Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-11-12


The fea,s of Nj. CHApERr, The Fire King, or
Five Eater, Gas he is proniscuously callrd) de.
tailed accounts of which we have already pubs
Iished, excited no llule wonder and admiration
on the other side Of she Atlantic. Its proper
to add, that altho' his wonderful doings are be
lieved by many to be really and bona 6de as re-
prc sentrd, there are others who, while they al.
low that '.his performances are sufficiently
gocd to deserve appreciation, I" contend, and
with apparent truth, that there is quite as much
trick and slight Of hand as matter If fact For
instance, the cooking Of the beafsteaks is effect
ed by burning embrrs left in he corners Of the
oven. and the hermometer eleva'ed IN the same
way The London Morning Oh, onicle gives
the following account of one Of The Fire Kings
exhibi ions:
"Yes erday we scrutinized he Fire Kings
igniferous patent TO pre-eminence. NJ Cnabert
omit ed the swallowing Of phosphorus and
ONE, poisons, Of which we were very glad, Tor
the trick i, 100 well understood 10 amuse, and,
~ our tas es, too disgusting 10 witness. His
first exploit was that Of rubbing heated sho-
vel over his torgue and hair. The shovel was
no, red hot aud by the time NJ. Cbabert had
reach our poi"t Of the room, the shovel was
SD cold that, hy merely spi ing on our fingers
and thumbs. we could squeeze il Then came
the experiments Of the boinug lead. gen.
tleman in the rom, who seemed TO eve things
with great acuteness, requested the Fire King
10 merge the bulb Of the therm oIneier into The
liquid metal. This he refused, OH The plea
| that it would break the THERMOMETERS. No
| thermometer will break whilst the ,uLe permits
the mercury To rise This thermometer was
graduated, we believe, 20 $50 degrees, which
would admit Of the melting Of any metal-and
i, WIS Submitted 70 NJ Chaberr whe,ber he
oupht to place the value Of thermometer in
competition with convincing the audience Of
the integrity Of the experiment. The test.
however. as refused. Lead melts at 594 dc
prees: mixed with lin and bismuh it will melt
| a, 900 degrees-.wha, a range for fraud in his
feat Then cam" The experiment OF swallowing
The boiling oil. Thr thermometer rose no
higher than $40. altho' we k ow tina, oil will
not boil at less Than 600 degrees We cannot
saw VIII ther ether or what was mixed with H..
bu it contained strong brown sedmrn'. Oil
parts with its caIoric, or, in other terms. gees
| cold very rapidly, and between the 'sking
| he ,hermom ter gu Of the oil and pn''lng the
| oil into 'he mouth time elapsed sufficient TO
I cool the oil considerably. We did not see a
single drop 6" dowr MIR. Chaber,s throat -
he merely let ii run off his tongue on the Hoor
We sLrutinizcd particularly Ms gning INFO
&c oven, and cooking the beefsteak there The
| wen is a cube, Of about seven feet, made OF
brick four inches and q half thick. II has a
I, as, iron bottom and door, with chimney,
,lculated TO create rapid alteration OF tens
pers,ure. A gentleman in the room proposed
| o VI. Chabert, that before taking the tin dishes
of steak into the oven, he should have il cleared
| & the mass Of Burning embers at its extremity
| Bvt Monsieur Chabcrt was no such baby as
| his oueris. supposed him, and he had around
him many a cunning little Isaac, who btganto
| make ,he room 100 hot for the challenger TO
bear who prud-n'ly Withdrew from The con-
test, allowing NJ. Chabrrt to enter the oven as
cool as he pl. asrd VI. Cbaberi, however, said
re would convince the company OF the excessive
| hea, Of the oven, though he wonld not sweep
GU, the embers. He accordingly took the
| ,hermom-tcr, and hung II at the back oil the
interior Of the oven, immedia ely over his en-
bankment e no, embers, aud the mercury rose
10 400 degrees This was no more test oil
the heat OF that part OF The oven where NJ.
Cbaber, was 70 stand, han hanging 'hermo-
meter I'D chimney would indicate the mean
,emperaturp, or rather the lowest temperature,
4 Of A
l,,wance for cooling the oven by leaving open
n. door. Sc between this absurd expei inn MT
ii the thermometer aud MIR C.'s entering the
oven we should say that he had to sustain a
much less degree uf hea, than has been borne
nv Sir Gilbert Blame, aud other eminent per-
son.,who have made PHILOSOPHERS experiments
Of ,he maximum Of heat underwhich the animal
functions will proceed. The whole exhibition
appeared very paltry
@The average intellect of a mixed company
even, we fear, in England, must be very low,
for the spectators, in this ms ance seemed very
a,erse to any les, which could prove ~hs.ner
thew were dupes, or whether the leafs oil Hio"'
s;rnr Chaber, were done with integrity "aN'
in, The fashionable, or the BOBBY Amusement 20
of The audience. we really wish ph,losopniea
TO ascertain the degrees Of neat "n'en W. 20
-. .o,ld hear The audience had no such
WI" .o,w;, n andnp the march OF ~