Houdini handcuffs and Bashny.Net

March 17, 1904 in London Hippodrome was packed to overflowing audiences. People were waiting for the start of one of a kind presentation of the famous Harry Houdini. King handcuffed dared to challenge the castle, which still has not been able to crack.

Only love can break
Couple inserted into each other castles Bramaha.
 - M. Chabon, "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay»

Cunning device brought a correspondent of the newspaper "Mirror". He found in Birmingham obscure blacksmith, who has spent five years on construction and improvement of the mechanism. Master boasted that reveal his brainchild "can neither mortal." No one - except, perhaps, the greatest magician in the world.



exactly three o'clock journalist "Mirror" Houdini own chained in handcuffs, thus equipped with a lock. Third-party opinion would not have noticed anything remarkable about them - just two steel bracelet firmly seated on a volumetric cylindrical rod. After a couple of volunteers checked the shackles of a fortress, King went behind the screen, which he called "haunted house."

The initiator of the incredible performances - newspaper "Mirror" detailed coverage of its course.

The crowd waited with bated breath. After 22 minutes of the "haunted house" magician's head. The audience burst into applause ... but it was still too early to rejoice - Houdini just decided to take a look at the stubborn mechanism under electric light.

An hour after the start of the performance the audience began to get impatient, and some people have openly said that this time Misteriarh defeated. Soon, he still seemed - utterly exhausted and still chained to ask the reporter to open for some time to shake off the lock and prevents it from magician jacket. The journalist, after some hesitation, refused this request. Then Houdini gave a bored little public entertainment: extremely bending, he took out a penknife, opened his teeth and cut the robe from the bottom up. When the assistant tore off his jacket halves, the audience began to clap furiously - it was clear that the King is going to fight to the end.

Some time later he again came from behind the screen, to show all hands free and unruly handcuffs, now disclosed. The audience came to the wild delight: a man tossed a hat into the air, and women hugged and waved their handkerchiefs. Sobbed with happiness Houdini three carried on hands around the auditorium, and journalists "Mirror" vying promised to present a copy of the magician silver lock. It was a victory!
Price triumph

Talk about incredible view not abated for a long time. However Misteriarha talent admired by no means all - of London, rumors that he was unable to cope with the ingenious mechanism, as alleged liberation was merely an attempt to maintain the reputation.

There were a variety of versions of what happened, but the most popular touched Bess Houdini - King's wife. It was said that he could quietly give her mark during the cutting procedure, easy jacket. After that, though Beth was able to soften the embattled reporter and brought into the "haunted house" a glass of water - a key at the bottom. True or not? Who can not be established: Save some descriptions trick, and in some of them said that his wife Houdini did not present at the scene.

In this story, there is another mystery - perhaps less important, but no less interesting - the mystery of a blacksmith from Birmingham. He claimed to have spent a lot of time to develop an amazing castle, and it is likely true. But he did not say that his brainchild, which could confound the King himself handcuffed, was a variant of the device only Joseph Bramah (Joseph Bramah) more than a century ago.



Paris with the inventor

Joseph Bramah. This respectable gentleman's easy to see the son of a simple farmer

Sam Joseph Bramah was only the son of a humble farmer from Yorkshire. Just - with the only difference being that its not the least bit attracted no quiet rural life, or even the work of cabinetmaker in the bustling London. He loved the various mechanisms, the more complex the better, and he always something tinkering.

One of the first patents for the invention he received, pardon me, the toilet tank (by the way, they constructed cisterns still preserved in working order - the residence of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight). In addition to such original things, a record also includes the hydraulic press machine for numbering bank notes and pen.

In the eighties of the XVIII century Brahma seriously carried away by the device locks. A thorough study of the existing model at the time, he came to a disappointing conclusion: the British thieves have long since got picks on almost all occasions. It was necessary to do something fundamentally new. And in 1784 at London's Piccadilly opens a small company Bramah Locks.





Devices immediately gained popularity because of the unusual design - they do not fit, no master key. But the real fame came to Brahma in 1790, after he snapped the lock of his own invention on a window frame shop. Nearby hung accurate declaration: "Handy, who fashioned skeleton key to the castle, will receive a reward of 200 guineas."

Of course, it was a lot of wishing. Open rebellious mechanism tried and plumbers and blacksmiths, and just curious. In vain. As time went on, the window was locked, but the trade has reached unprecedented scope - Now More would, because advertising has been more than eloquent!

Parting with the money only after the inventor had long sixty-seven years. American Alfred Charles Hobbs fussed over fifty hours (!) With her master key, before he could officially remove the lock from the frame. Of course, the reward immediately found a hero - and Brahma as soon as possible has launched a new, complexity; the device model.



"Discoverer" of the castle of Brahma Alfred Hobbs with his master key

There is also misinformation that in the wake of the popularity of his invention, the master Brama zapantetoval fireproof safe, and even established its assembly-line production. To refute this fact easily. First, a single inventor safe does not exist - there is only a gradual evolution from conventional wooden chests to complex fire-water-udaroupornyh designs with three-layer walls. The pioneers in the development and sale can be considered a British company Milner's Safe. And secondly, the source, which first was reported Joseph Bramah and his safe, pointed out 1874 as the year of filing of the patent application. And everything would be fine, that's only the Brahma died more in 1814! Not only as the next world, too, there is the patent office.
Castle Brahma. The key to resistance

And yet, what is so unique in the construction of the castle appeared Brahma? What secured him neprobivaemost, but such that the variations of the mechanism used in our day? Let's see.

Castle Brahma. The key to resistance

And yet, what is so unique in the construction of the castle appeared Brahma? What secured him neprobivaemost, but such that the variations of the mechanism used in our day? Let's see.



The mechanism of secret castle of Brahma is based on special petals (sliders)

Key - a hollow rod with recesses, whose number corresponds to the number of "sliders". Here too there is a trick: to make life difficult for burglars, the depth of the recesses varies from manufacturer to manufacturer (currently there are six possible versions). Also included is the usual projection which presses the central spring. Turn the key only when fully inserted - so the customer necessarily give a protective plastic cap, which prevents dust and crumbs to hide in the grooves. This, incidentally, is quite an ancient tradition - is it even mentioned in "The Pickwick Papers" Dickens.



In a first embodiment of the castle of Brahma central core surrounded by eighteen petals. The modern castles of their number had decreased to seven

Curious, eager to look inside the castle Brahma special obstacles they meet: on the rear panel are two fairly large screws. Filling uncomplicated - the familiar "sliders" and one for all the spring (although it should be noted that in more complex models his personal spring has each petal). It completes the picture a silver axis.

When the key marks on the "sliders" form a continuous line along which the bolt moves. Axis also keeps the "innards" of the castle thanks to the protrusions on the outside.



The key to the castle of Brahma looks deceptively simple

Just? Maybe. However, we must not forget that this design was truly revolutionary for its time - was worth only unusual hollow key. And the process of hacking is not characterized by simplicity - hairpin here obviously does not help, it's more like the opening of the safe via phonendoscope, in the style of old Hollywood movies. The robber had to hold the central compressed spring, move the tab until the mark on it snaps into position. Moreover, when the position of the X for a "slider" is found, it was necessary to remember it and release the spring, returning to the beginning. After this first petal has steadily shifted in place, and the operation is repeated with the second. So eighteen times! Now imagine how you need to be an octopus to crack model is not a single spring, and once with family. That's right.


To key mechanism is not clogged, it is supplied with a protective cap



Dismantle the castle of Brahma is quite simple. It is enough to unscrew the two screws on the rear panel



Castle of Brahma with the key inserted therein

King handcuffs could not know about the wonderful castle. Rather, it has even been known as such a device is opened without a key. But during the famous representation of his hands were shackled sly modification - two locks Brama inserted into each other.



Handcuffed, with whom fought Gidini had two inserted one into the other castle of Brahma. Uncover them - obviously an incredibly difficult task

Did the Houdini cope with such fetters? Hopefully, yes. After all, even the most impregnable castle can be overcome when left true skill ... and a little bit of magic.

A source