New-York tribune., 1896-08-30

grade and another Some keep only the cheapest
and simplest articles. scarcely more than simple
mechanical toys; some of the dealers In sporting
goods keen an assortment large small. of mag
ical appliances the toy shops have boxes contain
ing pcrhaps A dozen tricks each for children, and
finally there are those who make large business
Of it and can supply anything. from pack of cards
consisting Of ffty-two mines Of diamonds to com
plete stage set Of brass and plate glass
HOW THE AMATEUR IS SUPPLIED.
The method Of business f. this: An advertisement
Is placed I'm the papers asking those who are in
ter. stcd in such things to send for catalogue a
little charge is made for the catalogue. to cover
postage and printing. The catalogue contains de-
scriptions of many hundreds Of tricks. and cuts Of
the apparatus required for them, with the price OF
each The prices range all the way from 10 cents
10 500 and there are more expensive tricks, for
which special bargain is to he made In each case.
The descriptions are OF the tricks as they appear
TO the audience not Of how TO do them. The anna
teur picks out whatever he wants. and thinks that
he can afford. and sends the price OF it. Then he
gets in return all the necessary machinery and full
nrinted directions for performing the trick
one Of the most extensive establishments Of this
Kind in the country IL thai Of Martinka & CO.. In
Sixth-ave II is a kind Of headquarters for ma
gicians hercabouts They 20 there to buy ma
chinery or plans for tricks. and they store Old
apparatus there when they not using ii. The
Martinka goes abroad every year to see the magi-
clans OF Europe and to bring back new inventions.
From without the shop looks small and narrow,
and within 1t still looks narrow and trife dingy
There are some small showcases filled with boxes
and glasses and tubes and cups and balls ana other
apparently simple and useless toys. ana there are
more of these things on the shelves and that Is
about all that is to be seen. But these toys are
not all so simple cheap as they look and
some of them do the most surprising things In the
hands Of their master There is a little square box
with a velvet bottom The victim Is asked 10 put
halfdollar in IT, Then he is asked to shut 1t and
hold It I'm his hand. The magician does not touch
it at all. 1t shuts with snap Then the victim
il told that If he opens It again he Will find the
half-dollar changed for two quarters 1t Is opened
b,. the pressure OF a perfectly obvious spring just
ike that of an ordinary jewel-box. and there lie
the two quarters, and the half Is nowhere to be
seen The victim takes the quarters In place or his
half and the magician takes back the poX. Iays
II aside and does something else, Ihe. secret was
that when the spring was pressed 10 open the poN
the bottom of the box rose and formed the back.
imprsoning the half-dollar. ana disclosing thr TWO
uuarters which had been placed there beforehand
TRICKS THAT ANYBODY COULD DO.
The proprietor picks up ordinary looking little
ricture frame Then he takes pack Of cards and
asks the customer to draw one ana look al IL. lie
draws the ten OF clubs and puts 1t back into the
mack The proprietor rubs his hand over the glass
Of Dictilre-frulnt anu thc lfH VI 'I"pH "PP'"'H
,u the frame under IT, He rubs his hand over 1t
osain and the card IL gone or course the card
uae I'm the frame I'm the beginning, and is there
all the time The frame * built with two pieces OF
glass over IT, instead OF one, and little space Is
l-ft between them This space contains some fine.
black sand and the space IL so DISPOSED th"t wnrn
the frame H. held in a certain position the sand Is
all hidden 10y the frame, but When IL - turned up
the Other way II ru"s 40" "I' in his nosition
that 1t X first shown and when the cara ~ to be
disclosed the operator VIM. he seems 10 & nr n run
all runs down into the frame. lie puts ten Or
clubs into the frame beforehand. In perfect conf
the PACK contains nothing but tens OF clubs
There Is "A simple trick which Is worked 20 pref
tily that II seems pity that the audience Is not
allowed TO see how 1t Is worked. pretty little
box OF lnlad wood Is pro1nced anu unoGk.n WIZ MI,
a Key Within IT IS Il smaller box. ana within TINS
are four little blocks Of wood numbered !, = and
Some one In the audience - invited TO- examine ~
the boxes Then h" is asked to arrange ihe docks
in th, inner box. In any order hr pleases. TO
lock the box. 10 pl"rr II In th1 larger Don TO
lock that ana TO Keep the Key. men tie
magician takes ia" box hods IL ciose TO
are arranged This Is scientific trick; In holding
The box to his eyes the magician holds II In such
Of II without being discovered under the slide are
four little compasses The tour blocks OF WOOD
ever In the inner box the block numDeied -
ulac.d the compass needle over II VIII point to the
north The compass needle over IN" block mum
bered always points 10 the south the one over
block 10 the east. and the one over hiock To
the west.
I,ut This front salcsroom Is tame anair com
,,re1 Win the shops in the The one deepest
ian ~ ,Il has the look OF place where somebody
has failed -tccesSiVcly ~ a carpenter, Il black
smith, 4 plumber Il gas-htter. a decorator. an up
hnlsfnr,r and "a printer. and s now doing odd Jobs
at an these trades Their" H. a storeroom IN 'front.'
of this and Ia. effect of the two places quite
oV.rehndows that of the property room OF "A thea
ire which has so long been held ~ the model or
ca rted and picturrsuue confusion. There may be
u,nhl. Of articles In the property-rOom suggesting
th uses OF the palace and tn" coal mine. and every
tht,c betwo.n but here there Is an equal variety,
with no suggestion OF any use. Three or four men
are AZ work I'm the little space left for Them APP
u,r.ntly irving to make tn" confusion greater.
They re not at work anything Ineligible TO the
outsder and the visitor gets u nervous feeling