The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-08
THE STRENGTH OF A GIANT.
A Hotel Porter Who Makes Nothing Of
Seeming Impossibiities.
Ffom The st. Louis Globe Democrat.

seeming 1npOSSlDlIlulSSt
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
NEW HAVEN, June 2s.-The proprietor
of blacksmith shop on Commerce street
was one of the most surprised men in New
Haven day or two ago. Mr.. futile,
father of the proprietor of the Arlington
house, in Meadow street, and a young man
! stopped at the shop to have the tire Of the
carriage in which they were riding re-
paired. While the work was in progress
the young man, with the curiosity that
overcomes the stranger in a blscksmith's
| shop, inspected the various iron rods,
pokers, etc.
why don't you have good substantial
material for your businessP inquired he,
after while. This rod Of iron" he con-
tinued, picking up one and examining it,
sis rotten
What are you talking abontn rejoined
the blacksmith.
"pn bet you 1 can bend that with my
teeth" retorted the young man.
al would like to see you or any other
man bend il with your teeth" said the
blacksmith in ccntemptuous tone.
You just watch me do it," responded the
young man, lifting the iron rod to his
mouth. The rod was about five feet long,
| three-quarters Of an Inch thick, and had
every appearance Of being absolutely free
| OF defects. In fact, il was as perfect as any
rod Of the kind. The young man put the
rod in his mouth. There we're two or three
movements Of the teeth, jaws and chest as
he concentrated all the powers of the
upper muscles on the rod of iron, and then
/ q moments tremendous pressure, during
which he pulled down on the ends Of the
bar Of iron with his hands, while
! his teeth closed like wise on the rod. When
| he took the rod from his mouth there was a
| bend in the center of it about like the curve
on some of the balls pitched by Jack Hor-
ner. No more astonished man stood in shoe
leather in New Haven that moment than
| the blacksmith. He was speechless for a
few minutes. The first to break the silence
wGs the stranger.
Now what do you think of your rod of
iron and its perfect conditlonp he asked of
the ANNOYED man. Let me see that poker
you use in the forge. 1t strikes me that
poker is not just what it seems TO be- See
here, boss, I'll bet can bend that poker by
striking it across my forearm"
The blacksmith had ceased to doubt the
fellows statements. AS a matter of fact
he was becoming alarmed lest the stranger
should take a notion to bend all the bars
and pokers in the shop. But just to see
what kind of success he would have with
the long poker the blacksmith told him to
60 ahead and test it on his forearm. The
stranger peeled off his coat, barred his arm,
/,
bringing it down with great force on his
forearm. Instead Of the poker bending as
the rod, it broke in two.
This strange young man is porter at the
Arlington house. His name Is Oscar E.
Skiff, and he Is % years Of age. He is about
5 feet inches in height and weighs l55
pounds. One of the ordinary schemes he
INDUCES In to amuse the guest who has just
reached the hotel is to grab the guests big
trunk lit makes little difference how large
or how heavy it is) and rush up stairs with
it on his back. II the room to which the
trunk is destined happens to be on the top
floor, four or five stories high, Skiff mounts
those several flights of stairs with about as
much ease as the hotel clerk well
comes fresh guest There were sew
eral gentlemen in the hotel Office a few
days ago talking about the muscular capa-
billty of mankind generally. The clerk of
the hotel weighs about 1856 pounds. At bis
side was seated guest who weighed no.
Skiff put one hand under the clerk and the
, other under the guest and lifted both off the
floor, SO that his arms, with a man in the
palm Of each hand. were straight out from
the shoulder. With 355 pounds thus held
up, Skill told boy, weighing all of eighty
pounds, to climb upon his knees aud remain
there to further test his strength. The lad
Obliged, making In all ass pounds that Skiff
was holding up.
LdSL ulRut, III tue presence OF several In
dividuals, Skif went through a number of
his wonderful feats, such as bending on his
bare arm a rod Of iron nearly an inch in
thickness and bending the same rod with
his teeth. The rod weighed four and one
half pounds Skiff was born in San Fran
cisco. The muscles of his forearms, legs
and neck are as hard as rock He stated
that the first evidence of his strength came
when he was years old. His father is A.
w. Skif, who few years ago was known
In the world of minstrels by his connection
with Skiff q Gaylord'S minstrel company.
His father is in California
WIEN Mr.. Browning determined to adopt a
literary career, the first step he took was to
read through Johnson's dictionary. This
method or acquiring style is not so fantastic
as II seems, and others besides Mr. Browning
have been It's advocates. Gautier for instance.
was eloquent in the praise of the dictionary,
and Mr. Patey goes SO far as TO say that a
writer may develop personal style by the
study OF Johnson. Such words as do not appeal
70 MIN be discards from his list. and only retains
those Tor which he retains natural inclination
Inus writer may acquire a distinctive vocab-
ulary and as the choice OF words is one-half of
style the mUchdespssd dictionary has It's uses
! ne modern school Of French writers owe much
or their distinction 20 their respect for the lex
icon But they prefer Du Cange TO Littre and
have carried their devotion 70 an eccentric vo-
cabulary so far that a glossary TO their works
has ben prepared for the help of the unin.