The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-07
7. A. BRYSON,
COLUMBIA WHEELS,
242 BULL STREET,
BLIND MANS STRANGE POWER.
Perceives the Proximity of Any OBJ
iect on a Level with His Head.


ject on "A Level with His Head.
From the Detroit Journal.
Is there a sixth sense? The blind piano
tuner, Dean s. Gray, surely possesses one.
When passing a high board fence he can,
without touching it, mysteriOusly feel it's
presence. Anything which is on level
with his head is recognized in the same
way.
Il might he says, stumble over a
post, but wouldn't run into large tree
or a brick wall, unless walking rapidly"
His physician states that this strange
sense of feeling comes from the nerves
in the face, for his sight is destroyed alb
solutely.
One evening in Milwaukee avenue a
house in the process of being moved was
standing in the middle of the street. Mr..
Gray passed along the sidewalk where
there was nothing to Indicate the presence
of the house After arriving at his des-
tination he asked: Whats that thing
back there in the street? 1t ought not
10 be there"
He has the power of impressing this
mysterious feeling upon others. A short
time ago he was seated in the middle of
Third street car. A lady got on and
sat at the end of the seat. Mr.. Gray
made no movement, but those watching
instantly realized that he knew exactly
what had happened. When he rose to
leave the car he passed her more deftly
than does the ordinary man with two per-
feet eyes.
AS Mr. Gray was walking down Mich
igan avenue recently TO The Journal Of
fee to have his first photograph taken,
his escort turned from Michigan at Cass
avenue, instead of walking on TO Wayne.
Quickly he asked, why do you turn
here?, Michigan and Fort are nearer to-
gether through Wayne street than through
Cass."
A few steps further he said: Here is
the restaurant where we had dinner"
At Howard street he was asked: What
street is this?" He replied: zone end of
Howard"
Thus he knows every street in the city,
and street numbers, too. At the front
steps of The Journal Building he swung
his cane forward to measure the first step,
and after that proceeded up the rest just
as any one else would.
His sister said that when they were go
ing anywhere together, she let him lead
the way though she sees perfectly, for he
knows the quickest routes.
Many street cars he recognized by their
gongs.
THE new Woodward avenue and the
Jefferson and Third avenue cars have
rather heavy gongs," he said. ALSO the
Detroit Railway cars. But now they are
mixing them up, and it is harder to know
when the right one comes"
Many conductors assert that Mr.. Gray
can tell the streets of the city by his
sense of feeling" But as a matter OF
fact, the city map is in his mind and he
knows when he passes the last intersec-
ton of car lines before his destined street.
Then so closely does he calculate short
distances run by the car, that he can
ring the bell at the right time for his
own street Likewise when walking, he
knows when it is time to turn a corner.
Nothing escapes his ears, and he can go
home and repeat the entire conversation
of those sitting near him, especially on
politics Mr. Gray denied the story that
he can tell the denomination of bills.
Coins are easy but no blind person in
the United States can tell the denomina-
ton of a BILL he says.
Mr.. Gray is a busy man, for his affiic-
ton has given his ear peculiar aptness in
his business of plano tuning. All alone
he travels over the city, and even to
Windsor The car lines are the points
in his compass which keep him Informed
of his position. His watch has no crystal,
and he reads time from IL with perfect
ease with his fingers. He is an expert
chess player.
Mr.. Gray was graduated from the tun-
ing department of the Michigan School for
the Bind and Lansing. While there he
received an excellent education, and con-
verses fuently on all popular questions.
His residence Is at POI Harper avenue,
east.
Those who meet him for the first time
bow mechanically, and try to make the
points Of their conversation more clear
10 him by means Of gestures. He became
completely blind from cataract before he
was Ave years old, and, like so many 9th
er blind persons, has no memory Of his
sight except how Hight appears.