The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-09
How FRsAKs Are MADE.
Explanation of Some Of the Wonders
seem In Dime Museums,
Erorr, fho Nam Yn,-k Mama


and what are known as made freaks" In
the former category are elassed the giants
and the dwarfs, the fat folks and the skele-
tons, the two-headed hoy and other natural
monstroslIies. In the latter are freaks
whose drawing powers depend upon some
manufactured feature or acquired skill in
performing a striking act, such as the fire
eaters, the tack and frog swallowers, the
man who chews glass or dances upon broken
glass, the champion egg swallUwer and SO
on. An explanation Of the way some of
the made freaks perform their tricks may
be Of interest
The tire-eating act has many entertain
ing features. In placing lighted substance
In the mouth the performer, as a rule, uses
piece or oakum or sponge saturated with
gasoline, which is highly voatilized MKT
ure obtained from petroleum. 1t is placed
lighted In the mouth without touching the
lips, which are instantly closed, and the fire
is at once extinguished. There is a certain
amount OF moisture, or oily substance, on
the tongue which serves 60 protect it during
The short time the fame is alive in the
mouth, which. with the tongue, is also
toughened by the use OF alum. Paper soaked
III alum and water, as is we'll known, be-
comes as tire-proof as asbestos.
The gas that Is generated in tho mouth
from the gasoline is utilized by the per-
former by blowing it into the flame of a
lamp through a glass tube, and as 1t il
stantly catches fire, it appears to the Oh
server that the man has an inflammable
breath The flame goes out and reappears
at the will Of the performer, as he stops the
end of the tube with his tongue or continues
TO I'LL 1t with gas until the supply in his
mouth Is exhausted. If the performer puts
lighted wick in his mouth, the wick is
saturated with coal oil or alcohol. His
mustache is protected from the flame by be-
ing thoroughly soaped.
An interesting fire trick is accomplished
with an electrical arrangement, by means
OF which one of the performers becomes the
positive aud the other the negative pole of
the bat cry. A spark coil is used, and on
whatever part Of the body one of them
touches the other, sparks are emitted there
from. A very slight shock follows when
ever the electric current is completed.
A puzzling trick is to make piece OF
paper catch fire by apparently only blowing
on it. 1t is done in this way: Ten cents
worth of bisulphate Of carbon and a ten
cent stick Of phophorus are placed in an
alright bottle with glass stopper, where
the phosphorous disolves. The paper is
soaked in the bottle, and when it is with
drawn has to be used quickly, because when
1t strikes the air it burns.
This trick was put to an amusing use a
year VI tHO ago, Wu6n manager Huber was
giving an exhibition Of spiritual NANTES.
tation." A committee from the audience
was Invited to come upon the stage and ex-
anime the cabinet aud assure the spectators
that everything was as represented. It was
very warm day, and the superintendent
kindly provided the committee with Japan.
ese fans, he had previously, however,
dropped some of the preparation of carbon
and phosphorus on the fans, and as soon as
COnmittaa hpOaU Z Yit IN bax
we're naturally astonished to see them burst
into flame and quickly dropped them on the
stage. The audience greatly enjoyed their
discontinue.
The same preparation is used with
ticker" paper, which is apparently taken
by the performer out of a hat borrowed
from the audience. 1t is rapidly unrolled,
and as 1t is waved through the air, catches
fire. This trick, however, requires great
deal of care aud swittness OF execution for
its successful performance.
Before licking with the tongue a red-hot
bar OF iron, or rubbing the lighted end of q
cigar or cigarette on the tongue, a solution
OF borax and alum il used in the mouth of
the performer.
A startling trick in the fire line is 20 Jump
with bare feet on hot plate of iron Before
doing this turn, the performer sits with his
feet IN tub of ice water until they are
thoroughly benumbed. Then he jumps on
the hot iron, but before reflex action sets in,
which would, Of course, cause intolerable
pain, he is of again. The water on his feet
turns into steam before reflex action sets in.
| but unless there is too much water on them
1t affords some protection, otherwise so much
steam would generate so quickly as to roast
| the flesh.
Not long ago, in WilkesbaTre, Pa, the
manager OF dime museum was short of
curios, when one of the performers offered
TO jump on a hot iron with his bare feet in
order to fill out the bill The offer was &C.
! cepted, piece of sheet-iron 4x2% feet in
size obtained, and under it was placed a gas
light. In order to make as fine an impress
sion as possible. the performer first painted
the iron red, and when he did the act ''the
thing" according to an eyewitness, NEARLY
| pulled off the bottom of his feet. and he had
to use sandpaper TO ges off all the paint"
That the freaks who are known as tack
and glass swallnwers actually do swallow
these highly indigeskble articles is shown
| by the autopsy recently performed on one
| or them, who died with choice selection OF
tacks, staples and broken glass in his stom-
aoh. The swallowing is facilitated by q
mouthful OF water, and the tongue of the
| performer arranges the tacks In his mouth
30 that they go down with their heads fore
| most.
This class of freaks are great drinkers OF
| WnlsAJi WHICH COunIeraCts IL urlOu5 effects
OF the presence of glass in the stomach.
After each performance they eat piece of
| dry bread and wash 1t down with whisky.
| The little frogs they swallow make their in
| voluntary descent into the stomach head
| first, and while they do not remain there
long enough to be digested, If the human
stomach is capable of such feat, the frog
swallowers claim that no bad effects folio "
their performance.
In the case of "the freak with the phe-
| nomenal skull, ~ on which stones are broken
the secret of the trick lies in the pad be-
tween his skull and the stone, which dis
tributes the force Of the blow OF the ham
mer so that he is not injured.
The so-called Circassian girls, as is geuer-
ally known, are mostly made freaks, their
hair being doctored with stale beer and
| gum arabic, which combine to bleach it and
stltfen it. Many of these freaks NOWADAYS
find it more comfortable to wear wigs that
are skillfully adjusted to the head The 80.
called "moss-haired woman" wears a wig,
but it is SO artistcally fitted on her head
that to the average observer it looks like Q
natural growth OF hair
A made freak that has excited consider.
able amusement is called Congo, the mule
with human face" The mule certainly
has an extraordinary facial development,
and when 1t is logged out in q cutaway coal
aud vest, gray trousers on its front legs, @
flaming tie and plug hat. its resemblance
to a cake-walk darby on a promenade is al
least striking enough to provoke a hearty
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