Miracle Mongers and Their Methods: A Complete Exposé of the Modus Operandi of Fire Eaters, Heat Resisters, Poison Eaters, Venomous Reptile Defiers, Sword Swallowers, Human Ostriches, Strong Men, Etc.Houdini, Harry
History
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods: A Complete Exposé of the Modus Operandi of Fire Eaters, Heat Resisters, Poison Eaters, Venomous Reptile Defiers, Sword Swallowers, Human Ostriches, Strong Men, Etc.
Houdini, Harry
Magic tricks -- History; Magicians -- Biography
Another formula is given by Griffin, as follows: 1 bar ivory soap, cut
fine, 1 pound of brown sugar, 2 ounces liquid storax (not the gum).
Dissolve in hot water and add a wine-glassful of carbolic acid. This
is rubbed on all parts liable to come in contact with the hot articles.
After anointing the mouth with this solution rinse with strong vinegar.
No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a
good set of teeth. A piece of hoop iron may be prepared by bending it
back and forth at a point about one inch from the end, until the
fragment is nearly broken off, or by cutting nearly through it with a
cold chisel. When the iron has been heated red-hot, the prepared end
is taken between the teeth, a couple of bends will complete the break.
The piece which drops from the teeth into a dish of water will make a
puff of steam and a hissing sound, which will demonstrate that it is
still very hot.
The mystery of the burning cage, in which the Fire King remains while a
steak is thoroughly cooked, is explained by Barnello as follows:
Have a large iron cage constructed about 4 x 6 feet, the bottom made of
heavy sheet iron. The cage should stand on iron legs or horses. Wrap
each of the bars of the cage with cotton batting saturated with oil.
Now take a raw beefsteak in your hand and enter the cage, which is now
set on fire. Remain in the cage until the fire has burned out, then
issue from the cage with the steak burned to a crisp.
Explanation: On entering the cage the performer places the steak on a
large iron hook which is fastened in one of the upper corners. The
dress worn is of asbestos cloth with a hood that completely covers the
head and neck. There is a small hole over the mouth through which he
breathes.
As soon as the fire starts the smoke and flames completely hide the
performer from the spectators, and he immediately lies down on the
bottom of the cage, placing the mouth over one of the small air holes
in the floor of the same.
Heat always goes up and will soon cook the steak.
I deduce from the above that the performer arises and recovers the
steak when the fire slackens but while there is still sufficient flame
and smoke to mask his action.
It is obvious that the above explanation covers the baker's oven
mystery as well. In the case of the oven, however, the inmate is
concealed from start to finish, and this gives him much greater
latitude for his actions. M. Chabert made the oven the big feature of
his programme and succeeded in puzzling many of the best informed
scientists of his day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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