Hello again, I just had to step in and clear things up a little.
First I want to say that what I meant was: A good single-tap beater
can easily pound out a good rhythm at a slow tempo but not at a fast
tempo, where it has to slow down the beat in order to get it right.

A good roll beater, like that in "The Spirit of Independence", can
provide a realistic rhythm with a short perforation in the roll.

The Seeburgs and Cremonas seem to have a fixed speed, so when you have
a short perforation, it will give you three or four taps instead of
one, and if you slow it down, it will sound like this on a roll: tap-
tap-tap-tap, etc. etc.  The only orchestrion I know of that uses two
(or more) single-tap beaters is the Link.  Some Dutch street organs and
Gaviolis use this format too, which is the most realistic I've ever
heard because it duplicates the action of the human drummer.

The Wurlitzer organs use two rapidly-alternating beaters, and when a
short perforation occurs it plays both at once.  Now that's clever!
If anyone builds an orchestrion or band organ with one hole in the roll
for snare drum, they should use the last-mentioned system.

Happy Reading,

Andrew Barrett