The Opelousas courier., 1902-01-04
BLIND MANS STRANGE POWER,
Percefves the Proximity of Any Object OF
~ Level with His Head,

=
Perceives the Proximity of Amy Object OF
Level with His Head.
Is there q sixth sense? The blinC
piano tuner, Dean S. Gray, surely pos
sesses one. When passing a high
board fence he can. without touching
it, m~ysteriously feel its presence. Any
thing which is on a level with his
head Is recognized in the same way.
i might" he says, stumble over q
post, but wouldn't run into a 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 absolutely.
One evening in Milwaukee avenue
q 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 tc
indicate the presence of the house. AT
ter arriving at his destination he
asked: Whats that thing back there
in he street? 1t ought not to be
there" IL
He has the power of impressing this
mysterious feeling upon otherS A
short time ago he was seated inSthe
centre of a Third street car. A LADY
got on and sat at the end of the seal
Mr.. Gray made no movement, bu
those watching instantly realized tina
he knew exactly what had happened
When he rose to leave the car hGa
passed her more deity than does the
ordinary nan Win two perfect eyes.
AS Mr.. Gray vas walking down
Michigan avenue recently to the Jour
nal office to have his first photograph
taken, his escort turned from Michi.
gan at Cass avenue instead of walk.
ing on to Wayne. Quickly he asked.
Why do you turn here? Michigan
and Fort are nearer together through
Wayne street than through Glass;"
A few steps further he said: Here
Is the restaurant where we had din.
At Howard street he was asked:
What street is this?" He replied:
One end of Howard"
Thus he knows every street in the
city, and street numbers, too. At the
steps of the Journal building he
swung his can forward to measure
he first step, and after that proceeded
Up the rest just as any N else would.
His sister said that when they were
,oing anywhere together she let him
cad the way. though she sees perfect.
y. for he knows the quickest routes.
Many street cars he recognizes by
heir gongs.
"The new Woodward avenue and
he Jefferson and Third avenue cars
ave rather heavy gongs," he said.
Also the Detroit railway cars. But
low they are mixing them up, and 1t
) harder to know when the right one
Many conductors assert that Mr..
fray can tell the streets Of the city
y his sense of feeling" But as q
natter of fact. the city map Is in HE
hind, and he knows when he passes
ne last intersection of car lines be-
're his destined street. Then so
losely does he calculate short dis. I
ances run by the car that he can
ing the beh at the right time~for his l
street. Likewise when walking,
e knows when 1t Is time to turn a ,
orner. =
Nothing escapes his ears, and he
In go home and repeat the entire
o~nversation Of those sitting near >
i'm, especially on politics. Mr.. Gray =
the story that he can tell the
Of bills. Coins are easy. s
1T no blind person in the United Z
can tell the denomination Of a
Il, he says. /,
Mr.. Gray is a busy man, for his al. \
ction has given his ear PECULIAR
in his business of piano tun
9. All alone he travels over the :
ty, and even to Windsor. The car =
hes are the points in his compass :
hich keep him informed of his posi-.
IN. His watch has no crystal, and II
reads time from it with perfect L
Sc with his fingers. u
He Is an expert chess player.
Mr.. Gray was graduated from the "
ming department of the Michigan IL
hool for the blind at Lansing. d
hile there he received an excellent
ucation and converses fluently on ~
popular questions. His residence q,
at No. 291 Harper avenue east. =,
Those who meet him for the first
ne bow mechanically, and try to ;,
Ike the points of their conversation u
IRE clear to him by means of ges. q
res. He became completely blind u
I'M cataract before he was five years
|. and, like so many other blind OF
rsons, has no memory of his sight til
cept how light appears.-Detroit th
lrnal.
Warshipa' tunnels.