Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-08-16
The Ivory Trade.

The Ivory Trade.
Every one knows that this substance is de-
rived from the tusks of the elephant but
the difficulties attendant upon obtaining it.
and the labor and ingenuity requisite in its
manufacture or its importance as an article
OF use and commerce, are perhaps less gener-
ally understood. From its essential properties
Its indestructibility and beautiful appearance,
it would be difficult to find substitute for it:
nothing being yet suggested for some of the
purposes for which ivory is used. The most
important of these is the manufacture of piano
keys, which require the whitest and most Sc.
lect; as also the making of balls for billiards
and other games in which they are required,
Next it is used by turner's in making number
less useful and ornamental objects by phi
losophical instrument makers, umbrella max
ers, &C., and by artists, for whom it presents
the choicest tablets, upon which miniatures
can be painted. Surgical instrument makers,
employ it for handles to the instruments with
which they deprive us of our grinders, and
rings upon which infantile humanity eases
the pangs theirs create i'll making their pro-
| gress through the gums. The best quality is
indicated by the size of the tusk, and chaIac-
terized by its hardness, density, purity of COL
or, and translucence, the latter being percep-
tible by testing thinly sawed tablet, and
| holding it between the eye and strong light
| 1t is obtained from other animals besides the
| elephant The sea-horse yields pair of teeth
| highly esteemed where extreme hardness ia
| required, the outside of them being covered
by an enamel so exceedingly hinty as to strike
fire as readily as steel, when stricken against
flint. Before being worked however, this
| external surface must be removed bv INNER
sion in strong acid, after which it Yields to the
tool edge, although even then it is difficult to
| work. Before the invention of mineral teeth,
the toothless were indebted to this animal for
| the means of mastication; and had not chem
ical science revealed the superiority of proce-
lain, it would probably have still been the
favorte material We were shown, by al
importer of the article, d lot of ea-hcrse tusks,
measuring nearly two and half feet in length,
consisting of ivory of the finest description,
and sustaining better polish than that of the
elephant, though it is not so highly esteemed,
i'll consequence of its tendency to become tar
nished. Some other sea animals yield ivory,
among which are the walrus, narwhale, &C.
The tusk of an elephant is solid only half its
length, the remaining being similar to the
horn Of a COW hollow and comparatively
thin. We saw at Mr. Phyfe's ware rooms in
Murray street, a tusk about six inches in d.
ameter, having EMBEDDED in its centre bullet,
the place of its ehtranee being entirely over
grown, presenting the appearance of having
IL
weigh from one to one hundred and eighty lbs,
each, according to the size of the amin ais from
which they are taken, about two thirds of
which is available for manufacturing purpo-
| SEES. Nine-tenths of all the ivory brought di-
rectly to the Q. States comes from Zanzibar
i'll Africa to the port of Salem; and this is all
large-a lot of 10000 lbs, which we saw,
| averaging so lbs to the tusk. 1t has been
conjectured that eventually the supply would
L 1o. ,n1 ~ IL.
| the animal but this, we are informed by
those conversant with the subject, is not prob
able, large quantities being brought from the
| UNEMPLOYED interior Of Africa by the natives
| and sold to traders on the coast !: of which a
| part is obtained from animals who have died
naturally; the elephant being too large game
to be seriously affected by the weapons of
savages. The dealer can readily tell by the ap-
| pearance of the tooth, whether it is taken from
| freshly slain animal or not. Some of them,
broken and mutilated give evidence of deadly
encounters their proprietors have had in their
native jungles, while others are g,,aced, by
African rats, probably, for the teeth marks
are large and deep missions. The English
traders, owing to their superiorsfa have
| the monopoly of the market in India and in
| Africa, and the choicest articles can only be
obtained from them. In price it varies from
Is cents to $l,75 per pound net, which are
the extremes for corresponding qualities
Within five years, owing to its extended ap-
preparation to purposes of art and luxury, it
has increased twenty per cent. in cost, and
great economy is requisite to work up the
scraps and clippings to advantage, as its curv-
ed form will not admit of Strengthening, with
out destroying the texture, which would be
fatal to its usefulness and beauty. Nothing.
however, is permitted to go to waste. The
refuse is carefully calcined, and when ground
upon marble slab, yields jet black velvety
pigment, used by artists to paint Uncle Toms
broadcloth coats and other matters requiring
| a particularly jetty hue. Next to the Chinese
the Germans excel in ivory carving and orna-
mental work, most of the beautifully embel-
lished umbrella and cane knobs being made
by them. These, according to the amount of
! work lavished upon them, range in price
from three to ten dollars apiece.
The most beautiful piece of art we ever saw
was marine landscape in alto reliepo upon
the lid of small ivory box, and the commits
/ sioner who possessed it valued it at five hum
bred dollars, but would not dispose of it at
any price.
| The curiously carved ivory balls which are
brought from China. each containing several
balls within them, and apparently entire, pug
| cling the senses to conjecture how they could
| possibly be made, are not really entire, but
are joined so accurately as to be imperceptible
even under the glass of a microscope. Sub
| jected for a time, however, to the action Of
boiling water, they separate, and the wouder-
| full ingenuity of the Chinaman is revealed.
| Ivory is dyed of various colors by contact
with chemicals, though no art has yet sue
ceeded in imparting color deeper than the
! surface, and will evidently wear off. The
| quantity imported into England last year, foots
up about 5000 tons, and into the port of Sa-
lem about 250,000 lbs.
In the business OF the ivory dealer may also
be included the manufactures of box wood,
| ignum vitae, and other hard woods, which are
to greater or less degree substitutes for the