The herald., 1894-01-24
A UNIQUE FACTORY.
THERE ARE WONDERFUL MACHINES,
BUT NO VISIBLE PRODUCT.

Lunatic Asylum to the Reporter.
Without any question whatever, it is
the most unique factory in New York.
When you enter the door, the whir and
buzz Of machinery distracts your ears.
You see belts and pulleys in rapid mo-
ton; you feel the heat of the engine
which keeps all the machinery going,
and you know that you are in place
where something or other is being manu-
featured.
1t is hard, however, to discover just
what the manufactured product may be,
and the polite attendant who meets you
at the door gives you no clew of it as he
ushers you into the noisy workshop.
Visited this establishment the other
day at the suggestion of friend, who
said it was the queerest place in Gotham
and had "never been written up"
The machinery was placed on one side
of o long, sunny room. On the other
sideof the room were about a dozen vel
vet couches, on which were reclining
muf1ed up figures. AS entered, fig
ure arose and walked over to one of the
machines. 1t was the figure Of a wom-
an. She drew up chair, sat down and
placed her hands on little horizontal
metal bar. The bar jerked and trembled
and the fingers gave little spasmodic
jumps in response. This queer perform
ance continued for several minutes, and
then the woman changed her position
and placed her feet in sort Of square
stirrup at the side of the machine.
The stirrup immediately shook back
ward and forward, half revolved, spring
ing back and revolving again with most
astonishing eccentricities. The foot was
shaken into the semblance Of half doz-
en- feet, and the movement was all from
the ankle joints. What any foot had
ever done to deserve such treatment, or
what good to the foot the treatment was
supposed to do ultimately, was to me an
inexplicable mystery.
At another machine second woman
sat, with her arm clasped by two rubber
and metal plates which rapidly revolved,
receding and returning, pressing the
arm until it looked like wee fat band
of scarlet ribbon (the woman wore red
gown and then receding again. whirring
and whirling with wonderful velocity.
/ was mystified at first, but as the
minutes flew by began to be bit
alarmed. l did not relish the idea of be-
ing in a lunatic asylum, where the pa
tents ran machinery and thrust their
limbs into the revolving wheels without
any apparent fear or reason.
The attendants, however, seemed to
take everything as matter of course
and left me to my own resources. One
of these attendants went to a couch on
which a young woman was lying face
downward, and without q moments
warning one end of the couch rose to an
upright position, leaving the young
woman in an attitude which would be
easiest described as standing on her
shoulders, her hands clasped over her
head. The couch was lowered and raised
again, and this performance was repeat
ed four or five times. Then the young
woman lay down and went to sleep.
One machine was worked by hand ap-
parently. 1t consisted of horizontal
bar, padded with leather, in front of
which was movable rod of metal fur
nished with a resisting spring. Every
few minutes some one would brace
against the leather arm and pull the rod
in front. When it sprang up, it carried
the subject almost into the air, and to
retain the grasp of it the subject was
obliged to breathe hard, stand on her
toes and pull with all her might. A
casual observer asked to guess what this
machine manufactured would certainly
reply, "Long arms"
But the queerest machines of all were
two couches, in the center of which were
moving wooden balls. These balls moved
slowly up and down in regular motion.
Just as 1 was getting very much inter-
ested in this apparatus some one gently
pushed me aside and placed herself on
one of the couches, lying deliberately on
top of the moving balls. Far from being
disconnected or annoyed, this peculiar
parsonage seemed to enjoy her restless
resting place, and after few minutes
stay she went to the other couch--to test
the effects of the other balls presumably.
All this was very interesting, Of course,
and in the intervals of manufacturing
every onelstruck attitudes, swung them
selves around by placing their feet firmly
together on the floor and grasping iron
rings far above their heads.
Another unseemly game which they in
Obliged in was to kneel on couch, with
some one holding their hands and some
one else holding their feet, and then fling
themselves forward the entire length of
their bodies They were certainly ener-
getic, and the expression of dignifed
gravity on their faces as they performed
these peculiar gyrations was ludicrous in
the extreme.
This peculiar factory undertakes to
manufactnre-ha you guessed?-health
without medicine-rosy cheeks, painless
bodies, supple muscles and sound organs
and good digestions just by mechanical
exercise.
Recruits from the ranks of the lame,
the halt and the blind come here ex-
pecting to be cured. Hysteria, tight
lacing, rheumatism, send patients here,
and that is why every day they act, to
the inexperienced, like SO many ire
sponsible lunatics. 1t is simply another
version of the Chicago boast that in
that western city they have machines in
one end of which they put pig which
comes out the other end plump and
luscious sausage. You begin at the foot
shaker here and end by being able to
play football-so they say.-New York