Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-06
WILD AFRICAN APES.
How Garner, the Monkey Lam
guage Sharp, Proposes to
Make Them Talk.
ACAGE MADE OFALUMINUM
Will Be Placed in the Dismal Forests
for His Protection.
EDISON MAKING A PH0N0GRAPH.
A Blovgun With Poisoned Darts to Kill
Specimens Of Big Game.
on
A CAGE MADE 0FALUMINUM
SIGNIFICANCE OF A LATE EXPERIMENT
WRITTEN FOR THE DTsPATCH.1


referred to at some length in THE DIS
PATCH, is preparing to make trip to
Africa, where in the great equatorial forest
he intends to study the habits of the gorilla,
chimpanzee and other giants of the genus
simia
He hopes not only 10 gain much valuable
information about the mode of life of these
interesting creatures, but is confident that
he will make discoveries in the line of his
theory that the simians have a well defined
language, and will be enabled to make a
great advance in his efforts to formulate the
language and largely increase his vocabu-
lsrv of monkey words"
The details of the trip have not as vet
been fully completed, but Mr.. Garner has
made plans for the construction of some
novel and ingenious apparatus which, he
believes, viii enable him to carry on his
investigations with minimum of danger
and maximum of results
The Apes Are Not Nocturnal.
Ii has been the general idea, in conse-
quence of the experience of Stanley, Emin,
Du Chaillu and other African explorers,
that the great apes of the Dark Continent
were nocturnal in their habits. Mr. Garner
is inclined to question the correctness of
these conclusions. In conversation with
Mr. Stanley during his last visit TO this
country Mr.. Garner asked the rescuer of
Emin the question If, when he met gorlllas
at night, his men were al rest or were mov-
ing. In nearly every case, Mr. Stanley ad-
mitted, the men were moving, and Mr.. Car
ner finds that this is generally true IN the
experience of other explorers.
A Cage Made of Aluminium.
While taking this view Mr.. Garner in
tends to go to Africa fully equipped to study
the ape, his language and his habits, even if
be does attend to all his business after the
sun goes down, and expects to spend many
nights alone in the depths of the forest. In
order 10 insure his spending more than one
night thus, in condition to pursue his inves-
LEGATIONS, he has invented one of his most
ingenious devices. 1t consists of q huge
cage, as large as an ordinary room. At first
he intended building the cage of steel, and
according to his original plans it would
have weighed in the neighborhood of ton.
Experiments proved to him that a combina-
tion of aluminium and hard wood would
give equally satisfactory results, SO far as
strength is concerned, as would the steel,
while the weight would be reduced from a
ton to about 900 pounds-a mighty import
ant item in such an undertaking.
So as to make it doubly safe it will be
anchored at each corner by heavy chains
running from the cage to convenient trees.
This will prevent the wild beasts from either
oEerturning it or carrying it bodily away
and thus making him an object of investiga-
tion instead of an investigator. 1t will be
strong enough to resist the attacks of the
most powerful animals in the African for
ests
II Will Work by Electricity.
When night comes Mr.. Garner will enter
the cage and make himself as comfortable as
g man can be alone in dense forest at night,
surrounded by all manner of ferocious beasts,
from which he is only protected by slender
bars of wood and metal He will thus await
the appearance of the game for which he is
hunting. The furnishings of the cage will
be more novel and curious than the cage
itself Inside there will be an electric
apparatus and series of wires and buttons
arranged to work the various paraphernalia-
At the top OF each corner on the outside |
will be powerful electric search light, so
arranged that any portion of the forest can
be lighted up. In the center of the top will |
be an instantaneous Photographic apparatus
working with flash light, which ca1 be |
trained By means of electricity in anv |
direction and which can be focused to any |
desired distance. Immediately under this |
instrument Will be dial with a phospho- |
rized face, which can be read without diff |
Guilty In the dark, by means of which Mr. |
Garner can tell when the camera is ready |
for work. One of the most important imple- |
ments in the cage will be phonograph, for |
il is with this instrument that Mr.. Garner |
has accomplished so much in the discovery |
Of what monkeys say TO each other and how
they say it.
Edison VIII Make Special Photograph.
As a result of his former experiments he
has been able to make several suggestions to
Mr.. Edison which will materially improve
the phonograph for his purposes and the
" lizard of Menlo Park has promised to
make special instrument for this African
expedition and for the general experiment
tation in brute language.
One of the improvements is an arrange
ment by which the receiving funnel is
divided, so that while one cvlirder will
give out the sounds which have already been
another will record any sounds
which may be uttered into the funnel. The
importance Of this in Mr.. Gamers expert
nents is incalculable. He has found that
BY reproducing on the phonograph the
sounds made BY one monkey before another
|
excitedly into the funnel With the old
it was impossible to catch this
ak, and thus much important data was
ost. With the improved instrument this
point is not only made, but in addition the
sounds made by one monkey can be used as
bait TO catch the talk of Others. This i'm
proved instrument will be placed in the
age. Thus equipped Mr. Garner will wait
he approach of the gorilla which he de-
Tres to engage in conversation. If the
.nimal, of his own free will, comes up to
he cage and talks into the funnel of the
which will be SO arranged that
lie can do SO without trouble well and good.
f not, the bait, which will consist of
ylinder containing the talk of some of the
or other high grade apes now
n captivity, will be used.
sure to Interest the Gorilla.
Mr.. Garner has no doubt that this will be
and that he will get many inter
sting and instructive dialogues Not only
his but he will, by means of his search ,
ghts and Photographic instruments, be able
0 get valuable photographs.
When the ape is talking into the phono- I
raph the camera will be trained on him, 1
nd as many snap shots will be taken of J
i'm in that position as possible. These
ietures will not only be of great help to
II. Garner in his effort TO connect words
-ith actions as they relate to apes, but will
lrnish him with irrefragible evidence of
ne truth of the many strange stories he ex- I
ects to be able to tell when he returns to
vilization.
Another use of the search lights and the
Imera will be in getting views of animal
fe in the great forest at night. When the
an in the cage hears noise in the woods