Granger 17
- This article is a Biography
- Chapter 17 - Torture tools
I can at this point introduce another weapon for the tightlace fanatic, and one that I had seen mentioned more than once in London Life. The Viennese Training Belt, or perhaps, Metal Vice Torture Belt, it might have been called.
There were several forms of this instrument. In the first place it was used to reduce the victim's waist to the limit of endurance; sometimes as an exhibition, in front of an audience, when a tiny waisted model, suspended from a lacing -bar, to which her wrists were strapped; this being raised before and during the performance, so that her toes were just touching the ground and her body was thus suspended. The belt, usually in two or four parts, with a screw at front and back, and sometimes the sides also to give adjustment was placed round her tightly corseted waist, sometimes over a special pair of corsets from which the bones, were absent at the waist. The bolt was fixed in place, then while suspended the screws were tightened at front and back, bringing the open edges together remorselessly turned by either the corsetière or by one of the audience in turn, crushing the waist smaller and smaller. Gradually, turn by turn while the tortured victim hung, helpless and unable to resist, panting in gasps, her face getting paler as she reached swooning point, while the sweat of agony dripped from her brow. Even then, the victim might be heard to urge the members to give just one more turn as she felt she was being cut into two, her feet were already without feeling, but the craving to beat the machine drove her on, turn by turn until, inevitably the machine won. Her voice died away into a mumble, her head fell over to one side and she was hanging, a swooning female in a dead taint. Even then, some would say, "Do not let me out at the first faint. Bring me round and let me try some more." So in fact it would be. Smelling salts were held under the nose until the victim returned to consciousness, the lacing bar was raised, and then once more the clicking of the screw could be heard as it was turned bit by bit until the victim fainted away again. Perhaps, even then to be revived for the second and final third effort of another part turn to each screw, when with a scream, the tortured lady collapsed, to be brought round after she was cut down, and released. This was pure sadistic and masochistic torture to the audience and the victim. But it did discover the limiting size of the waist possible. Usually the belt was applied over a special pair or an old pair of corsets, lightly boned, but it could not be worn out as the screws were in the way.
The second kind had a different purpose. This was to reduce the waist as before, but also to flatten it making it smaller from side to side and give the true Viennese Oval waist. In this case, a stout metal ring was locked round the waist of the victim, while on each side, were two padded curved arms which pressed against the two sides of the waist. One or sometimes three screws extended from these two arms outside the stout ring of steel. On turning the screws or screw, as the case any be on each side, the curved metal arms were forced into each side of the waist, and by doing so reduced the diameter through from side to side, but increasing the diameter from front to back. Regular use of this weapon produced the oval shape desired. But again this could not be worn.
However, this was overcome in another way. Under the two padded arms were placed two thin plates of spring steel, about the thickness of saw blades, varying in width from 1½ to 2½ inches. These two plates were put round the waist first and loosely laced with thin wire. They did not extend all round anyway, but there was a gap, front and back. Now the belt was put on and the pressure applied by the padded arms, which were now only slightly curved. The turn of the screws forced the arms and the spring steel plates inwards at each side, until the tortured victim felt that the screws were about to meet through her waist. When the waist diameter from side to side had been reduced to the limit the person could stand, the steal wires were pulled tight, twisted together and the ends clipped away. Then the outer belt was removed, leaving the two steel plates still holding the waist to the famous oval shape, no more that 3 inches from side to side. The natural flexibility of the steel allowed them to adjust to the curves. The lady could now dress and go out. When dressed, the victim now appeared an ordinary wasp when looked at from the side, but as she turned through a right angle the waist began to disappear until when looked at from front or rear it was almost invisible. This was the real Viennese Oval Waist.
Now I wanted to try something like this on Ethel and also myself, so I decided to make something. My first effort was on myself. I made it out of tinplate and wood. It was made in four quarters, but two pairs of quarters could be joined, by different holes and small nuts and bolts to make half circles. The tinplate was doubled to make half a circle about 2½ inches wide and the holes drilled through each part to take Meccano screws and nuts. The circles could be altered by joining at the various holes. At the ends of the half circle, wood blocks were screwed on, the tin plate being brought round the outside of the block. In one of the wood blocks a hole large enough to take a ┬╛ inch wood screw I had made on the lathe, while the other end was bored and tapped to take the ┬╛ inch wood screw. So by adjustment the belt could be made small enough to leave about 2½ inch gap at back and front when placed tightly round the waist and the screws were only just gripped in the threads. Now by turning the screws back and front, the two halves could be brought together until they met, or the wearer's limit reached. I tried this on myself first of all without corsets, where I found that one could turn the screws until the metal band sank well into the body, but the agony at the end was terrible. Sweat poured down my face and I could not stand it for very long, but I did get a reduction down to less than 20 inches. Over an old pair of corsets it was more difficult to bring them together, but the pain was not so intense, nor could one get in so far. I never tried this crude affair on Ethel.
However I made a much more refined belt for her, and the smallest size this belt would go was just 13 inches. No nonsense or fooling; it was 13 INCHES. Could she wear it? This one was made of 20 gauge copper sheet, again in four quarters, so that the pairs could be put together in various sizes by small Meccano nuts, to go from 21 inches to 13 inches minimum. The open ends of the halves ended in a loop carrying a piece of ┬╛ inch brass rod. This was drilled and slotted with an oval belt to take a ½ inch rod, while on the other the ┬╛ rod carried a 4 inch length of ½ inch brass rod screwed to a ½ inch Whitworth wing nut. Both the rods and the slotted holes had quite a bit of freedom for circular movement. The screwed rods went through the oval holes, so that now the screwed rods were on opposite sides. A piece of tube over the thread to bring the wing nut clear of the belt, and it was done.
I was ready to try it on Ethel, and what better chance after she had lost by Mme Verneau's corsets. Also the corsets were now no use to us and with the ribbon over the waist they were ideal. Could she get down to 13 inches? That was what we set it to be.
I put the belt round over her hips, inserted the back rod, put on the tube and wing nut. Now the front rod was passed through, the belt pressed in until the tube and nut could be put on. She now had it in place and we could begin. To start with, I just pressed it in at the front and ran down the wing nut. Then I did the same with the back and ran up the nut. I repeated this process at back and front again, pressing as hard as I could, so the belt was now really gripping her. She was in her high heels. Then I commenced to turn the nuts, first at the back, then at the front, giving 2 or 3 turns each. To begin with she had not felt much, but now the gaps were only about 1½ inches front and back; in other words her waist was now only 15½ inches. Now gave her about 5 turns back and front and so brought in another ½ inch, and she was now only 15 inches over her corsets and she could feel the belt. Now I did about 3 turns back and front which brought her down to 14┬╛ inches.
I asked her how she felt. She said, "I can feel it cutting me in two, but it is not too bad so far. I think you can do the same again as you did last time before I rest. So another ½ inch was conquered and then another. By this time the pressure was building up and she could really feel what was happening. I gave her a little time to settle down, before I took in another ½ inch, turning slowly, each turn exquisite agony; but now there was only ½ inch gap back and front. She was 14 inches. She said, "If I hadn't lost that last bit I would be in by now. How much more is there to do?" I told her only another inch to go and I felt sure she could stand it. She put her arms round my neck, kissing me saying, "You are cutting me in two. I cannot feel my lower half, yet it is something that grows upon me. I want to know what I can stand. I WILL BE 13 inches, if only for a moment. When you do get then to, release me quickly please, for I feel I shall die, Let me have the smelling salts please, and let me rest awhile. Then when I say so, screw them, and do it quickly till I tell you to stop."
So at last I lifted her to her high heels and she tottered round the room swaying helplessly. Then she came up to me kissed me saying, "Darling, see how strong you are. Squeeze me. Turn the screws. Cut me into two if you wish, but give me a good bit. They feel as it they are meeting, back and front and from side to side.
She turned her back to me and I began to remorselessly turn the screw. Gradually the two began to meet and then it did so and it would turn no more. I gently turned her round and she raised her pouting lips for a kiss, murmuring don't think I can stand much more. I feel as if I am already in two. What more is there to do?" I said, "Only ½ inch at the front and it will be right home, and it will be a 13 inch waist. You are now 13½ inches over your corset."
She was gasping for breath, but still determined that mind should conquer over matter. "Hold me tight and let me hang on your neck while you turn the screws." It was now hard going to turn the nut at all, but I began again.
Two turns went by and she gave a squirm of agony, but pressed her lips to mine saying, "More! More! Screw in tighter!" And while she said it I turned the screw again and again. Only a small gap remained. She was almost fainting off, but when I paused, she felt the gap and said, "Only that little more Darling. Turn them quickly now for I will be away in a two minutes, and I want to know they are closed." So exerting my strength I gave the nut several quick turns as she cried, "More! More! I am severed in two! Oh! OH!! OH!!! Have you got them together?" And they were, for the edges had met and I could turn no more. She just had time to hear me say, "Darling, you are right in now and I cannot get another turn. A perfect THIRTEEN INCHES." and the next moment she was a helpless body in my arms in a dead faint. Very quickly I ran the nut off an inch at the back and also the front and soon after they were removed. Mind had conquered.
When I held them aloft to show her the circle in which she had been gripped, she was amazed and said, "ust think, a few minutes ago your little Effie was inside that circle. Later she did it again, when her waist was much smaller and there was not much difficulty in getting them to, but although I could have made the belt smaller, I never did so. As it was, the diameter across the belt was well under 4 inches from side to side.
Later a friend gave us a beautiful plated belt on which the screws could be removed after tightening up, and there was also an instant release to get them off. So much for the Training Belt. I never did get down to the other idea of the oval one. But Ethel's waist was oval anyway.
It was possible at the limit of the extension to make that belt big enough to go round my body over the corsets, but I could NEVER get it in much below 23 inches, but even then I felt the fiendish grip of it as the screws were turned.
Except for Ethel's 1ong training, she could never have got them to meet or to have stood the terrific pressure like she did. Yet it did her no harm that I could see and gave both of us a lot of pleasure, of a kind.
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