Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-03-19
THG COLUMBIAN EGG.
Another Theory 81 How the Feat Was 40
comp i:hcu.


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The Columbian Exposition has brought
the egg story into prominence AGAIN;
and in order th2t it may not entirely di-
vert public attCntiOn from the main OBJ
icct OF the worlds fir, and rs IN act of
Justice to tho memory OF Columbus linn
self, think il il time to give the story
an eternal ret, writes NJ. II. Trumbull,
an Opera Court The f:blc runs that
the problem OF standing IN c.; on end
having been submitted &c = puzzle to
Columbus, nc solved it instantly by top
ping the CSC on tho table, ;-ld bl calzinT
the end Of it Just enough TO mGl7c.;s lat
basis On w:ii1h it stood firm, without
I"ivcr. According to the lcEC-,l, the
philosophers who thought TO conGound
Inc great mathematician by ouch SIM
PIC question, accepted tho solution rs
correct, acknowledged themselves de-
tcated, and if there was bet upon it,
@s l suppose there was, gave up the
money. 1t is not q grateful duty to
:,bciIsh popular rnyths, but this, like so
nl2ny better ones, must go.
Evidently, the Columbian cCg story is
y fiction, because if true, Columbus
iarst have been q clumsy juggIcr, and
the brculSing Of the egg confession of
ricfcat, an acknowledgment that the
problem "'uld not be solved without vi
dlatiGS its first implied condition, name
u, that the egg, uninjurcd, should stand
alone and unsupported on level sur
Slce, Brcalling the: egg, SO Ear from
aolvi8G the problem, was IA evasion of
It's terms, like untying the Gordian knot
by cutting it into pieces which was not
antying it at all. Columbus might Just
as well have stuck the cTg up
sight into the salt upon the table,
and called that solution of the
puzzle. To make an egg stand upright
on plane surface is not Il difficult feat;
IhaVe known how to do it for moro
years than l care to mention, but l
have rot revealed the secret, fearing
that unprincipled men might use it fer
betting purposes and win great fortunes
with it; but in the Chicago Tribune 1
find the ancient fiction served up again
for the benefit of = correspondent who,
being IN possession of print Ct IIo-
garth's picture Of Columbus and the
egg, wanted to know the meaning and
the moral Of the picture. Rather than
enttGrc this any longer l will now give
TIE Columbian secret away.
One day when I WIS u bow at school
we had for a reading lesson the story of
Columbus nj the e.~T. III my class was;
little Irish boy ABOUT NY own arc
w.i0sc name was Jerry Grady, and
when school WAS out for noon Jerry
Glaid to INC: "Did We MUD that sthory
itCcut Columbus and the egg? Sure
til~ts not tic way Tic thriclI was done
at al, at all. Como wild nc and I'll show
20 now CIumhuS done it," Now It so
happened that Jerry's mother kept
chickens, and when we reached the
house he had no trouble in finding q
fresh eGg. First putting q clean plate
GA TIC table, Jerry took the egg ard
sIhooh it violently for some seconds or
until the yclll and the white were thor
ouGiliy mixed, like u compound Of milk
and water. Then, after holding the
egg upright on the plate until tic mix
SaEe inside Cf ii BE- settled Quietly into
The broad base o1 1t, ao Yylt!:c!-cw his.
band and lett the cgG Gt%rGiny upright
and alone. "IhCrc." said lie, "ticT's
Tie way Columbus done it," aid have
30 doubt it. was, fer j have Cft2n done it
Elyshlf That way, and anybody else can
ID it, My object in correcting this bit
oi history is to set Columbus right DC
tnrc the world and 10 rescue him from
e1ic suspicion that &c was ignorant Of
Go easy, scientific and purely mcchani-
"'ti solution Of the COG problem. Tho
&"aSon why IN egg VIII not. stand On
nnt Is tliatitj content arc not balanced
either iii weight II pl4cc, but after
'i"y are thoroughly mixed tho c~g will
easily cHcoGuiZc its own center Ct cray
ny and stand upright like toy soldier
wnlch Ii made Oh the same principle.