SECRETS OF STRONG MAN TRICKS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10066, 6 February 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

SECRETS OF STRONG MAN TRICKS.

(By Professor Henry Lacreuse),

The tricks that are performed by professional strong men on the stage are not really feat 6 of strength, such as they appear to be. They are accomplished by some tricks, by deceptive apparatus, by sleight of hand, or by optical illusion. The feats which a man could really perform with his own muscles, however strong, would not impress the public as seen ppon the stage. They want something marvellous and they get it. When you see the strong man lifting a horse and wagon on his stomach, be sure that he is not Going it with his own unaided strength. The same is true when he bites pokers in two or twists up coins in his fingers. I know what 1 am talking about, for I have done all these things myself. I am inclined to believe that all strong men from the time of Hercules have been frauds. They are obliged, in fact, to be so. If the unfortunate strong man performs the most remarkable feats of actual strength on the stage, tlie public remain cold and unresponsive. But as soon as he tears up packs of cards witii his fingers and performs other impossible feats they burst into applause. You can easily see by studying the athletic records that the feats on the stage are impossible. The record for lifting the bar dumbell is 246 pounds, but no audience would be satisfied with a stage strong man unless he could put an apparent weight of 2000 pounds above his head. Sometimes the people are invited to examine these weights, but the handle is greased for their benefit, and the great bar of iron inserted inside the handle. As to tearing the pack of cards, the strong man before the performance tears each card three-quarters of the way across. He puts one' perfect card at the top of the pack and one at the bottom. Then he oilers them for inspection without- letting go of them, and tears them up without difficulty. It would be impossible for any man to break a sou or any small copper or nickel coin with his fingers, but the effect is easily accomplished by a trick. Several coins are prepared in advance. They are twisted by powerful pincers backward and forward until tney are on the point of breaking. The strong man asks some of the spectators to lend him coins. They can be relied on to offer only coins of the smallest denomination, and for these he substitutes his prepared coins, which he can break with ease. In order to make this trick more realistic, many athletes carry' little capsules of red fluid, called "fleas," which they rush in their fingers as they break the coin, thus creating the impresion that- the tremendous effort has drawn blood. A favorite trick of the strong man is to crush a champagne bottle between his forearm and the biceps of his upper arm. This feat is expensive, because it calls for a dress coat iiistead of the decollete costume that the strong man loves. The bottle is prepared by scratching a hole in it with a diamond. Over this the label is pasted. Round the arm a leather band is placed, having a sharp point in it. The strong man makes this point enter the hole in the bottle. He puffs out his cheeks, grow purple in the face, and "Crash!" the bottle flies to pieces.

Then there is the trick of breaking a steel chain by the expansion of the biceps. The explanation is that the chain contains two links made. of a peculiar kind of "lass, and these break upon very slight pressure. The chain then falls to the ground in two pieces, with a loud rattle of steel

One of the most popular performances in France is that in which the strong mall is locked up in a cage formed of tremendous iron bars, arranged a considerable distance apart, but not. far enough to enable a man to pass out. The strong man tries to get out. He seizes two of the bars, twists himself up cruelly, grows purple in the face.. Alas! "his efforts seem in vain. He stops struggling. - The spectators begin to sympathise with him, fearing that he will never get out. Suddenly he maizes a great effort, two of the bars bend sideways, and: he steps out amid applause. The explanation of this trick is that two of the bars are curved all the time and turn easily in their, sockets. The curve is not perceptible to the spectators, because they only see the bare as upright lines. The strong man merely moves the curves outward on each side and he can step put. .

You are a.strong rnaii, who can only hold a o5 pound,dumbbell at arm's length, yet before an audience you-, will -lift up a'platform bearing twenty-five persons, weighing ■ about 3750 pounds. How explain this mystery? It is simply that the chains which connect ' the platform with the harness on the strong mari's back are constructed with great skill, so that with a very little effort, he can lift a great weight. They simply produce a great- leverage. ' It is known that with the right kind of machine a man.can lift a great building, and it is ..comparatively easy to construct an apparatus .that will lift 3750 pbiinds. The great danger with this trick is that the chains may break and actually throw Game part of the weight on the, man. This happened once to a friend of.mine. .He;was nearly killed and was compelled to remain in ' bed for three -months..- ,

The appliances for deceiving the public are more, or less ingenious. I once knew a strong man. [ who. lifted an apparently enormous weight. While his back was turned; his little dog came in, picked the weight up with; his teeth and. shook it. But, the .appliances, used ,by ■ first-class metropolitan, performers are far more ingenious than,this and really fool the most observant spectators, if they rely on their eves and not on "their reason.