The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-22

mind, rendering him lnseuslble to phys
ical paln-and that IL the explanation.
This would do very well were the
heat OF the stones anywhere within iGs
degrees r., the temperature at which
albumen coagulates and the substance
OF the human body dlsintegrates. But
such explanations are ludicrousiy In.
adequate where the temperature Of the
steaming furnace Of stones ranges
from 600 to 1,200 degrees +. 80 great
is the heat from the stones that OBJ.
servers have sometimes found 1t i'm
possible TO stand within several feet Of
them. They are grouped In a large
mass, forming literally a white hot fur
mace.
Strange TO say, there is a statement
made TO the Poiyneslan society by one
Colonel Gudgeon, British resident Of
Raratonga, to the effect that he himself
had performed the feat Of fire walking.
The colonel says:
II can hardly give you my sensations,
but ! can say this-that I knew quite
well / was walking on redhot stones
and could feel the heat, yet / was not
burned. ] felt something resembling
slight electric shocks, both at the time
and afterward, but that Is all. do not
know that | should recommend every
one to try Il. man must have mana
1.-THE mysterious power to do II. II he
has not II will be too late when he Is
on the bot stones Of Tama-ahiroa.
ITO show you the heat Of the stones
quite half an hour afterward some one
remarked to the priest that the stones
would not be hot enough TO cook the
food. His only answer was to throw
his green branch on the oven, and In a
quarter Of minute II was blazing. |
did not walk quickly across the oven,
but with delberation, because feared
that ] should tread on sharp point Of
the stones and fall. Ny feet also were
very tender did not mention the
fact, but my impression as | crossed
the oven was that the skin would all
peel or my feet. Yet all really felt
when the task was accomplished was a
tingling sensation not unlike slight
electric shocks on the soles OF my feet,
and this continued for seven hours or
more. The really funny thing Is that,
though the stones were hot enough an
hour afterward to burn my green
branches OF the Il (dracoena). the very
tender skin of my feet was not even
hardened by the fire"
The doctors OF Dunedin, New Zea-
land, recently subjected some fire
walkers TO careful examination i'm
mediately after they came from the
burning stones. They found the mems
feet and hands extremely cold. which
gave rise to some suspicion Of the use
Of local refr, gcrant. Otherwise the
feet were soft and there was no sign Of
any burns. DR.. H0cken, a we'll known
New Zealand scientist, on previous
occasion even licked the feet OF the fire
walkers to see IL he could trace any
chemical. but without result. DR.. Hook
en- when he witnessed the fire walking
provided himself with a thermometer
registering up to 400 degrees f. Just
before the men walked over the stones
the doctor suspended the thermometer
over the center Of the oven some five
or six feet above the stones. II had to
be withdrawn at once. as the solder In
the case Immediately began to melt. 1t
had, however, registered 2S2 degrees,
and DR.. Hocken is sure that II 1t had
been left ii would have registered 400 |
degrees and then burst.
So far as known the bold Colonel |
Gudgeon has been the only white man
TO subject himself to the ordeal, and it |
is 70 be regretted that there would APP
pear TO have been no observers pres
ent on that occasion save the natives
themselves. Moreover. the gallant colo
mel acknowledges that he possesses
"mana," or the mysterious power. The |
plain truth appears to be that there is |
no explaining the phenomenon as wit
messed by the authorities quoted.