The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-07-14
Finely. Tempered swords.

|
not51Esany means confined 10 beautiful
| forms and elaborate ornamentation.
| The greatest skill was exercised in the
manufacture and tamperin gothic blade,
which, in the days when swords were
not only MORN but used, was more I'M
portant than any other part of this
weapon In Europe.the sword manu-
lecturers of Spain fiFst beganato have
reputation for producing work of supe-
rior QUALITY. and the arInorers OF Toledo
| stood foremost amoag-tlIeir eopntrymen.
| A 81 Toledo blade" Was considered to be
weapor OF great value, and, even now,
when we wish to speak ofGssomcthins
Remarkably fine-tempered andsharp, we
com pare il to one of THESE swords. The
Peculiarly of the Toledo blade was net
only its extreme hardness, which Ell
abled it to receive ;Iastretam the SHARP
est and most delicate edge, bit its elias
ITCHY, which allowed It TO be bent with
out being broken. Some OF the most
famous of these swords could be bent so
that the points touched the hilts, and
yet they would spring backto-a perfectly
straight line 1t is,said thatAin Toledo,
sword-blades have been seen IN the cut
lers' shops coiled in BOXES ike watch
springs, and though they might remain
IN this position Tor some tune, they
would become perfectly straight when
taken out. eOther places in Europe were
also fameus-for producing good swords
Many excellent weapons We're made 5ns
Italy, and Andrea Feirara, sthe Italian
sword-maker, was better known Through
out Europe than any other of bis craft
To possess a genuine Ferrara blade was
considered a great thing by the mobiles Of
France and England. t-iss-
But it is 10 the East that the world
owes the productionpfs the most fiael Y
.fenpered swords ii has ever secn;s and
the steel of Damascus mas been celcbra<
ted for many hundred years as sllperi
10 any other metal that has eyer III
made into sword-blatlcs. Even inc 60
of Toledo doubtless owed their skill a.
knowledge TO the Moors, who brougll&
from Damascus the art of making blades
that were as hard as diamonds. ms sharp
as razors, and Is elastic as whalebone.
Wonderful stories are related of these
Damascus swords. We have been told
that with one of them full-grown sheep
could be cut in half nc a single blow, a
heavy iron chain could be severed with
out turning the delicate edge of the
sword, sand - gaHze, veil ilostmg IN the
ain could be etit through by one gentle
sweep of Che gIittering blade. These
wonderful scimitars are not manufac-
pued now, but their fame has exceeded
that of any other weapon of their kind,
and it is quite certain that their extraor-
.dinarys excellence has not been e agrs
geratea. It is probable chat the workers
III steel OF he present day might be able
to discoyerthe peculiar methods by which
the Damascus steel was made, bdt- as
there would be little use or demand for
the blades after they had been produced,
il isnot likely that their manufacture will
be attempied. FWeshopld consider, how
ever. that although the present age IS
pre-eminent as an inventive and manu-
featuring period, there are some things
which have been produced by the an
clients and the artificerS of the Middle
Ages which we of the present day have
not been able to equal 1t is possible,
therefore,, that our steel workers nlignt
never. be able to make tDamascus biaue'
even if they wanted to.
Some of the swords of Japan are sad
tog ssgsKondeFfui 'qpildiessof hard,
ness aneFsffsl-eHess = 4'he seefyis told
that if one of these celebrated blades IS
held upright! in a running stream the
DEMONSTRATING gently down with the cur
rentwill cutthemselves in two when they
reach the keen edge of the sword. :
But these Japanese swords, some Oh
which were held in such high esteem
that-t hey--were- -wershiPPed, tent
pies were built in their honor, weTss
only hard and sharp; they hade slal
they could not bend AMI
might break, and i'm this respepra
were far inferior to the splends
tars of the Moors and Saracq
LeUees, IN st. NicA5las. %