The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-04-23
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Something About Mecrschaum

We nave compiled the following inter
estiug facts from the advance sheets of
pamphlet, about TO DO published by thu
well.known house Of POllak's Son, man.
uiacturer Of mcerschaum pipes, in thi
city:
Meerschaum, on article so much es,
teemed by tobacco.snOkers, il hydrateC
sillciate Of maguesia The word nicer
schaum means, literally, EeG.luam, which
is a lancitul name given 10 the material
on account OF its light apparently irOlhy
consistency. The compound Is crystal
line, and rs constituents are variable
Siliciatc8 Ut iron, and al1mnia, occur,
When, pure, and In the raw state, 1t il
quite white, but the prcsencG OF silicatc Of
iron imparts tint, varying from pale
yellow 10 brown; 1t iS soft aud yields
readily to the knife, especially when wet,
and It's fractures are generally earthly,
seldom Conchoidal. It's state OF aggrcga.
ton is variable as to give rise 10 several
densties. Some kinds will sink in water,
while others will float on tho surface.
Meerscbaum Of medium density Is gCn0r-
ally preferred byplpomakers, as the light
varieties arc porous, and sometimes cav
NAuUu9s AG llkukSA NAAACllGgt uOWGNGAI
receive a,high polish when waxed, and
possesses a pert8ctly even and smooth sur.
face, which guarantees their coloring even
ly throughout. To this variety, the trade
term Of "SpiegeI MeersChaum," is given,
Tho German word "3ptegc!" meaning
mirror,
Most oil the MeersChRum comes from
Asia Minor and is mined principally in
the peninsula OF NatOlis, near the town
OF CUniah. MeersChaum Is also found In
Spain and Greece, but in such small
quantities, and OF such inferior quality,
mat mining 1t Is not rcmuuer6tive. Nicer.
schaum Is exported in irregularly shaped
blocks, with obtusC angles and edges, and
much care Is required 10 removing the Ii.
regularities and faulty proportions. It
may also contain various defects, by the
diffusion Of different minerals throughout,
and there are also hard spots In some
meerschaum, which will appear on the
surface when pipes are cut and waxed.
Such pipes arc clRssed as seconds and
thirds, as the market value Is thereby d.
minishcd from 10 to 90 per cent.
After pipes are roughly shaped from
the block, they are prepared for further
operations by soaking the Il In compost.
ton Of wax, oils, and other lats. The wax
and oil absorbed by the meerschaum
cause the color produced by smoking,
As the slow heat oil the burning tobacco
produces dry distillation Of fatty mat
ters, they becoming associated with the
products of the characterization, are
ditEused through the substance OF the
bowl, producing those beautiful grada-
lions OF tint which are so much priced
The inferior qualities, or badly prepared
pipes, depend more upon tho nicotine for
COlOring than upon the wax, and, in such
cases, the tint lacks that fine, transparent
chestnut brown so highly esteemed.
These detective pipes only obtain dirty,
black appearance, and frequently an oily
substance Oo2es out Of the sides, rendered
them filthy TO handle and offensive to
smell.
Very little advice can be given in re.
gard to Coloripg pipes Of the finest quail
ties, rs they may be smoked with any
kind Of tobacco, and, even when handled
roughly, will color we'll MGerschaum
should never be smoked with the case
on, as the color from the lining OF the
case will be absorbed, and deface the
polish.
The imitation meerschSum, which so
closely resembles the genuine that only
experts can detect the difference, is COM
posed Of parlngs OF meersChRum, tech.
niCally called chips. These parings are
triturAled to fine powder, boiled in
water, and nodded into pipes, which, not
possessing the contracting and expanding
qualities of genuine meGrschaum, crack
when heated, and the oil or wax not being
equally absorbed, slowly burns, and
eInits most offensive smell. Such imi.
tstious never color, or, II they do, but
partially; the pipe generally cracks.
These spurious productions arc often
palmed of as the second quality Of gen.
uinC mGersChRum, but their Cost--is only
one-twentieth that Of the pure article.
The first pipe made TO order by the
founder Of this firm, MIR. G. 3. Pollak, In
tho United States, was wrought by his
own hands, In 1857, for tho Rev. DR.. Be
thune, who died some time ago In Italy,
His heirs still preserve the heirloom in
their possession, and highly prize 1t Us
beng tho first meersChAum pipe made in
America.
g. In 1928, there lived in Pcsth, the CAPT.
,al OF Hungary, Karol KOwNtes, a shoe.
maker, whose ingenuity IN cutting and
carving on wood, etc., brought him into
contact with Count Andrassy; ancestor oil
the present Primo Minister Of Austria,
with whom he became u favoritG. The
Count, on his return from a mission to
Turkey, brought with him large piece
of whitish clay, which had been present.
ed TO him as curiosity, on account Of its
extraordinary light specific gravity. It
struck the shoemaker that, being porous,
II must naturally be well adapted for
pipes, As It would absorb tho nicotine.
Tho experiment was tried, and Karol cut
pipe for the Count and one for himself
But, in the pursuit oil his trade, he could
not keep hi1 hands clean, and many o
piece Of shoemHker's wax became attach.
cd to the pipe, The clay, however, in.
stead OF assuming dirty appearance, as
was naturally to be expected, when KRrol
wiped It of, received, wherever the wax
had touched, a clear brown polish, instead
of the dull white 1t previously had, At.
tributing this change in the tint to the
proper source, he waxed the whole sur
lace, and, polishing the pipe again, smoked
II, and noticed how admirably and beau.
TRULY II cOlored; also, how much more
sweetly the pipe smoked after being
waXed Karol had struck the smoking
philosophers stone; and other noblemen,
hearing Of tho wonderful properties oil
this singular species OF clay, imported II
in considerable quantities for the MANI.
iacture OF pipes. The natural scarcity Of
this much esteemed article, and the great
cost OF importation, in those days OF lin.
tied facilities for transportation, rendered
Its use exclusively confined to the richest
European nobIemen, until 1880, when it
became q more general article Of trade.
The first meerschaum pipe, made by Karol
Kowates, has been preserved in the mu.
scum Of Pcsth.
How THE PRESIDENT DRAWS HIS
Sk,Dy Tho prOsihnpt ppvpr IruXva hia