The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-02-21
Pipes.

Excellent limitations of mecvscbaum
pipes are made in France, Germany and
is country, and it requires keen Judge
u detect some of them from the real article.
They are made of various kinds of COM
position, mcerschaum chips in many cases
being ground over and worked up into
them. These limitations arc called "chlp'
mcerschaums and arc quite popular among
a certain class Of s'okC n good ima-
ton Of the mccrSt ..lum are what arc COM
monty called 'brcad" pipes, one of the
principal concomitans arc wcll-soakcd
bread crusts, thoroughly worked over, and
form part of the composition Of which
the pipe is made Some are quite light in
color, while others are as dark as a we'll
colored mccrschaum. Bread pipes are im-
ported principally from Germany. BY far
the choicest and finest clay pipes come
from France. They arc generally soft and
rather creamy in their appearance, and
easily absorbed nicotine. They are gotten
up in all kinds Of fanciful styles and de-
signs, large bowls with the heads of pub
lie characters upon them, being in cspcc-
ial demand. Clay pipes are made to some
extent in this country, there being several
factories in Philadelphia and Baltimore and
one or two in Canada. The French pipes
q,
in the world. The duties on French clays
arc quite heavy, and tho demand for them
Is somewhat limited compared with the
American and Scotch article. The Wood
stock clay is a great favorite with many
smokers in the rural districts. The Ger
mans and French manufacture q great
many varieties and styles Of pipes from red
and other colorcd clays. Gambler bowls
made from French clay and handsomely
decorated in colors, meet with a steady de-
mand among certain line Of customers
The trade for porcelain bowls, so popular
in Holland and Germany, is very limited
in this country, and is confined almost
solely to the children of "der Natcrland. "
Americans object to them on the ground
that they arc not porous and easily become
heated in smoking. Corn cob pipes are
made in Kentucky and arc great fav0rilcs
among all classes, both whites and bucks,
1p the southern and southwestern states.
Corn cons are very porous and readily ab-
sorb nicotine. but soon burn out. Perhaps
more people in the United States smoke
brier woods or what is commonly called
brier woods than any other kind OF nlpi:.
The ordinary bricr from which American
Drlcr woods are manufactured is found in
great quantities in various parts OF Penn
sylvnnia and Maryland, and there are sew
eral large factories for its manufacture in
Philadelphia. The American bricr wood
is the most highly polished, but smokers
generally prefer the French which cos, bnt
little more than the American. Apple
wood is used quite extensively in the man
utacturc of pipes, while German cherry or
wachcl pipes arc preferred by many. Pipes
are made also to some extent from laurel
and box wood, while quite II business is
carried on in some parts ,f Connecticut in
manufacturing pipes from the sugar maple.
An excellent pipe Can be improviscd from
raw potato, followed out, and with a
long reed stem. The pipe has long been
looked upon as one of the appropriate sym
bols OF conviviahty and amazing stories are
told OF tho old Dutch burghcrs and the
great quantities of the weed that they
would consume III their pipes ut Il sitting.
rarely we think, however, have these
doughty worthless engaged in actual pipes
contests. Tobacco pouches, boxes and
shoppers form bra ch of the parlphcrna-
lla OF smoker that have Il curious interest,
and one of the directions in the early books
on etiquette was: "Gcntlcnan hang the
tobacco bag on tho "rmn oo lodios do the
reticulc." Expensive tobacco boxes were
P'>'o ~ viz ott'it VI tluNlltS,
the old plays and pamphlets of those ,lnys
contain frequent snircal illusions to them.
These boxes were often cunningly engraved
with quaint pictures, and were capacio,is
enough to carry all a smoker required be-
sides tobacco and pipes, finder, Ilint, steel
and stopper. In some of the old I;rmlish
country alc-honscs public box was kept,
OF ingenious construction. a pcnny
dropped in at the proper opening drew
back bolt and allowed Il drawer TO omen,
from which the smoker could fiji his pipc.
put none could open ii until he had dcpos
tied his penny. Beyond that his hcn,r was
trusted to take only one pipe full.