The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-21
QUEER AUTOMATONS.
EXAMPLES FROM THE DAYS OF
DEOALUS TO THE PRESENT.

"A "OOOen venus mat walked ana q
Brazen Man That Talked-A Wonderful
Mechanical Duck-The Greatest Of All
the Fraudulent Authorizations.
There are few things more attractive
to the generality of men or more calcu-
lated to excite their wonder and admira-
ton than a dexterously and mysteriously
contrived automaton. There is, indeed,
something almost uncanny in the sight
of a figure made by mems hands acting
like "a creature of flesh and blood, and
this uncanniness is one of the most sub
tie of destinations. Hence the silver Of
the curious readily finds its way into
the pockets of men ingenious enough to
invent such marvels.
This passion for the automaton is GER
tainly no new thing. One meets it iii
almost the earliest books, sometimes
yelled in myth. sometimes more direct
ly stated. Vulcan, it will be remem-
bered, made automatic tripods for the
gods Of Olympus stools which ad
vanced Of their own accord to the ban
quoting table and SO retired when the
feast was over.
Aristotle tells Us that the human au-
tomato which Dpdalus made were so
active that it was necessary to keep
them tethered for fear they would run
away. The same philosopher describes
q wooden Venus who walked about and
gives also the secret of the phenomenon.
She was filled with quicksilver-a some
what crude device. Albertus Magnus is
credited with having made a brazen
man who talked and ST. Thomas Aqui-
mas with having pounded it to pieces
-vss.h q club, srsDecting it TO be a work
q satan. Some marvellous feats of
mechanism are credited to John Muller,
otherwise known as Reciomontanus,
who ttourlshed il the fifteenth century,
and III dealing with him we perhaps
touch tirner ground. One was an iron
fly which few around a table, another
a wooden eagle which went out to meet
Emperor N~aXimiIian on his entry #
Nuremberg on June :. 1870, and re-
turned with him to the city gates.
Whether due or not 10 the stimulus
given u Louis NV, the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries were in France
lines Of great automatic activity. In
deed, the first named century marks the
beginning # the really historical era of
aut0Il.tl. In tlg eighteenth century
lived Mr.. NaucanSon. perhaps tie most
wonderful Of all makers Of automata
and the creator Of the famous duck
which first appeared before the public
in l14l. The duck was Naucanson's
masterpiece and completed a reputation
already made wide by his mechanical
flute player and an automatic musician
which not only blew upon the fiageolet,
but also kept time toit on a tambourine.
The bird was Ct life size, and not only
was 1T outwardly an exact imitation to
a feather Ct a real duck. but its internal
anatomy was absolutely true to life. So,
indeed, We're its movements, for it
swan, dived. walked, quacked, ate,
drank and by al ingenious device even
seemed to digest its food.
This automaton disappeared after its
inventors death, but turned up again
in 1910 in a garnet in Berlin and was
purchased lv a George Tiets, who took
four years TO put it in proper working
order again. At the end of this time it
was exhibited in a room in the Palais
Royal, Paris, where Mr.. Houdin, the
celebrated c~OnJuror, saw it, and, indeed,
atterward, when something happened
to II Of its wings, took charge of and
repaired it. No doubt it is still in ex
istence. OF more modern automata this
is scarcely the place TO speak, for they
are private secrets. Let Us confine our-
selves to merely mentioning Mr.. Mas.
kelyne's "Psycho' and loo"
Like most things. automatic nave not
always been what they seemed. OF
many frauds upon the wonder loving
public perhaps the completest was that
Of the famous automatic chess player of
Mr.. kempelen. which was exhibited
all over Europe at the end of the last
century and afterward in America. It
was the figure Of a life sized Turk seat
90 behind a large box, the top Of which
was marked in the middle for chess.
Prior 70 the automaton's meeting an
opponent tie frolt Of the box was open.
Cd and skeptlcal lockers On were shown
an "Iruuys ..cnt Of strings, pullevs and
cylinders. After this they were allowed
- examine the interior Of the figure,
which wa, hollow. Then Mr.. Kempe-
len wound up his Turk with a key, and
1t wa, ready to play, which it did by
moving the pieces with its left hand
and giving three mods for check to king
and two fer check to queen. All the
noted chess players Of Europe succumb.
ed to the figures superior strategy, and
its skill SO impressed the Empress Cath.
crime ii Of Russia that she wished to
buy it and was with difficulty persuad-
ed by Mr.. kempelen to give up the idea.
1t was not for years that the secret was
discovered; but, like most secrets, it
leaked out at last. The real chess play
er was a Mr.. Wronsky, a Polish ex-cap-
tain, both Of whose legs had been am.
putated at the trunk in consequence of
n ,N,ry ~O, n L.I yIvlI ~