The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25

Before beginning the supposed mesmeric
passes the performer places the bottle at
just such a distance from him that. with
the ball of the foot on the ground and the
heel raised. the thread shall be drawn taut.
when the alternate lowering and raising
of the knee will suffice TO make the knife
rise and fall again. When the trick has
lasted long enough the knife is drawn half
way out OF the neck of the bottle. The
performer lifts 1t out altogether closes
it and hands 1t back 10 the owner. the mere
act of closing il releasing the thread.
In the old method of working the trick
the home end of the thread was made
fast TO one of the performers vest but
tons. The bottle was held in the hand and
the knife made to rise and fall therein by
moving it farther from or nearer to the
body. The method above described is,
however, far more magical, besides being.
after little practice. more easy to work.
1t is a great point to have the hands alb
solutely free. The performer may, IL de-
sired, hold them above his head or spread
them out upon the table, showing clearly
that they take no part in the feat. and yet
the knife continues it's mysterious move
ments.
In all tricks of this kind the thread must
be thin, SO as to be practically invisible.
On the other hand, strength is an important
consideration, as an accidental breakage
would place the performer in a very un-
comfortable position. / can strongly recon-
mend, for use in such cases. Kerr's lustre
twist, No. So, which combines the two desd-
erata in an unusual degree Though very
thin, it will bear a strain of over twenty
six ounces without breaking. II is pro-
durable of any draper or trimming seller.
THE MYSTERIOUS TOBACCO PIPES.
1t is popular saying that there is no
smoke without fire. but the wizard is not
bound by the prosaic laws of ordinary life.
Not only can he, on occasion, produce
smoke without fire. but he can even dis
pense with tobacco and yet keep his pipe
going merrily.
A popular method of presenting the trick
is follows: The performer begins by
asking if any gentleman present can oblige
him with the loan of two clean clay pipes.
AS even the most inveterate smoker does
not usually carry new pipes about with him
nobody complies with his request and he is
therefore reluctantly e? compelled to pro-
vide the needful himself. He accordingly
produces a couple of new pipes, of the cut
ty'' description, and announces that he is
about to teach the company how to smoke
after the new twentieth century method,
without either pipe light or tobacco.
Taking the one pipe in his mouth in the
usual way, he holds the other upside down
upon it. as shown in Figure 8. This he ex-
plains. is done to concentrate the electric
fluid. Forthwith thick clouds of white
smoke begin to roll out, not only from
his lips, but from between the two bowls.
At any given moment he separates the two
pipes, blows through each and shows IL
empty, but the moment they are brought to-
gether again and he begins to smoke the
white clouds again roll out from between
them.
The secret lies in the fact that the two
pipes are chemically prepared, the one hav-
ing been rinsed out just before using with
| liquid ammonia and the other with hydro
chloric acid. The moment they are brought
I'together the fumes of the two chemicals
combine in the form of chlorine gas, a
heavy white vapor, in appearance not I'M
| like tobacco smoke.
A paper spill, freshly dipped in the acid
may be substituted for the uppermost pipe
| The performer may so far simulate the act
| of smoking as to take little of the gas in
his mouth. promptly expeling it again, but
he must not allow any of it to pass down
| into the lungs, as this would be decidedly
| injurious. In general way the effect is
better produced by gently putting than by
| inhaling.
By way of variation the performer may
| dispense with the pipes, and, lighting a
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