The reader is probably familiar with the trick known as “The Silver
Tube and Ball.” If not, it may be stated that the “tube” is of metal,
nickelled, and about eight inches long by one and a half in diameter.
With it is used an ebony ball, which is made to pass into and out of the
tube in a very surprising way.
The secret lies partly in the fact that half way down, the internal
diameter of the tube is very slightly narrowed, forming a sort of
“choke,” so that a ball dropped into it at the upper end does not fall
right through, as one would naturally expect, but stops at that point,
wedging itself lightly, so that the tube can be reversed without any
fear of the ball falling out, though it can be instantly driven out by
bringing down the tube smartly on the table, or by very slight pressure
behind it.
The other part of the secret lies in the fact that _two_ balls are in
reality used, the existence of the second being of course unknown to the
spectator. The tube being loaded as above mentioned, _i.e._ having the
one ball wedged in it just below the choke, if the duplicate is dropped
in from above it will apparently fall through, though as a matter of fact
this ball comes to a standstill in the tube above the choke, while the
other is driven out at the bottom. The secret use of this second ball
enables the performer to produce sundry surprising results in the way of
appearances and disappearances.
The possibilities of the trick in this form are however speedily
exhausted, and it has a serious drawback in the fact that it is necessary
to invert the tube afresh before each production, as it is obvious that
a ball contained in it must be brought below the choke before it can be
produced. I had at one time rather a fancy for the trick, but it seemed
to me that it was capable of a good deal of improvement, and after some
cogitation I succeeded in producing a new trick on somewhat similar
lines; but free from the defect mentioned above and capable withal of
producing a far wider variety of effects.
[Illustration: FIG. 29]
I use two tubes of stiff cardboard, each about four inches long by
one and a half in diameter. One of these is just a plain tube with no
speciality about it. The other has a piece of fine wire crossing it
midway from side to side, and taking the form of a half hoop, as shown
in Fig. 29, the ends serving as pivots on which it moves freely. On the
outside, one of its ends is turned down vertically, forming a tiny switch
or handle. The normal tendency of the halfhoop is to hang downward across
the tube (thereby closing it to the passage of a ball) but a touch of the
finger, moving the little switch to right or left, raises the loop to a
horizontal position against one or other of the sides of the tube, when
it no longer offers any obstacle to the passing of the ball. The wire
used is so thin that with the halfhoop lying against its side a spectator
may safely be allowed to look through the tube even at a very short
distance, without fear of his perceiving the presence of the wire.
The requirements for the trick, all told, are as follows:
(1) The wand.
(2) The plain tube.
(3) The trick tube.
(4) Two white balls.
(5) A red ball.
(6) A lighted candle.
(7) A small red silk handkerchief.
One of the white balls must be vested or otherwise so placed as to be
ready for production from the wand. The second white ball and the red
ball are stowed in the pochettes, one on each side. The faked tube may
be vested and exchanged for the plain one during the journey back to
the table after the dummy has been tendered for inspection; the latter
being dropped into the profonde. These however are matters which the
expert will arrange after his own fashion. If the performer, not being
an expert, doubts his ability to “change” the tubes neatly during the
transit, he may suppress the plain tube altogether and commence at once
with the exhibition of the faked tube from the platform, but the omission
makes the trick less convincing.
We will suppose that the performer goes for the maximum effect and
advances offering the dummy tube for inspection. The patter I suggest for
the trick in this form runs as follows:
“I have here, ladies and gentlemen, a hollow tube. It is not uncommon
for tubes to be hollow, but this one is, if anything, even hollower than
usual. I should like some lady or gentleman to examine it carefully
and testify that it is just a plain ordinary tube with absolutely no
deception of any sort about it. If it was not so, you may be sure I
should hardly venture to let you examine it. You can see through it, hear
through it, or blow through it. You are satisfied? Then I will show you a
curious little experiment with it.”
During the return to the table the dummy is exchanged for the trick tube.
“I call the experiment I am about to show you ‘The Mystery of Mahomet.’
I gave it that name because it was Mahomet who suggested the idea to me.
I don’t mean personally. I didn’t know him. In point of fact he did not
give me the idea till after he had been dead for some years. This sounds
peculiar, but I will explain.
“When Mahomet died he wasn’t buried like other people. His coffin was
placed in a mosque, where it hangs in the air like a captive balloon,
about twenty feet up, resting on nothing at all. I am not certain as to
the exact height from the ground, but that is what the Moslems say, and
they would hardly tell a story about a little thing like that. It has
always been a mystery what keeps the prophet up aloft. Some say it is
done by mesmerism, some say by magnetism, and one old gentleman declared
it was done by mormonism. No doubt, when you come to think of it Mahomet
was a bit of a Mormon. But they are all wide of the mark. As a matter of
fact the coffin rests on a slab of compressed air. It’s quite simple,
when you know it. I haven’t a coffin handy, but by means of this little
tube I can show you the effect of the same principle on a smaller scale.
[Illustration: FIG. 30]
“As some of you have not had the opportunity of personally examining the
tube I should like to prove to you in the first place that it is really
what it appears to be, a simple cardboard cylinder, open from end to end,
and as free from deception as I am myself.
“Proof 1.” (Wand dropped through tube on to table.)
“Proof 2.” (Tube held in front of candle showing flame through it.“)
“Proof 3.” (Tube dropped over candle as in Fig. 30, or spun on wand, held
horizontally as in Fig. 31; the halfhoop in each case being made to lie
against the side of the tube.)
[Illustration: FIG. 31]
“I have here a little ball, of such a size that it passes easily through
the tube.”[17] The ball is allowed to fall through, from the one hand to
the other.
“Now I will place the tube upright on the table and drop the ball in
once more. Where is it now? On the table, you say. Quite right: here it
is.” (Lift tube, closing it, and placing it on end beside ball.) “But
now I take a few handfuls of air and press them well down into the tube”
(makes believe to do so), “and I drop the ball in again. This time you
see it does not fall through. As a matter of fact it has stopped halfway,
resting on the compressed air in the tube.” (Lift tube, showing that the
ball has not passed through. After replacing the tube switch the wire
loop to the horizontal position, allowing the ball to drop inside the
tube.) “I think there can be no doubt that this is the way Mr. Home, the
medium, managed to float about with his head in the air and his feet on
the mantelpiece. All that was needed was a few pints of compressed air in
his tail-pockets. It’s quite simple, when you know how it’s done.
“Of course, as the tube is open at the top, the effect doesn’t last very
long. The compressed air gradually expands again and becomes too thin to
support the ball any longer. I dare say by this time it has done so.”
(Lift tube, exposing ball, and re-closing tube). “Yes, here it is.”
“I can keep the air from escaping to a certain extent, because I happen
to have a very strong won’t. A strong will is a good thing to have, but
sometimes a strong won’t is even more useful. Once again I will fill
the tube with compressed air.” (Make believe to do so, then pick up the
closed tube.) “I drop the ball in again, and this time it will remain
suspended till I permit the compressed air to escape.” (Pick up tube,
holding it vertically a few inches above the table.) “Say when you would
like the ball to fall. Now? Good! I withdraw my strong won’t and the
ball falls at once.” (Switch loop, allowing it to do so, then pass tube,
closing it, to opposite hand and load into it duplicate ball at top; then
replacing tube on table.)
“Now, by way of variety, we will try compressing the ball instead of the
air.” (Pick up ball left on table and make believe to transfer it to the
opposite hand. Then, with the left hand empty, make pretence of crushing
it into the hand.) “The ball is now resolved into its component atoms.
You didn’t see them go? No, of course you didn’t. For the time being they
are dematerialised: but the compressed air in the tube will soon solidify
them again.” (Lift tube, keeping ball suspended.) “It has not got solid
yet, but we shall not have long to wait.” (After a few moments again lift
tube, opening it and allowing ball to pass through.) “Here is the ball,
now as solid as before.”
Transfer tube closed to opposite hand and in so doing load in red ball at
top. In replacing tube on table open and close it again, so that the ball
shall fall, but shall rest within the tube on the table.
“Now I will show you another curious effect. A ball which has been
dematerialised in that way becomes very sensitive to colour. I will just
give the ball a rub with this red silk handkerchief and drop it into the
tube again.” Drop in white ball after rubbing, keeping tube closed; then
raise it and show red ball at bottom.
“Here it is again, you see, but it has taken the colour of the
handkerchief and is now a rosy red, a sort of maiden’s blush; the blush
of a very shy maiden. Unfortunately maiden’s blush is not a fast colour,
unless it’s the wrong kind; the kind that’s rubbed in with a powder puff.
This kind soon gets pale again. I rub the ball again, this time with a
white handkerchief, and again drop it into the tube.”
Drop in red ball, tube closed, lift and show white ball, under cover of
its appearance transferring tube to opposite hand and allowing red ball
to run back into palm to be got rid of a moment later.
“I think I heard a lady say, ‘Where is the red ball?’ This is the red
ball, at least it was the red ball a moment ago. There is no other, for,
as you see, the tube is empty.”
Again drop tube over candle as in Fig. 30. Pass ball from hand to hand
and finally make believe to swallow it, meanwhile dropping it into the
profonde.
“After being treated like this the ball becomes so volatile that I used
to be always losing it. But I never lose it now. I just swallow it and
then I know just where it is when I want it. It saves a lot of trouble.”
[16] A description of this trick will be found in _The Magician_ for
March, 1914.
[17] If preferred the ball instead of being taken openly from the table,
may be produced from the wand after the fashion familiar in the Cup and
Ball trick, but on the whole I think this is best omitted.