The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-06

their audiences. they are not easily
One Of the prettiest illusions brought
out by %conjurers Of late years has beer
that Of the flying dancer. The con-
structfon of tie apparatus has been
kept closer h IN other. and only a
few versions. not fully In the secret,
have tried to use Il as II properly be-
longs to a scenic display. This may
pass for a description. A young, and
Of curse handsome young woman.
Is dressed In h costume of a fairy and
airly from one side OF the stage
10 n other, or goes straight up out of
sight. and as suddenly appears in some
other place on the stage. or balances
herself in the air on the tips of the fin
gers or one OF the persons on the stage.
Although the spectators may at once
say she Is supported by a wire. IL is not
easy for them to explain how she flies
from n side of the stage to the other,
or suddenly flies straight up In the air.
The wires cannot be seen. in the weak
stage light, even with the use of a
strong opera glass.
There are two OF three ways Of oper-
ating the mechanism. and the way gen.
orally practiced Is not the one first in
vented. At one side Of the stage be-
! the scenes Is placed a ~windlass.
from which a wire goes up to and
through another pulley. back again and
through a third pulley and then down
to the windlass again. This wire is
endless n is wound several times
around h windlass. in order In IL
a wind up at the same time Just as
III at IL unwinds. on this wire over
the stage runs a pulley block and
through this runs the supporting wire,
which Is a very hin ~pianoforte wire.
one END OF IL is attached to a steel band
or corset on the woman, at her back.
This corset is concealed by her costume.
The other end of this small wire is led
to the side OF h stage. through a small
pulley and down to another windlass.
With the first windlass she is drawn
from one side to the other and with the
other one she Is raised or lowered at
the same time. In other methods coun-
~terweights are used instead OF wind
lasses. Thus. this wonderful effect is
like all others-a simple piece of me-
There are very few mechani-
cal tricks now being shown which a
person or average mechanical know
ledge cannot study out and duplicate.
The famous Anderson. known as the
wizard OF the north. once saw a con-
1urers performance. and afterwards
studied out n duplicated each piece
OF the apparatus used in IL. This gave
him his start on a long and prosperous
career. Since his day, however. more
ahb "A btch ustu IMAM me-
chanical effects. A clever combination
OF the two makes the most interesting
performance.
The trick OF the s~exagonal cages has
lately been seen in this city. 1t Is in
teresting. but in explanation absurdly
simple. Each of the six sides Of the
cages has the wooden frame Of a door
and each frame is supplied with a
spring blind. There Is no preparation
about h cages. They are seven feet
high N about three feet i'm depth.
They have wooden legs about two feet
high and at the top Of each Is a hook,
on which 10 fasten a rope or wire 10
null them by. When the curtain raises
both cages are on the stage floor. The
performer enters n let's all the blinds
fly open, opens the doors and walks
through and through. Now n woman
enters and is placed in cage No. I. The
blinds are pulled down. the doors clos
ed and the cage pulled up. No. . is now
closed in the same and Is also
elevated. The performer fires a pistol
and the curtains OF No. 2 fly up and
there stands the same woman that was
in No. l. The secret lies in the way the
doors are closed. as IL is al this nick Of
time that she IL let out behind No. 1
onto a secret plank In the rear which
with care No. .. Anyone could
do hat trick! Yes. but while the So
luton OF N was a secret II served its
purpose remarkably well.-Chicago