Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-12-02

Japanese Juggiers ana Gymnasis.
The jurglers and mountcbanks are also dis
tingushed by the variety and originality of their
leats For instance, they perform series OF
tricks by means of an enormously long false
nose. One will lie down upon his back, with
boy balanced on the end of the nose, the boy
supporting an open umbrella on the end OF his
own nose. Another will hold up his foot, upon
the sole of which boy plants his nose, and
balances himself in the air. Some of these leatS
seem impossible, without the and OF some con-
cealed machinery,
was witness TO some astonishing specimens
of illusion, After a variety OF tricks with tops,
cups of water, and paper butterflies, the Juggler
exhibited TO the spectator a large open fan which
he held in his right hand, then threw into the
air. caught by the handle in his left hand, squat
ted down. famed himself, and then, turning his
head in profile, gave a long sigh, during which
the image of galloping horse issued from his
mouth. Still tanning himself, he shook from
his right sleeve an army of little men, who pres
ently, bowling and dancing, vanished from sight
Then he bowed, closed the fan and held 1t IN his
two hands, during Which time his own head dis
appeared, then became visible, Dut OF colossal
size, and finally reappeared in its natural dimen-
sons but multiplied four or five times. Ihey
set Jar before lin, and in a short time he issued
from the neck, rose slowly into the air, and van
ished in clouds along the ceiling.
Al the fair of AsakSa, in addition to the pei
iOrmauces Of iugglers of all kinds, there are col
leCtions of animals Which have been taught to
perform tricks-bearS of YesO, spdrelS which
are valuable in proportion TO their ugliness, Cdu-
Gated monkeys and goats. Birds and fish are
also displayed In great quantities. But the most
astonishing patience is manifested by an old
COrean bOatman, who has trained d dozen tor
tOises, large and small, employing no Other
means TO direct them than his songs and small
metal drum. They march in line execute Yari-
Gus eYOlutiOns, and conclude by climbing upon
low table, the larger ones forming, of their
own accord, bridge for the smaller, to whom
the feat woud otherwise be impossible. When
they have all mounted, they dispose themselves
in three Or four piles like so MANY plates.
Nj. Humbert gives the following description
of the performances of the gymnasts, both i'll
the streets and booths, "In the public squares,
the shouts and the sound of tambOurines of two
troops ofgymnaStc mountebanlis, installed at OPP
posite corners, are heard above the voices, songs
and catter OF implements Of labor in the sur
rounding workshops. One of these troops per-
forms in the open air its heroes being the Swals
lower Of swords and the prOdgous jumper
The latter leaps with impunity through two
hoops crossed at right angles fixed on the top of
a pole, which also supports jar carefully
balanced on the interseCting hoops. But his
most remarkable feat consists in leapingj or
rather flying from end to end through d cylin-
der Of bamboo atlice-works, six feet long, aud
placed ON trestles. When he wishes to excite
the amazement Of the spectators to the highest
pitch, the performer lights four candles and
places them in a line, at regular intervals, in
the interior of the cylinder; after which he pass
css through like fash, without eXtinguishing
or deranging them.
His gentle spouse, seated on a box beside the
cylinder, accompanies the different stages OF the
perlo;man with airs on her guitar. To the
shrill sounds o. the instrument she adds, from
time to time, the tones of a voice which is
either hOarse and hollow, or piercingly elevated,
according as she Judges it better to encourage
StprnlV celebrate tTiumU1OtlV the
Of the astonishing man whose fortunes she is
permitted to share.-FrOm TrdUeiS IN Japan, in
lScIibner Dc C0mpdny'S Illustrated Library Of
TrdUei, Exploration, and AdUeRtuTe, edited by
Boydrd Taylor.
WHY DO BOILERS EXPLoDE2-On Wednes-
day last, some interesting experiments were
made under the direction of T. b. Stevens of
Hoboken, to solve this question. They were
made on the government reservation at Sandy
Hook, where extensive preparations bad been
made for the purpose, and were witnessed by
fifty or more scientific men and engineers from
New York and elsewhere, among whom was
Prof Thurston of the Stevens institute of tech
nOlOTy. The first experiment was with a boiler
built in 1853, and taken out of a boat in July
last, after beugin use thirteen years. The boiler
was identical in shape aud general construction
with the boiler which exploded on the Nesttield,
although somewhat smaller, and had been pre-
viOusly tested 20 eighty-two pounds water pres
sure without fracture, and also to sixty pounds
Of steam pressure. On this occasion the steam
was raised gradually 10 ninety-three pounds when
1t leaked steam as fast as it was generated and
the pressure began to recede. Examination,
subsequently, showed that the boiler was much
distorted. The wagon-top had sunk down
about two inches, and a corresponding swell
was observed on each side, Just below the de-
preston. All the longitudinal seams Of the
shells were leaking, while no leaks were to be
seen alOuU thc transverse seams. The second
experiment was upon Il boiler made with two
fiat surfaces, representing the water space be-
tween the back head and the back connection
Of the Wcsttield's boiler or part Of the lee OF
an ordinary boiler, and having the same thick
ness Of plate, and stayed with screw stays,
spaced in the same manner as in the case OF the
WeStfed; the stays being - inches in diane
ter, with the same kind Of screw threads, and
similar riveting over at the ends. This struc-
ture had previously been subjected - 1873 pounds
of hydrostatic pressure. 1t began to leak slight
ly when the steam pressure reached $50
pounds, and burst eXplosivey from the
pulling out of the stays at 1873 pounds
pressure. BY these experiments it was
shown that an extraordinary pressure is neces-
sIry to rupture even the weakest parts OF boilers,
as ordinarily cOnstructed-namely, the fiat sur
faces and ii became fully evident that further
and different experiments must he tried in order
to determine why boilers explode at preSSureS
generally lower than those to which both these
boilers had been subjected, or else it must be be-
leyed, either that the pressures are much greater
than has been supposed or indicated by steam
guages and safey-yalves, or that some force Is
acting upon the boilers not indicated by the or
binary meters placed upon them. These expert
ments, together with Others for the same purpose
made ut HobOken on the ID of September, were
made by the united railroad companies OF New
Jersey, and will he further continued, dOub tless
with results of interest and importance to science
and humanity.