The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-10
BILLIIRDs AsA BUSINESS.
seeing the son Pine under the Decisive Veil
of Thin veneerius.

New York city alone has no fewer than
thirty establishments exclusively engaged In
making material for the billiard room. In
former tunes, II man ufacturer sold two tables
a month at $3.50 each he was satsne but now
he must make and sell them by the dozen, at
one-balf. and even one-third, tue Old prices.
Formerly New York aud New Orleans furnished
the supply but now hundreds OF excellent
tables arc made annually In Pail ldelphia, BAIL
more. Boston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Chicago,
st Louis, Detroit. IN Francisco.and other cities.
The table ~ the past was the English. with six
pockets. The cushions were, until 1850 made OF
cloth Ia layers, aud every maker fashioned his
own cushions Ia that year Moore OF loJ Fulton
street; winant, OF II Gold street Bassford.
Decker. and Tobias O'Connor. father - the late
Chris. o Connor. were the chief manufacturers.
Tne rag cuAi1n was In use by all except B,s--
ford. who invented the raw gum cushion. lie
afterward patented an air-pips cushion. the
most elastic ever made. Ii would not mold a
ball upon the table, ami after days use 1t
would collapse like bag Every day 1t WIS
necessary to pump the pipe full OF air. Winant
had a cushion made OF rubber and cloth. 10
1850 Lov Decker made a cushion OF rubber
stip- nailed in the groove ore AIRED for the lin
ing. and afterwa d Invented the diamond rub
her cushion. SO little competition existed in
patenting billiard novelties. On the introduce
ton Of the sohd vulcanlzed rubber strip every
/ maker used u as "A base. an applied To the edge
Whatever he thought would add TO its elasticity
/ or sOllr
/ In 1855 the late Michael Phelan returned from
! California. and m connection with his son IN
I law, II. W. tollender' brought out cushi9n
/ made Of leather ami cork. the h SO beng the
! al .mond rubber. lie W then In he zenith 81
hi- fame ssa billiard pl yer, ana his cushion be-
/ came the gc but no became dlsfustcu WIN
/ II. and nhandnnnd IT. The next invention " - a
+ sfeel-f .ced cushion. patented uy Lew Dtckri I;
/ out he soon gave It az. About tuls time II l.
man look out a pttrnt Tor Nha rion faced
cushion then Phelan tired To introduce broad
+ band ul steel rlrihg from the ted OF iuc table
/ and tunuing along the sides and edy' vi h
7 nothint to support II. Next came III 70 Win "A
runner -trtu upr ia the natk. anI WuAut Win
A~'cel spring Inserted IN the ruhuer base q iar-
| ter Of an iuch from the edge e the cl-hion.
Helms - be- ton improved On TINS hV mouldlng
the rubber around the sprifg. and later. iruu-
wick az Cincinnati introduced n corr ami rub
Der cushion. Decker then invented cushion
with corded edgr. aud Delaney one similar to
It. bnt wi h the difference tAat his cord was
eel wire. white Drcker's catgut. The old
tables measured twelve teet in length hy six In
"ldth. ana h"d tx n"'k.S' tHrN Nte, now h''
much iu use excnpt ilr Attecn bail pool
The game % II tt ia no h'cpme really
popuiar untiI Pneltu'- victory over Svereiter
lhat event, heialdvd over tie wires hy tns late
Dor-tirks 300 four columns Il ii, apor, sent
billiard To the front. - Erta' was the remaud
for tables tnattAe manufactures. most of W. III
vera m Ann street, were forced 10 provi ie
larger dCcommni ,tious for th"tr workmen. ine
nililard business stel ~ increased from this
time onward until tle W II. during the early part
Of which thu demlnd for tiles became 60 ere II
ihat tho m.nuf.c urcr, coul NOT OIL their nr-
ders. The ordinary table ia" three quarter
SIZE. WIN or withput pocNets-the' sold ia
S4Oi TO 500. ia sane taOle Of bet 81 material
aud more carefully made. u to day -oli, al
pront, fer $50. strip IL ~ cloth, slate, bed and
cusniOf =, the most elegant billiard tihle Of re
cent make, ami Nol have leit nothing but
framcNorN 81 white piuo. That wni'h you had
TAX n fur lovely bild's eve maple, rich mahoz
any, sofia walnut, or delicate nottltd ASH. Is tu
a SOFT ilue deluiiun vetl-d it'll thm Veueerins
Biilitrd tables AMI the other appurtrnauce'
OF a public billiard roo n are sold 10 saloon keep
ers. payable in lusttilnents. 4 man with money
can almost name his p,ire; nat ~ q rule pur
Cnasers gay oue-third casa, ana the rest n
monthly sums. Ger. ~ professional PLAYERS cdi
get tables without AuNanctuS a cent, becaus'
| their names are an adyeriiseW ent; hut any Othr
must way something, and " g To MIN who I'll
To meet his monthly payment. Ills tables ar,
/ soizrd, the money no has advanced Is, 10y tn'
terms OF the contract, held by the mInutdC
turer and the property Is disposed OF to somt
/ other customer.
There Is too much foolish talk about billiar,
cushions. luu eau buv u any maker set o
Just sucn cushions ~ YOU want; ana II you get
good ones, YOU and your friends viii never calt
whether they are one make or another.