The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1910-12-28
FIRE EATING IS
AN ANCIENT ART
Tricks Practiced as Early
AS 1870 b. c.
USED TO AWE THE CREOULOUS
FeatS Performed by AncientS
Yet EnvelOped in Air
of Mystery.
SPECIMENS OF THE QUEER ART

Fire tricks were practiced in very
ancient times. The first known fire.
breather was o Syrian slave named
Eunus, a leader in the Servile War
in Sicily, 100 B. C. He pretended to
have immediate communication with
the gods. When DESTROYS of inspir-
ing his followers with courage, he
breathed flames and sparks from his
mouth.
In order to accomplish this feat
Eunus pierced a nutshell at both
ends, and, having filled 1t with some
burning substance, he put it in his
mouth and breathed through 1t. The
same trick is performed to-day in a
more approved manner. The por-
former rolls some fax or hemp into
a ball about the size of a walnut,
which he let's burn until it is nearly
consumed. Then he rolls round 1t
more fax while II Is still burning.
BY this means the fire is retained
in the ball for a long time. He slips
this ball into his mouth unperceived,
and breathes through 1t. His breath
revives the fire, and he sUstains no
injury so long as he inhales only
through his nostrils.
Various theories have been ad-
vanced to account for other feats of
this sort performed by the ancients.
An old ordeal was the holding of a
red-hot iron by the accused, who
was not burned if he were innocent.
Probably some protective paste was
used on the hands. The peculiar
property of mineral salts, such as
alum, in protecting articles of dress
from fire, has long been known. An
old Milanese devised a costume con-
sisting of a cloth covering for the
body which had been stepped in
alum. A metallic dress of wire gauze
was added to this, and, thus protest
ed, a man might walk on hot iron.
Fire-walking is an ancient Orient
al custom, the origin Of which is APP
parently unknown. 1t still survives
in India, Japan and some of the
South Sea Islands. The perform
ance, sometimes preceded by mean
tations conducted by priests and fol-
lowed by feast, consists in walking
barefoot over a bed of stones which
have been made red or white by fire.
A tribe on one of the Fiji Islands
was once persuaded to give an exhi-
bition, and several Europeans went
to witness it. One eff them, a Gov
eminent meteorologist, carried a
thermometer that would register up
to 400 degrees. Fahrenheit.
When the guests arrived they
found hundreds of natives assem-
bled. The oven was 25 or 80 feet
long and feet broad, and was
shaped like a saucer. The deepest
part OF the depression was Is feet
in length. The preparations had been
undertaken long enough in advance
to avert any delay and the visitors
saw the stones still covered with en-
bers.
Walking beside the pit before this
was done, the man with the Their
mometer recorded a temperature of
ia degrees. After the stones we're
uncovered he hung the instrument
out over the center of the oven, six
feet above the stones, whereupon the
mercury rose to 2S2 degrees. 1t is
said the stones were "white-hot" and
that low flames could be seen leaping
up around them.
Two of the men who were to walk
across the oven were examined by
the Europeans before their daring
act. They wore garlands about the
neck and waist. Their feet and legs
were entirely bare. The soles of
their feet were soft and flexible,
showing that they had not been rem
dered permanently callous in any
way.
In order TO detect the presence of
chemicals that might have been APP
piled for the occasion, various tests
were made.
Finally, at a signal, the seven or
eight natives who took part in the
exhibition came down in single file
to the oven and walked across the
stones from one end of the pit to the
other. They spent less than half a
minute there.
Immediately after they emerged,
the Eropeans again inspected their
feet, but could find no sign of burn
ing or blistering.
Several Englishmen have tried this
experiment. one of them a British
resident on one of the Society ISL
lands. He stated that he felt some
thing resembling slight electrical
shocks and that the tingling sensa-