, 1876-04-07
What is NIeerschaum ?
For the PUGET SOUND WEEKLY ARGus.l


between a genuine "meerschaum'
and a genuine Havana" He cal
be perfectly happy with either, es
pecially where "t'other dear charm
er's away" Under these seductiv,
influences the cares of life and th'
perplexities of business are alike for
gotten. Watching with half-closeC
eye the fumes of his fragrant Havani
as they circle upwards, the printe
forgets his copy {; the merchant hi
ledger, and the lawyer his brief
Even the veriest plodder yielding tt
the influence of a genuine meer
schaum resigns himself to reverie
and makes an attempt at that spe
cies Of architecture known as castle
building in the air.
But what is meerschaum anC
where does it come from ? The worC
itself literally translated, means "sea
foam," and the thing it represent:
received its name from its resemb
lance to the froth Of the sea. Nicer
schaum, or foam, is a mineral
substance in chemical parlance il
is a hydfate silicate of magnesia, or
in plain untechnical language, it is
n mixture of magnesia, silica and
water. 1t is found in Moravia, in
Spain, and in Asia Minor; the best
quality being furnished by the latter
country from the famous mines neaI
Eskischehr, on the Pusack river
These mines, it may be remarked
are worked chiefly by Armenian
Christians, and have a worldwide
reputation. They were known tc
the celebrated Xenophon, as the
readers Of the Attic Bee" may pos.
sibly remember. Large quantities
Of this Asian meerschaum are yearly
imported into Europe to be manu-
factured into pipes. The Germans
and Austrians are the largest pur-
chasers the principal pipe factories
being in the city of Vienna, and in
Ruhla, in the duchy of SAKE Coburg
Gotha: and so vast is the quantities
ofpipes manufactured at these places
that their commercial value may be
safely estimated at. two millions OF
dollars year. But not all the pipes
manufactured in Vienna and Ruhla
and offered for sale in the marts OF
the world, under the name of" meer-
schaum pipes" are made out of gen.
uine meerschaum. Vast numbers oil
them are mere limitations the ma.
terial of which they are made being
composed of the waste from the carv-
ings Of the real meerschaum, to which
linseed oil and alum are added.
These ingredients are boiled to-
gether, and when the mixture has
acquired the proper consistency and
cohesiveness, it is cast into ~moulds
and carefully dried and the blocks
thus formed are cared into pipes,
in precisely the ,s.1eA-y way in which
the pure m9efschaum Blocks are
caryede his artificial material is a
capital imitation of the real article ;
and it requires an experienced eye to
discriminate between pure meer
schaum pipe and its imitation. The
demand FOL" genuine meerschaums"
is so great, and the manufacture
from.arti6cial material so profitable,
that it is really difficult to find the
pure article; and it is safe to say
that more than half the number OF
meerschaums now offered for sale
are mere limitations.
NSWithin a comparatively few years
Chemistry has prepared a new kind
of meerschaum, and in doing so, has
developed a new use for some of our
commoner vegetables. If potatoes
are peeled, and macerated, for SO
hours, in water to which eight per
cent of sulphuric acid has been ad-
ded, then weH washed with water,
dried, first in blotting paper, and af-
terwards, in hot sand for several
days, on plates of chalk or plaster Of
Paris, which are changed daily; and
il, while the process Of drying is 60
ing on, they (the potatoes) are, at the
same time compressed, they will be
transformed into an excellent imita-
ton of meerschaum, which answers
well for the carver, or, indeed, for
any purpose not requiring a high
temperature. If instead of eight
per cent of sulphuric acid, three per
cent of soda be used, greater hard
ness, whiteness and elasticity will
be produced; and if carrots are sub
stituted for potatoes the substance
resulting will be beautiful artificial
coral. Specimens of this new kind
Isof meerschaum we're seen by visitors
at the Paris international exhibition.
FILIUs.
Port Townsend, April, 1875.