Evening star., 1922-11-07
"Our American Adventure"
Curious Manifestations of Psychic Powers of Citizen
of Atlantic City Investigated by British Author,
Who Processes Extraordinary Revelations.
BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.

l
| think. AS a rule there Is more snap
and ginger in a London transaction
| than In an American one. There are.
however. notable exceptions. When
saw upon the Saturday the huge emp
ty hall of the pier and was told that
be opened as great railway exhibit
| tion, with engines which weighed 100
tons and machinery all actually run
ming. l was skeptical. But 1t all ma
the Wednesday it was one long line
! Of exhibits. and hummng from end
| to end with turning wheels and slid
J ing pistons. We were shown over by
| the committee ana were deeply i'm
pressed.
| Everything About Railways
! Everything conceivable connected
with railways was there. from the
huge transcohtinental engine al
ready mentioned to the latest bur-
| glar-proof catch for a truck, or the
best cloth for lining a carriage. My
head buzEed to match the wheels be-
| fore I got out. for I have no brains
try to understand 1t all. The most
ingenious thing ! saw was a little
extra engine called booster. running
! by its own electric power. which has
its own wheels. and is slipped under
the big ordinary engine, so as to give
it extra power. Some genius had OBJ
! served that there was unoccupied
| space under the engine and had
thought that it could be filled like
! this. The booster is. I believe. be
| ing actually tried on the London and
North Western railway, and it may
prove one OF those clever helps which
come to US from the land OF active
| brains.
While we were at Atlantic City we
had visit from the Brooklyn friends
to whom I have already alluded. II
| I suppress their name it is a prac-
tical proof that the days OF prejudice
and persecution are not yet past. On
| the same day as the Houdini incident
already mentioned we had a pro
longed sitting at the hotel, in which
once more the most solemn directions
| came to me. protesting to be from
the group of spirits who are the gen.
erals Of the psychic cause upon the
| other side. The names of James.
they professed to speak for larger
body. Nothing could possibly have
been more measured and more lofty
| than their general review of the stu
alton and their advice as to the best
| way OF proceeding, though they did
not seem to realize that I had no
| claims to be an autocrat and that II
endeavored to become one / should
be very unlikely to ind others admit
to such position. I think that they
| lose touch with worldly realities
| when they are viewed from beyond.
But the whole seance was most i'm
pressive and inspiring. At one period
| a spirit. who was sensed by the me-
dunn as a man. broke in with the
| words. II must apologize II I broke
in SO abruptly this afternoon" I had
not told the medium the remarkable
way in which we had got the name
of Powell through Houdini's hand. so
| that. although we failed to get the
name. the incident seemed very sug-
! gestive.
| Houdinrs Confidence.
! I had an interesting talk today with
Houdini about his wonderful powers.
Very naturally he gives nothing
virtue. I am quite sure that if the
| Davenport brothers had done their
performance Is II 1t were a conjuring
! trick. and had never told the honest
and unpopular truth that it was OF
psychic origin. they would have
| been far wiser from a worldly point
| Of view-which. after all. is not the
highest wisdom when the end of the
| story comes to be told. Houdini has
| buildings. and on one occasion a
| spring from one airplane to another
| in midair. He is sustained. he says.
by his perfect confidence that he real
| ly can do it. 1T all comes as easy
| as stepping off log" But when he
| which he will spring. he has to wait
| patiently-some etimes for many min
| utes-until something within him
! tells him that the time is ripe for his
| effort. This. he says. Is universal
| among all men who do such stunts.
! you have about as much chance as a
celluloid dog in hell" He was
| tempted once to trust himself instead
of his unseen guides. and then he
| there" he said. "swallowing the yell
| low stuff that every man has in him.
Then at last you hear the voice and
you jump" 1t may be the subcon-
| scious self which assures itself that
all Is we'll. 1t may be spiritual-but
jump into water from a great height
even a floating match may cause
wound.
had a long talk in New York with
Col. Firth. who Is one of the world
pioneers of radio work. which is
in the future life of the world. He
| explained to me that this system of
broadcasting. by which any one who
has an efficient receiver can get all
the concerts, operas, sermons or lee
lures which are sent out, is going to
lonely farmers who here and in
Canada form SO considerable a part
of the population. With no wires and
no expense save the initial receiver
| they can keep in direct touch with
all that is going on. and also receive
market prices, weather reports and
everything else that is needful Col
Firth was about to present q set to
every lighthouse keeper along the
coast. and I only hope that our gov
ernment will follow suit. He informs
me that though the public radio craze
has not yet broken out with US to
the same extent as here. we are none
the less in technical sense very we'll
up In radio work. the best valves
which intensity sound coming from
England. How far the sound is mag
ntf1ed IL determined by the number Of
these valves, and Col. Firth mentioned
as fact within his knowledge that
the British fitted up a receiver SO
delicate that from the coast thew
could get all the little German trench
Installations. which were only meant
to carry mile or so. The British also
had q system of range finders by
which they could determine the exact
position Of any German submarine If
tho submarine ventured to send out 2
wiroless. Many Of their boats were
detected and destroyed by this
method.
Copyright By Sir Arthur Conan DOYLE. 1922
Tor United States and Great Britain.