The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 5, April, 1836Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 5, April, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Maelzel now informs the company that he will disclose to their view
the mechanism of the machine. Taking from his pocket a bunch of keys
he unlocks with one of them, door marked 1 in the cut above, and
throws the cupboard fully open to the inspection of all present. Its
whole interior is apparently filled with wheels, pinions, levers,
and other machinery, crowded very closely together, so that the eye
can penetrate but a little distance into the mass. Leaving this door
open to its full extent, he goes now round to the back of the box,
and raising the drapery of the figure, opens another door situated
precisely in the rear of the one first opened. Holding a lighted
candle at this door, and shifting the position of the whole machine
repeatedly at the same time, a bright light is thrown entirely
through the cupboard, which is now clearly seen to be full,
completely full, of machinery. The spectators being satisfied of
this fact, Maelzel closes the back door, locks it, takes the key
from the lock, lets fall the drapery of the figure, and comes round
to the front. The door marked 1, it will be remembered, is still
open. The exhibiter now proceeds to open the drawer which lies
beneath the cupboards at the bottom of the box--for although there
are apparently two drawers, there is really only one--the two
handles and two key holes being intended merely for ornament. Having
opened this drawer to its full extent, a small cushion, and a set of
chessmen, fixed in a frame work made to support them
perpendicularly, are discovered. Leaving this drawer, as well as
cupboard No. 1 open, Maelzel now unlocks door No. 2, and door No. 3,
which are discovered to be folding doors, opening into one and the
same compartment. To the right of this compartment, however, (that
is to say the spectators' right) a small division, six inches wide,
and filled with machinery, is partitioned off. The main compartment
itself (in speaking of that portion of the box visible upon opening
doors 2 and 3, we shall always call it the main compartment) is
lined with dark cloth and contains no machinery whatever beyond two
pieces of steel, quadrant-shaped, and situated one in each of the
rear top corners of the compartment. A small protuberance about
eight inches square, and also covered with dark cloth, lies on the
floor of the compartment near the rear corner on the spectators'
left hand. Leaving doors No. 2 and No. 3 open as well as the drawer,
and door No. 1, the exhibiter now goes round to the back of the main
compartment, and, unlocking another door there, displays clearly all
the interior of the main compartment, by introducing a candle behind
it and within it. The whole box being thus apparently disclosed to
the scrutiny of the company, Maelzel, still leaving the doors and
drawer open, rolls the Automaton entirely round, and exposes the
back of the Turk by lifting up the drapery. A door about ten inches
square is thrown open in the loins of the figure, and a smaller one
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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