Harry Eng the Master Bottle Filler.

Harry was born in 1932 and died in 1996. He was a school teacher, educational consultant, inventor, and magician. A web search will tell you a little about his many talents but in summary:

Everything he did was intended to teach you to think.

Here are some of his bottles that are in the Puzzle Museum.

 

This bottle contains his "Trademark" knot. It is, as always, too large to come out of the bottle, but also the stick plus cord is too wide for the neck of the bottle.

One evening Harry was in a London hotel and decided to visit the Puzzle Museum the next morning. When he and his friends had finished their bottle of wine, he took the bottle up to his room. He then filled it with a book of matches, menu, and the pack of cards as a gift for us. This is a particular favourite as he assured us that the only tools he had were a pencil and rubber bands.

G135(AMB-POBJ)

This is a "Loaded Deck". The deck is loaded with 6 shots.
 
This incredible bottle has a bolt through 3 packs of playing cards. It is so tightly packed that there appears to be no room to get the nut on or off .

Our venerable curator has gone nearly blind with a magnifying glass but has failed to find any sign of breaks or glue in this plank. It is a One Gallon Bottle and the plank measures about 14 cm x 12.5 cm x 1.8 cm thick.

Even if one could use the key that is loose in the bottom of the bottle, the padlock on the bottom of the plank is too large to fit through the neck of the bottle.

The plank is engraved with Harry's "Think" Logo.

This was Harry's favourite. Made in 1991. The label records how it was made:

"Find a piece of wood from the High Chaparral (Manginita wood). Drill Deck. Put case in bottle. Put cards in case. Put rope through deck. Tie knot. Put nut, bolt, and lock parts into bottle. Hold bolt with a magnet - screw nut on with dental floss. Assemble and lock padlock. Finally sign the pack of cards".

This is Harry's ship in a bottle.
For details see
Puzzle of the Month for August 2006

     
     
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