The sun., 1897-11-05
rom DT THE OLD ornoUs NAN.
tho Applause Machine ana How u worked.
and What Elnppcnca When II Got Loose.

Tne Appihuso Mncntno ana How It worked,
and Whn, Happened when II Got Loose.
I've used To have" said the old circus man.
"a very simp!o applause machine that we
mndo ourselves. 1t had n wooden nxle with;a
number Of pieces of wood attached to II, loosely,
like fails 1t was operated by power, from the
bilcr that wo had to furnish steam for the
caliopc. We hooked small engine onto that
and bclted IL right onto tho end OF the axle that
carried tho fails. We had a brake on that 30
that we could regulate tho applause, from q
gentle spontaneous outbreak to n regular
storm; and VIC had b'iler power enough so that
we could run the calliope wide open at the Same
time IL wo wanted to.
"Wo used this machine only to stimr.
late dull audiences in towns whore they
didn't know n good thing when they saw 1t,
witnv.t help. Thon we'd sort of rouse ON up
with the applause machine, and generally that
was enough, but II 1t wasn't, then wod turn tho
whole business loose, calliope and all, and that
never failed.
"Thc arms of the applause machine camo
down on what VIC called tho sound hox, which
was about the size of large dry goods packing
box and made of oak plank. For light ap-
plnusc wo had attached to the axle of the
machine n considerable number OF small wooden
rods that made pleasant pi ttering when they
struck the sound box, and then we had at
tached to the cylinder with spring fastcnings
heavier arms that were shorter and did not
touch the sound box when the machine was
turning slowly, but which, as the machine was
turned faster and faster, were thrown further
and further out by centrlfugal force until until they
tachcd by springs were graduated In length ana
weight. When the machine was going full
sound box with tho force Of crowbars. but when
all the arms were In actual use you coul9n
any snG GnG # 0r was but
mcndous as 1t was, 1t was perfectly blehded ,
and the machine was graduated so fine, and Il
down into ripple Of applause without break
in less than a minute, 1t was simple, simple as
could be; but really 1t was one OF the most in
genious machines ever saw. :.
Perfect as 1t was, though we didn't l gSs sort IL
n9 tht shape without Of % With
machine we made got away from u.s.. We were
street parade without a chcor. We had the
great eghteen.foot giraffe then, and, OF course,
s and shut bnRas on sho third Of
houses we went along, and turn the pointers
of the town clock back and forth, and al that
1t was just the same at tho afternoon perform.
anee There never was better show % than diSns ours
move cm a hair. They just sat there like
wooden people and never even smiled.
n oa the d e
in, a sort Of little canvas annex attached to one
side of the main tent. We started her W. gen
start, and all right every way, except that we
| didn't have in that machine the heavy arms
graduated so fine got them later, and
there wasn't SO many of them, 60 that they did
not blend as well. They'd come down on the sound
box like SO many separate sticks of cordwood.
But we had steam enough on to pretty near
bust the b'iler, and we turned that shaft until
we got the machine making a steady roll, and
then wo turned the calliope loose. Noisei
Humph! But 1t never started that audience
Then something happened. The brake
slipped of the machine and before the man
could get 1t adjusted again the machine run
away. You see, the brake was not only to reg.
ulatc the applause with, but 1t was a sort Of
governor on the engine too, and with that of,
and the head of steam wo had on, the machine
swung around like lightning, and swinging with
that greater force. the heavy arms pulled harder
and harder on the springs and swung further and
further out until finally one of them caught on
the main tent and swept that panel of it clean
out at one swipe and left tho whole outfit in
plain Wow Of the audience.
THAT die start EN-, and they laughed till
the blessed b'iler run out Of steam, because no.
body could get near enough to 1t to stop 1t, for
two or three more of the arms had got loose
and tangled up and were swinging around in all
directions
THAT night they come to the show in great
numbers and just bubbling over with fun, and
they wouldn't let the show go on till they d
heard and seen the applause machine"