
the right OF left. This acts, in turning
the cart in either direction, as a rudder
in steering ship.
The motor concealed within the con-
fines of the hollow boy is a powerful
Illustration of the boys capabilities and
drive. The electricity which prOpelS
the motor is carried in storage batteries
fastened under the cart. The mechan-
ism of the legs and feet is such that in
aconn1inn hill ha ict thrown
forward, and in descending is thrown
backward, or. in other words. is kept
perpendicular whether proceeding on
plane or an incline. AS can be seen by
patent Office reports, Bridgeport is the
home of large proportion OF the in
ventors of interesting and useful de-
vices In Connecticut this boy OF Mr..
Moulton has inspired other inventors to
produce walking machines as rivals to
his wonder. Several are already well
under way. Mr.. Moulton offers large
wager that his boy can walk from here
to New. York in eleven hours. Possibly
six days mechanical walking match
can be arranged between the rival ma
chimes at an early day.
AN exhibition was given Of Mr.. MOul-
tons invention last evening in Stevens
hall, OH Wall street. There were num-
Der of spectators, and among them one
or tive dime museum proprietors from
New York.
Mr.. Moulton, in order to give a start
ling impression at the first appearance
of his wonderful boy, caused two loco
motive headlights to: be arranged at the
head of the hall, with the full power of
the lights turned upon black curtain.
Behind the curtain was the cart with
nlaa seated in. it and the automaton
boy, all ready to march in before the
audience. Their expectations were
wrDlight UP and the weird arrange
ments made a perceptible impression
on the. little. group. Mr. MOulton eX-
plained how he had studied and labored
to create this wonder, stating that he
had been assisted by no one but Mrs.
Monlton, who had only made the suit of
clothes which the figure had on. When
all was ready Mr.. MoHlton gave sig
nal At once there began a whirrlng
noise. which grew in intensity until
drowned by the changing and banging of
chains, gear and buZZ-WheelS. The cur
tain parted and the huge-headed boy
walked in, pushing the cart and making
the most hideous grimaces. Some of
the party attempted flight. but before
the machine had made the circuit of
Tue Hall SOuietllillS gave Out anu IL
stopped. A long wire had become tan
gled around its left leg, and the pedes-
trian was unable to lift that member.
The man in the cart turned on more
electricity, but the attenuation did not
move, excepting the head. which con-
tinued to turn about and distort its feat
ures. Mr.. Moulton claimed that W. w.
G. MarIatt, dime museum proprietor,
had tempered with the mechanism SO
that he might be enabled to secure the
wonder at a less figure than its real
value. W. w. G. Mariatt disclaimed
having touched the boy and said the
noise it made was enough to scare peo-
pie out of his museum. He did not
want it at any price. The inventor dis
entangled the stray wire and the ma
chine was again started. With the ex-
ception of the noise and the obstreper-
Gus wire the exhibition was success,
Mr.. MoultOn is confident that his inven-
ton Will become popular and afford a
means of iOcomotion about the country
more universal than the bicycle.