Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-07

Save breath; we are wasting SO
per cent of il, according to harry
Houdini, the magician.
He takes one long inhalation and
goes to sleep in coffin which is
sunk in deep water and then he
gradually let's out the air in little
breaths, so that it is hour. 81
minutes and 80 seconds before he
reaches his minimum chest meas
ure. Then, like whale. he comes
up and blows" He explains that
IL we would only cease being scared
we would not need to breathe oftener
than that 1t is all in the controi
of our fears.
But then Houdini thinks nothing
of LAYING ghosts and squirming out
of handouts and chains, or even OF
saving a girls body in two with a
luulberiacks two-man saw. 1t Is
wonderful what me might do II we
were not afraid-just like Houdini
He saves breath--which is fine
example to the garrulous-but What
is freer than air? Why save 1t, even
in the present economical admlhls-
tration? 4.
MANY Europeans. accustomed to
sleep in Theoretically sealed rooms,
devotion a tolerance" for carbon
dioxide so that they seem to thrive
on what smothers an open-aiI
American. 1t is like the tolerance
which any one may develop ioI
nearly all poisons, by beginning WIN
small doses and gradually lncreas-
ing. :. :.
If would be a venturesome layman
who would dare undertake to eX-
Main how Houdini does any. OF ms
tricks Of magic. 1t may be tnal 'iie
performer Is only hoodWlnklhg
gullible public when he explains 'na'
any one can stay under water ail
hour and O half If he regulate NE
outbreathing so that IL taxes Tic a,
long to empty his lungs. but WIN
Naval experts. who are familiar
with sIbmersibles, are authority FOL
the statement that when suoma-
rine goes down the ventillatlng ma
chinerv is not set going until the
boat has been submerged ABOUT -
hours. the men simply breathe tne
natural air over and over again, grdo
uallv mixing with it the dlscnargeo
On rhon dioxide from their lungs.
4 X 4 +
Normal air contains Il per cen
| oxygen and .04 per cent OF carool
dioxide at pressure OF 10 pouhos y
the inch, at the surface OF the SEQ
When a submarine submerges ~ cal
ries down casks of oxygen COMPRESS,
square inch. and when the vent II
| onened this supplies 9 cubic feet o
orvgen ner hour. A submarine witt
a cubic capacity Of 5000 feet easll!
| s,,stains % men on active duty Iol
more than Is hours without repien
| ishment. If they were absolutel1
| quiet they would use much les:
oxygen. When the gauge shows ina
| the proportion of oxygen mas ap
proached Q per cent, the contalnel
| of 6xylith, which gives OH oxygen
| must be opened. If the proportion
falls below 7.2 per cent, death ensues
| X II X y
| A man in action gives off sixteenth:
| of a cubic foot of carbon dioxide pc
| hour--a poisonous gas from th'
lungs. Hence the rebreathed atmos
phere constantly increases its toxl
| character. Submarines depend OF
| two chemicals-oxylith, to create
oxygen, and soda lime. to absorb car
| bon dioxide.
Houdini might have had a false bot
| tom in his submarine coffin, and with
in the space so created he might hav
concealed, say, two or three cubic fee
of oxylith; also, he might have Their
| hidden two or three cubic feet Of sod
! lime--making balanced ration" o
air without any connection with tn
breezes above water. Maybe that CAV
him the courage of his conviction tina
he could take long breath and lie
= it out gradually over q period of q