Fig. 56.
Chinese Lanterns.—The production of six or more of these articles, all ablaze, from a borrowed hat, causes an effect not far from astonishing. The well-known collapsible nature of the articles would render the production of a number of them from a hat a matter of no great marvel were they unprovided with a light. What cannot be readily explained is the feature of so many lanterns being alight in the hat at one time without burning either the hat or one another, or, indeed, how they can all be alight at one time at all. The secret lies in the construction of the bottoms of these lanterns, and the positions of the candle or wick holders. The bottoms are made of tin, and on one only of each series of lanterns is the candle holder placed in the centre. This lantern I will call No. 1 (see [Fig. 54]). No. 2 has the holder a little on one side, and a hole through its centre to admit of the candle or wick of No. 1 passing through it (see [Fig. 55]). No. 3 has two holes, corresponding exactly with the candle holders of Nos. 1 and 2, which pass through its bottom, and its holder is at the side of the hole through which the holder of No. 2 passes. No. 4 has three holes, No. 5 four holes, and so on all through the series, which generally consists of seven or eight, that number being about as many as can well be managed at one time (see [Fig. 56]). As the holder of No. 1 has to pass through the bottoms of the remaining seven lanterns, it must, of course, be very long. The holder of No. 2 will be a little shorter, and the next shorter still, that of No. 8 being of the ordinary length. By this means all the wicks will be on the same level when the lanterns are packed together. The tin bottoms do away with any danger of a flare up, and also, from their weight, cause the lamps to open easily, which is of great assistance towards the success of the trick. The upper rims are also of tin, for strength and security. A few sulphur matches, which strike noiselessly, should be affixed to the upper rims of the topmost lantern, whereon should also be some sandpaper, on which to strike the matches. The whole should be tied together with string, and concealed in the breast pocket, from whence they can be introduced into a hat in the midst of the audience. The match struck, the wicks are all lighted almost simultaneously; and, the flames burning the string, the performer is enabled to take out the lanterns in rapid succession by means of a bent piece of wire affixed to the rim of each. An attendant should be at hand with a pole or broomstick, on which to hang the lanterns. A deep round hat is better than a "chimney-pot," the extreme depth of which sometimes causes the performer to burn his fingers.
This trick is well worthy the attention of amateurs, as it is but little worked, the majority of performers being frightened at it, but without any reasonable cause. Any tinman will make the plates and rims cheaply, and the paper sides can be taken from the ordinary lanterns and transferred, so that the trick need not be an expensive one, by any means. An excellent title for it is "A Chinese Feast of Lanterns." Always remember to hold the hat as high as possible when it contains anything: premature disclosures of the contents mar the effect considerably.
Climax to the Hat of Plenty.—When the performer has a stage attendant of average ability, he can conclude this or any other trick with a hat in a very startling manner. The hat is given to the assistant to return to its owner, and, just as he is leaving the stage, he stumbles, falling heavily upon the hat, and flattening it completely. The performer is of course in despair, and after a slight scene the hat is eventually restored, it being found under the owner's chair, or elsewhere. This exceedingly impressive and amusing trick makes a very appropriate conclusion to a performance, and is managed in two ways: Either the hat used in the preliminary trick is actually the property of a stranger in the audience, and is exchanged for the one to be destroyed, or a confederate brings it in with him, and takes his seat on a chair or sofa, beneath which his own hat has been previously concealed. In the first instance, the exchange must be adroitly managed. The excuse of going off to brush it, and returning immediately with the brush, is as good as any, although it will always be subsequently apparent to thinkers when the hat was exchanged, by whatever method the substitution is accomplished. I may say at once that this method is not so good as the second; but confederates are not always to be obtained when they are wanted. Sometimes the performer borrows two hats, and whilst he is producing something startling from one, his attendant quietly removes the other and substitutes for it a duplicate.
By whatever means arrived at, suppose the exchange effected, or, what is the same thing, the conjuror's own hat borrowed, and the assistant lying prone upon the floor. He must then rise slowly, with a rueful look upon his countenance, and, if any object, such as a tin cup, be lying upon the floor, he must abuse it as the cause of the disaster. The performer does not at first notice what has happened; when he does so, he is, of course, greatly enraged with the assistant, and assumes a very despondent look. He expresses his regrets to the owner of the hat, and asks if he would like the hat done up in a small parcel for convenience in carrying. Without waiting for a reply, he and the assistant tear the hat up to little pieces, some newspapers being produced and spread upon the table. On the shelf is a newspaper parcel containing a crinoline, a large doll, or anything else that is ludicrous in appearance. The shreds of what was recently a hat are wrapped in a piece of the newspaper, with the exception of one solitary piece, which is purposely allowed to fall upon the floor, on that side of the table opposite to where the conjuror is standing. When the parcel is made up, the performer notices this piece, and, leaning well over the table, points to it, at the same time, under cover of his body, effecting an exchange of parcels. The shred is rolled up, and a pretence made of putting it in the parcel (it is, of course, palmed), which is then given to one of the audience to hold over his head. A pistol is fired, and, if the hat be borrowed from a confederate, he is bidden to look under his chair, where, naturally, his own hat will be discovered. If, on the other hand, the borrowed hat be genuinely the property of one of the audience, it will be seen to fly across the stage and attach itself to the top of the proscenium, from whence it falls at the command of the performer, and is caught by him. This additional effect is managed by passing a black cord through a hole in the proscenium, and attaching it to the hatband by means of a very large loop. The end to which the hat is affixed must, of course, be removed from sight beforehand, the usual place being behind the proscenium. The construction of the place of performance will naturally have a good deal to do with this particular matter, and the performer must study what arrangements will be best. Wherever the hat is concealed, it must be thrown into the air when the pistol is fired, and the cord at once gathered in as rapidly as it is possible to do so. On the command for the hat to descend being given, the large loop is cut through, and the hat falls. If the cord were simply tied by a knot to the hatband, a piece of it would remain attached after being cut away, and this would give a clue to the mystery. After the hat is safely restored, open the parcel and exhibit its contents.