New-York tribune., 1900-03-11


bss recently made collection IF stories that re
mind ole Of The experiences Of Shadrach.
Reshach and Ab-dn-ga In India, Japan and
number Of the South Sea Islands q custom
sill survives which is known as the fire walk"
Sometimes it is prefaced with .ncantations. and
# is usually followed by a feast The religious
part Of The ceremony is conducted by priests
The origin Of the custom. both in respect 10
time and place, is apparently unknown. but
is possible that th, ri,7 has now lost some of
rs earlier significant and detail
The essential feature 0f the performance. at
least from the point Of view # the uninitiated
Is walking barefoot over bed II stones that
have been rendered red or white hot by fire
The stones are laid at the bottom Of an excava-
Ton Ike that prepared in New-E England for a
Rhode Island clambake. Logs are cut into suit
able lengths and piled over the rocky founda-
ter and these are then ignited. From four or
I've hours to day are consumed in this part
Of the preparation. which has been preceded,
Of course, by the work Of digging the Dit or
sven and arranging its rocky foundation The
snbers having been hastily raked of. and a red
hot or white hot surface having been exposed,
several men descend into the oven and walk
nore OF less leisureiy across the stones In
q
One Of the narratives which Mr Lang has
been able 10 find was PRESENTED to the New
Zealand Institute in 1e9S b. DR.. T. NJ. Hockeu
and describes Z scene which he witnessed in
one Of the FIJI Islands-Aibenga. twenty miles
''lh o. Su'a- Through The cooperation Of
aFa officers and the steamship company the
'1@l can On Mbensa that stin possesses the
'olaeFiul power was persuaded to give an ex-
''HOn' ahd several whites accompanied the
scloT- One Of them, q Government meteorolo-
s4H earned theTlI- meter that would register
y To zoo degrees Fahrenheit When these
sss'S arrived On the scene they found hun
NraS o. natives assembled in characteristic
costume The Preparations had been un-
s4'AAen long enough in advance to avert any
Ihe oven Vas twenty five or thirty feet
~'e and eight feet broad and was shaped like
1ef- The DEEPEST part Of the depression
M'een fe-t long The visitors saw the
9uss yef covered with embers which were re-
e- Il lAelr presence by means Of long poles
'N'ns loops of green withes
RECORDING TIE TEMPERATURE
"akhg beside the pit before this stage Of
pIOceedngs, the man With the thermometer
Nueo temperature ot ia degrees After
s'Ohes were uncovered he hung his instru-
" out over the centre Of the oven, six feet
a ~. NE stones. Ehereupon the mercury rose
The solder vas melting. and the in
ent vas liable 10 be ruined IL left in that
I'h any longer. What the temperature was
stones themselves can only be conject-
=. Dut Dr Hocken declares that they were
-. not and that low flames from small
De'"een the stones could be seen Ieaping
around them
A., NE tnen who were TO walk through the
e'e examined By Dr Hocken before their
,rs ACT They wore garlands about the neck
h. sC Their feet and legs were entirely
a. NE soles we're soft and flexible. showing
sn. had not been rendered permanently
a., ID any way In order to detect chemicals
~. sh' have been applied for this occasion,
A., 'f CSC not hesitate 10 use touch smell
81 S'e- He licked the natives feet with
sh,, scientific zeal But no explanation of
10 follow could be discovered. FINALLY.
tvs. -pp'ihted signal, the seven or eight ma
dov, H' look part in the performance came
t,... SINGLE file 10 the oven, and then walked
nA "e stones from one end 10 the other of
aers ihey spent less than half a minute
H,o1. Immediately after they emerged DIR
tba again inspected their feet. but could
ALL sh 'f burning or Dlistering.
PEOPLE ACCOMPLISH THE FEAT
Which ~ historian mentions a fire walk in
tna, ~ passage was made 10 less than five
tiien,s - 81 Ieuira Henry rec0unts similar in
ga, be, me Folynesian Journal" and adds
he St., SISTER and niece also walked over
he pr.o,,- nr. Lang has picked up stories Of
pfeterdas ID Japan. where several women
sorrobo,a.'o - nave done the same thing. although
IN t'polsese Fr,i evidence is lacking Sn