This anecdote was communicated to the author of the Journal des Savants by Mr.
Panthot, Doctor of Physics and Member of the College at Lyons.It appeared at the time Powell was showing his fire-eating stunts in London, and the correspondent naively added:
Whether Mr.Powell will take it kindly of me thus to have published his secret Icannot tell; but as he now begins to drop into years, has no children that I know of and may die suddenly, or without making a will, I think it a great pity so genteel an occupation should become one of the artes perditae, as possibly it may, if proper care is not taken, and therefore hope, after this information, some true-hearted ENGLISHMANwill take it up again, for the honor of his country, when he reads in the newspapers, ``Yesterday, died, much lamented, the famous Mr.Powell.He was the best, if not the only, fire-eater in the world, and it is greatly to be feared that his art is dead with him.''
After a couple of columns more in a similar strain, the correspondent signs himself Philopyraphagus Ashburniensis.
In his History of Inventions, Vol.III, page 272, 1817 edition, Beckmann thus describes the process:
The deception of breathing out flames, which at present excites, in a particular manner, the astonishment of the ignorant, is very ancient.When the slaves in Sicily, about a century and a half before our era, made a formidable insurrection, and avenged themselves in a cruel manner, for the severities which they had suffered, there was amongst them a Syrian named Eunus--a man of great craft and courage;who having passed through many scenes of life, had become acquainted with a variety of arts.He pretended to have immediate communication with the gods;was the oracle and leader of his fellow-
slaves; and, as is usual on such occasions confirmed his divine mission by miracles.
When heated by enthusiasm and desirous of inspiring his followers with courage, he breathed flames or sparks among them from his mouth while he was addressing them.We are told by historians that for this purpose he pierced a nut shell at both ends, and, having filled it with some burning substance, put it into his mouth and breathed through it.This deception, at present, is performed much better.The juggler rolls together some flax or hemp, so as to form a ball about the size of a walnut; sets it on fire; and suffers it to burn until it is nearly consumed; he then rolls round it, while burning, some more flax;and by these means the fire may be retained in it for a long time.When he wishes to exhibit he slips the ball unperceived into his mouth, and breathes through it; which again revives the fire, so that a number of weak sparks proceed from it; and the performer sustains no hurt, provided he inspire the air not through the mouth, but the nostrils.By this art the Rabbi Bar-Cocheba, in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, made the credulous Jews believe that he was the hoped-for Messiah; and two centuries after, the Emperor Constantius was thrown into great terror when Valentinian informed him that he had seen one of the body-guards breathing out fire and flames in the evening.
Since Beckmann wrote, the method of producing smoke and sparks from the mouth has been still further improved.The fire can now be produced in various ways.One way is by the use of a piece of thick cotton string which has been soaked in a solution of nitre and then thoroughly dried.This string, when once lighted, burns very slowly and a piece one inch long is sufficient for the purpose.Some performers prefer a small piece of punk, as it requires no preparation.Still others use tinder made by burning linen rags, as our forefathers used to do.This will not flame, but merely smoulders until the breath blows it into a glow.
The tinder is made by charring linen rags, that is, burning them to a crisp, but stopping the combustion before they are reduced to ashes.
Flames from the lips may be produced by holding in the mouth a sponge saturated with the purest gasoline.When the breath is exhaled sharply it can be lighted from a torch or a candle.Closing the lips firmly will extinguish the flame.A wad of oakum will give better results than the sponge.
Natural gas is produced as simply.A T-shaped gas pipe has three or four gas tips on the cross-piece.The long end is placed in the mouth, which already holds concealed a sponge, or preferably a ball of oakum, saturated with pure gasoline.Blowing through the pipe will force the gas through the tips, where it can be ignited with a match.It will burn as long as the breath lasts.
In a London periodical, The Terrific Record, appears a reprint from the Mercure de France, giving an account of experiments in Naples which led to the discovery of the means by which jugglers have appeared to be incombustible.
They first gradually habituate the skin, the mouth, throat and stomach to great degrees of heat, then they rub the skin with hard soap.
The tongue is also covered with hard soap and over that a layer of powdered sugar.By this means an investigating professor was enabled to reproduce the wonders which had puzzled many scientists.
The investigating professor in all probability, was Professor Sementini, who experimented with Lionetto.I find an account of Sementini's discoveries in an old newspaper clipping, the name and date of which have unfortunately been lost:
