The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-04
QUEER AUT0MATONS.
EXAMPLES FROM THE DAYS OF
DEpALUS TO THE PRESENT.

"ecnhhichi DucB-lne oreatest OF All
the Fraudulent AutomatonA
There are few things more attractive
to the generality Of men or more calcu-
lated to excite their wonder and admira-
ton than dexterously and mysteriously
contrived automaton There is, indeed,
something almost uncanny in the sight
Of figure made by mems hands acting
like 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 tho automaton is Ger.
tainly no new thing. One meets it in
almost the earliest books, sometimes
yelled in myth, sometimes more direct
e. 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 MS 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
a 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 1t to pieces
with club, suspecting it to be work
OF satan. Some marvellous feats Of
mechanism are credited to John Muller,
otherwise known as Regiomontanus,
who aourished III the fifteenth century,
and in dealing with him we perhaps
touch firner ground. One was an iron
fly which flew around table, another
wooden eagle which went out to meet
Emperor Macmillan on his entry of
Nuremberg on June Z, 1870, and re.
turned with him to the city gates.
Whether due or not to the stimulus
given by Louis XIV, the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries were in France
times of great automatic activity. In.
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 automata
and the creator of the famous duck
which first appeared before the public
in 174l. The duck was Vaucanson'
masterpiece and completed 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 on a tambourine
The bird was of life size, and not only
was it outwardly all exact imitation to
feather of a real duck, but its internal
anatomy was absolutely true to life. So,
indeed, were its movements, for it
swan, dived, walked, quacked, ate,
drank and by an ingenious device even
seemed to digest it's food.
This automaton disappeared after its
inventors death, but turned up again
in 1910 in garnet in Berlin and was
purchased by George Tiets. who took
four years to put it in proper working |
order again. At the end of this time it |
was exhibited in room in the Palais
Royal, Paris, where Mr.. Houdin, the
celebrated conjuror, saw it, and, indeed,
afterward, when something happened
to one Of its wings, took charge Of and
repaired it. No doubt it is still in ex-
istence. OF more modern automatic this
is scarcely the place to speak, for they |
are private secrets. Let us oonfine our.
selves to merely mentioning Mr.. Mas.
selyne's Psyche" and 200"
Like most things, automata have not
always been what they seemed. OF
many frauds upon the wonder loving
public perhaps the completest was that
If the famous automatic chess player Of
Mr.. Kempelen, which was exhibited
III over Europe at the end of the last
century and aftorward in America. 1t
vas the figure of life sized Turk seat
ID behind large box, the top of which
vas marked in the middle for chess.
'rior to the automaton 8 meeting an
pponent the front of the box was OPEN
d and skeptical lockers Oh were shown
n arrangement of strings, pulleys and
FLINDERS. After this they were allowed
D examine the interior of the figure,
which was hollow. Then Mr.. Kempe-
On wound up his Turk with key, and
was ready to play, which it did by
loving the pieces with its left hand
nd giving three mods for check to king
nd two for check to queen All the
oted chess players of Europe succumb.
to the figures superior strategy, and
IS skill 80 impressed the Empress Cath
zine II Of Russia that she wished to
ny it and was with difficulty persuad.
by Mr.. Kempelen to give up the idea.
was not for years that the secret was
but, like most secrets, IL
aked out at last. The real chess play.
was Mr.. Wronsky, Polish ex- cap
in, both Of whose legs had been am
ltated at the trunk in consequence Of
wound from cannon ball. While the
were examining the box
'ronsky was in the Turks body, and
hen they turned to inspect that an in.
nious mechanism slid him back into
o box. To the fact that Wronsky was
chess player Of consummate skill the
ide fame Of the automaton, which he
cretly controlled. is to be attributed. II
ter this disclosure Mr.. Kempelen's 1
tomaton naturally enough ceased to
l. -