THE EXHIBITION.

Evening Star, Issue 13002, 22 December 1906, Page 7

THE EXHIBITION.

[Special to the Star.] CHRISTCHURCH, December 22. The event of the week in connection with ibo New Zealand International Exhibition was the fire-walking ceremonies by the Fijian natives from the island of Bega. Two ceremonies were performed, at each of which ihero was a very largo attendance of the public. Hig Excellency the Governor at'*nded tho second ceremony. The attendance at the Exhibition generally is very satisfactory. The total figures to date amount to 540,000, with a daily average of 13,000. A largo number of visitors are ar wing daily from all parts of New Zealai and a considerable contingent are expec from Australia next week. Six Joseph Ward visits Christchurch next week, and will spend his Christmas holidays at the Exhibition. Concessionaires of side shows all report good business, the continued patronage extended to Wonderland Company being very satisfactory, indeed. A public reception under the auspices of the Exhibition is being arranged to bo extended to tbo Besses o’ the Bam Band, who are due at the Exhibition on the 10th January, where they make their first appearance in the Southern Hemisphere. Extensive preparations are being made for the military tournament. One thousand volunteers will appear as competitors at this tournament, which, it is claimed, wall be the largest and most complete held in the Australasian colonies. Everything points io large attendances at the Exhibition during next and tho following week. Tbe first display of Pain’s fireworks has been fixed for New Year’s Eve. .FI RE-WAXiKERS AND THE SCIENTISTS, Ora Chilton, Benbara, Evans, and, Pulton ned Professor Kirk, the scientists invited to inquire into the fire-walking ceremony, have drawn up a report. Tho report deals only with tho first performance on Monday, us the scientists were not able io get up to the edge of tho oven on Thursday. As soon as Monday’s ceremony was completed a stone was drawn out of tho oven to allow them to ascertain its surface temperature, Tbo physical examination of the stone was seriously interfered with the unexpected rush of spectators, and Mr Duncan did not think it advisable to make a physiological examination. of the natives before and after the walking over tho stones. As to tbo preparation of tho oven, the scientists have nothing much to add io tbo report in the newspapers, but they say that tho time occupied in walking over tho hot stones, as noted by various observers, did not exceed sixteen seconds. It was noted that the men took their steps rather deliberately, choosing those stones that happened to project most above the general level, and planting the for© part of tho foot, rather than tho heel, fairly upon the stones. Although the scientists found it practically impossible to count correctly the number of steps that each individual took in walking round tho pit, from estimates by different observers they conclude that the time of each step varied from half a second to three-quarters of * second, and consequently the time of 'on. cb of the fool with any stono must wo been considerably less than that. As to the surface temperature of tho stones, a few observations were made of the stones in the pit immediately after the walk, before iho piling of tho leaves and branches on the stones, and several experiments were made on the stono that was afterwards thrown out, after it had been covered for a short time by leaves. Three stones lying sido by side in the pit near tIKS margin varied considerably in surface temperature. No part of the surface tested was sufficiently hot to melt a small portion of alloy , whose melting point is 143deg centigrade. These granules of alloy were pressed on to the stones for a sufficient time to allow of their melting if the surface of the stone had been hot enough to melt them; that is. a time considerably longer than the time of foot contact. Two of the throe stones molted sulphur (melting point 115deg centigrade), and the third just melted hard paraffin (melting point, TSdeg centigrade), thus showing a marked difference in the surface temperature of tho different stones. The fourth stone, which was specially removed for the scientists from beneath tbe leaves, bad the highest surface temperature. J* niched sulphur freely, and also ignited it No portion of the surface of that stone, Ijowover, reached a temperature as high ar. 240deg centigrade. The temperature of one of the fractured surfaces was in tho neighborhood of ISOdcg centigrade, ‘ and determinations of this stono wero unfortunately prevented by the crowd- They mention, however, that the stone was sufficiently hot to bum tho fingers of those who attempted to carry' it. “Ik is a matter of.regret,” ibo report concludes, “that further opportunities for detailed examination of the stones before they were covered with the leaves were not. afforded, for it is tbe surface temperature of the stones actually walked'upon that is of critical importance, while observations of the stones in tho oven before they are spread out for tbe walk are of no importance whatever. Our object was to ascertain the facts, and not io afford an explanation of the performance.”