The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-25
QUEER AUTOMATONS.
EXAMPLES FROM THE DAYS OF
oEDALUs TO THE PRESENT.
a wooden Venus That walked and .
Brazen Man That Talked--A Wonderful
Mechanical Duck-Ths Greatest OF All
the Fraudulent Automatons.


There are few things more attractive
to the generality of men or more calcu-
lated to excite their wonder and admira-
tion than dexterously and mysteriously
contrived automaton. There is, indeed,
something almost uncanny in the sight
of 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 in
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 Dedalus made were so
active that it was necessary to keep
them tethered for fear they would run
away. The same philosopher describes
O 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 brazen
man who talked and St. Thomas Aqui-
mas with having pounded it to pieces
with q club, suspecting 1t to be work
of satan. Some marvellous feats OF
mechanism are credited to John Muller.
otherwise known as Regiomontanus,
| who'fiourished in the fifteenth century,
and In dealing with him we perhaps
| touch firmer ground. One was an iron
| fiy which few around table, another
|: a wooden eagle which went out to meet
| Emperor Macmillan ON his entry Of
| Nuremberg ON June 2, tl470, and re-
turned. with him to the city gates.
r." whether due or not to the stimulus
| given by Louis XIV, the seventeenth
and eigh teenth centuries were in France
times of.great automatic activity. In
I deed. the first named century marks the
beginning of the really historical era OF
| automata. In the eighteenth century
lived Mr.. Vaucanson. perhaps the most
| wonderful Of all makers of automatic
and the creator of the famous duck
which first appeared before the public
in I741. The duck was Vaucanson
masterpiece and completed a reputation
already made wide by his mechanical
flute player and an automatic musician
which not only blew upon the flageolet
but also kept time to it OH tambourine
The bird was of life size, and not only
was it outwardly an exact imitation tt
feather of real duck, but its interna
anatomy was absolutely true to life. So
indeed, were it's movements, for i
swan, dived, walked, quacked, ate
drank and by an ingenious device eveI
seemed to digest its food.
This automaton disappeared after it
inventors death. but turned mp agail
in 1910 in a garnet in Berlin and wa
purchased by George Tiets. who tool
four years to put it in proper working
order again. At the end of this time !
WINS exhibited inoa room in the Palai
Royal, Paris, where Mr.. Houdin. tn
celebrated conjuror, saw it. and, indeed
afterward, when something happene'
to one of it's wings. took charge OF an
repaired ii. Ne. doubt il is still in ex
istence. OF more modern automatic thi
is scarcely the place to speak, Tor the
are private secrets. Let rs confine our
selves to merely mentioning Mr.. Mas
kelyne's Psyche" and Zoo"
Like most things, automata have nc
always been what they seemed. O
manysf rauds. upon the wonder lovin
!, public perhaps the completest was tina
of the famous automatic chess player
Mr.. Kempelen. which was -exfibite
: all over Europe at the enc. of the Las
century and afterwardr in America l
|, was the figure of life sized Turk seat
ed. behind large boz, she topo whic
was marked In the middle for chess
:, Prior, to the automaton's meeting a
opponent the front Of the boxwas Oper
ed and skeptical lockers on were show
an arrangement Of strings. pnlleys an
cylinders. After this they were above
/ to examine the interior of the figure
which was nOltOWs Aucu Huks honi n
: len wound up his Turk with key. an
. it was ready to play. which It did b
! moving the pieces with its left han
u and giving three nodssfor check to kin
I and two for check to queen. All IL
: noted chess players Of Europe succuml
al ed to the fgure's superior strategy, an
! its skill 30 impressed the Empress Gait
I crime II of Russia that she wished
buy it and was with difficulty persua'
ed by Mr. Kempelen to give up the ide'
. Ii was not for years that the secret wi
discoveries: but. like most secrets,
leaked ont at last. The real chess pla,
: or was Mr. Wronsky. Polish ex-ca1
, tain. both of whose legs had been an
? putated 1t the trunk in consequence
4 q wound from q cannon ball. While Il
!. spectators were examining athe bt
Wronsky was-in the Turk 's.body. al
J. when they turned to inspect that an u
l Reriious 'fneehanism slid him back In
e the box 40 the fact that Wronsky w
}. \ chess PLAYER Of consummate skill q