The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-04-18
NUMBER 81.
Meerschaum and Amber.


this country has steadily increased In
former years pipes and smokers articles
comprised the sole entries of meer-
4 schaum and amber at the New York
Custom House. The Government levies
duty of S1.50 per gross and 20 per
cent ad vaiorem on the manufactured
= article, while the raw material is adj
, mitted free. Vienna is the headquarters
OF the meersehaum industry. Five years
/ ago Chambers street firm brought
over, as an experiment, Austrian arti-
saps to fashion the crude meerschaum
blocks into pipes. The experiment.
proved success, and now there are five
or six New York factories, employing
ABOUT 2oO workmen that turn out first
class meerschaum work. 1aoetas
The crude meerschaum comes from
kiltschik and Esk-Schehr in Anatobia.
i In Asia Minor, where it is found loose
/ or embodied in chalky, serpentine rocks.
In size it varies from the dimensions of
a. walnut to that of mans head.
| When it is first mined it is soft, but it
becomes hard when exposed to the air.
In its virgin state it cracks very easily.
| The business of mining and marketing
| meerschaum is entirely under the con-
troll of Armenians. They are shrewd
traders, and can discount vender of
wooden hams and nutmegs at his own
trade. For self-protection buyers have
insisted on the putting of the raw prod
uct into marketable sha ,e, so that some
idea of the value of the goods can be
ascertained on sight. The crude blocks
OF meerschaum are, therefore, slight
y waxed and polished SO that
the grain can be readily seen.
The market is at Vienna, where
the Armenian producers have estab-
hshed agencies, and where the whole
world goes to buy. In marketable
shape, meerschaum is assorted in four
sizes. The largest size has about thir-
ty-f1ye pie ees to the case, the second
averages seventy-fve pieces, third about
one hundred and seventy-five pieces,
and the fourth from three hundred to
hye hundred pieces. Each size again
IS graded in eight or nine qualities. "A
popular notion is that meerschaum is
sold by weight. If such were the case
the slight pounds would be in great
demand. Connoisseurs prefer block
neither too light nor too heavy If teo
light, the meerschaum is porous and
VIII absorb too much nicotine. If too
heavy, it will not color wen. American
workmen have not yet been found to
successfully manipulate the raw mate
rial All the workmen employed in the
industry have been brought over from
Austria They earn big wages and are
sseeretiye with their handicraft.
The process of manufacturing meer-
schaum pipes requires both skill and
practice. The blocks are first roughly
cut into the shape of pipe. They are
then dipped into water, and while wet
are turned on a lathe. The eye is the
only guide to produce eFenness and
symmetry. After the ,lather, has COM
pleted his work the pipes are rubbed
smooth, reed found in the marshes of
hoboken, with a fine velvety surface,
being used as a file. When all the
scratches are removed and a perfectly
smooth surface is presented, the article
Is dipped into hot wax, left few min
utes there, and then polished with RAG.
Right here is a point for smokers.
When purchasing a meerschaum article
always select one having a yellow
tinge A yellow shade shows that the
meerschaum is sufficiently porous to
absorb wax, and therefore it will read
lily color from nicotine. A white meer-
schaum pipe or cigar-holder shows dem
sity sufficient to resist absorption. The
best article is not too yellow, but what
may be termed just yellow enough.
If the Government imposed duty on
amber in its crude state, the Custom
House receipts would be considerably
increased. The authorities, however,
class amber as chemical and admit it
Tree of duty under the heading of gum.
tor the fiscal year ended June 80, last.
S42, 400 worth of amber was brought
into the port of New York. The best
authorities in the trade agree in assert
ing that amber is fossilized rosin. In
course of time, it is said, with our i'm
nense pine forests, it is possible that
amber will be found in this country. At
present the deposit of amber is almost
wholly confined to the shores of the Bal
ic Sea- Some is washed up by the sea
rec OF crust, but the majority is mined
rom the cliffs adjacent to Dantzie.
Amber is sold by weight. The
smallest size numbers about 25O
pieces to the pound. and costs
sI5O. Where there are two to four
pieces to the pound it costs $50 to S35.
Amber OF greenish hue is the most valu
Ible, and a black gem, supposed to be
Imber, comes next in value The popu-
ar supposition that cloudy amber is of
more value than clear is not supported
" fact Cloudy amber is stronger, and
obscures nicotine stains, and is, there
ore, to be preferred, but clear amberis
'rettier, and is always in demand A
of green, black. clear and
Loudly amber in 3 cigar-holder was ex-
libited to the reporter 1t was beauti-
al and novel. Amber is readily,worked
nto shape with the aid of fine sand and
furnishing wheels. 1t can be softened
y heat with the use of oil to keep it
rom burning. and when ductile can be
ent as easily as horn. 1t is also sus-
eptible of high polish. d,,-s $685..
Amber is principally expensive on
ccount of the waste in its man ufacture
Or smokers use, and rubber, celluloid,
nd various other compositions have
cen found to be good and cheap sub
htutes A prominent retailer in Broad
ray said: The time was when only a
apitalist could afford to smoke a meer-
chaum pipe. About Christmas our
'ade was brisk, and occasional raff1es
nabled dealer to work off a stock that
therwise would remain in his show case
ON year to year. Now we have no
'ouble in selling meerschaum pipes and
olders. There is a steady and natural
emand for them. + find the greatest
arianee in tastes for pipes between CITY
nd country folks. As a general rule
ty man purchases pipe from
otives of economy, He wants coed
pe, and doesn't hesitate to purchase
eerschaum- Sometimes CITY man
lys apipe because it has novel shape,
ut as rule a desire to economize
ads to the abandonment of cigars and
le use of a pipe. Sooner or later, how
Ver. the pipe is discarded in favor of
gars. With a countryman things are
tferent He bays pipe for daily use,
I'd really prefers it to cigar.
Other tradesmen said that notwith-
anding the enormous increase of the
anufacture of cigars, the demand for
pes is not curtailed. One dealer said