Show 1000 to 500 i I ia asserted by some that the 15 puzzle can only be done under cer ain conditions and by others tbat it can be done under any conditians but it i a safe statement to mske hat the man who pays ha has done it once baa never been able to do it a second time Apropos of this subject and since many are positive of the impossibility of doing tho puzzle the following is taken from the Spirit of he Times of last month and as no one seems to have taken up the offer perhaps some of our wealthy mathematicians mathe-maticians will take this easy road of making 500 The block puzzle called the boas is certainly entitled to the name from the extent to which it has taken possession pos-session of the American people Though but a simple toy and the rage for a comparatively few days not to ba familiar with its intricacies ia i already to be as much behind the age as never to have seen Pinafore or not to know that there ia come talk about a third term It is a fact that come massive intellects which have been projected upon the puzzle we allude to the variations of it in which fifteen blocks are used and to be pieced in regular order have reached the conclusion that from certain positions it is impossible to do the trick We are in receipt of a proposition from a wellknown sporting sport-ing man with I very mathematical head to the effect that he will bet 1000 to 500 that he can do the trick with the square blocks on the first trial the blocks to be taken at random from 0 bag He does not specify the amount of time ho will require We will do better than that guaranteeing to produce a man who will do it in fifteen minutes will square blocks from any position in which the cubes are placed We tbiok he can do it in five minutes bat prefer to be safe as our champion i youthful and might lose track of his process if ho was hurried |