I'm drawing a blank on researching the origin of the Phantom Tube (sometimes called the Ghost Tube), and it's variation called the Genii Tube (or, as manufactured by Owen's, the Satanic Tube). I know that Chang was using a Genii Tube as early as 1913, but there's where the trail turns cold. Any clues will be appreciated.

The Idea for a tapered compartment within a tube is revealed in "More Magic" under the heading of the "wine and water trick". This is indeed a liquid effect but by the illustration you can see where other ideas may have sprang up for its modification for other use.


An interesting Idea that involved silk production is labeled "Conradi's Multiplying Tube" and is in "Later Magic". Both of these effects were made to fool the spectator into thinking they have seen empty tubes.

Mark

Good sleuthing, Mark! The Ghost Tube principle is indeed used in a most interesting way in the 1889 "Wind and Water Trick Improved" that you located in "More Magic." Hoffmann describes it as if is a new principle that was unknown to him when he first penned "Modern Magic" in 1876, so that narrows down the date to be between 1876 and 1889. He describes it as having been "discovered" in the shop of a "Mr. Bland." That may help someone to further track down the inventor.

The tube described in "Later Magic" uses the Mirror Principle, but I don't think it is the first time that principle was described in print. It seems to me that principle is much older.