News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-18


ent to rabbi from his congregation.
1t had heavy gold moUntings, and cost
$3.50"
"WiIl you describe to me how meer-
schaum is worked before it gets to its
final shape ?" was asked.
''Certainly. You see, the meerschaun1
comes in boxes from Turkish Asia, from
the boreers of the Red Sea, and even
from further inland, from Arabia, Persia
and the Caspian Sea. These boxes
here are a few of them-cost from $40
to $3.50 each, and they contain all the
way from a dozen to 1000 pieces.
Meerschaum is sold according to quality
and size, and not according to weight
This fine, even-grained, snOw-white
meerschaum you see here is A No. /, the
finest quality there is in the world. The
coarser and heavier kinds are much
cheaper. Well, then, we take a big
lump of it, and saw it into pieces of the
size required. These are soaked in wa
ter until they get thoroughly moist and
are considerably softened. When suffi-
GENTLY wet they are cut with the knife
in the rough, and then they are worked
into whatever shape may be required on
the turning engine.
"Thisleaves the emeerschaum in rather
rough and crude looking state, but all
the uneven pieces and blemishes are re-
moved during this operation. Then the
| 4o1 CIV
hours to six days, according to the de-
gree of heat it is exposted to, and to the
state of weather. The drying process
must be done in the open air and not
where it is damp or musty; because that
would spoil the taste of the meerschaum.
When it is dry it is rubbed off smooth
with these little swamp brushes, spec
les of reed, and then it is put in wax.
The wax must be pure and white. 1t Is
melted on a stove in an enameled vessel,
and when it is liquid the pipe or holder
is immersed in it, and kept in the boil
ing wax for the space of ten minutes or
longer, according to porOsity OF the
meerschaum. Then it is polished.
| This is done with whiting, which IS
rubbed in wet with a little rag, until
perfect polish is obtained. Then the
amber mouth pieces are put in, except
ing, of course, those pipes Of bowl shape,
and into the opening of which cherry
wood or other stems are inserted. The
amber is first Clipped off with the chisel.
You see, it comes in pieces varying in
length between one and six inches, and
costs from $1.5O to $40 per pound.
"There are some more expensive
kinds, as, for instance, the sea-green va
riety, which is the rarest of all. The
different shades cut no figure in the
price, unless it be a very fine and rare
one. But in picking the pieces out, OF
course, the finer ones are taken for the
more expensive pipes and holders. After
the piece of amber has been chiseled out
it is worked upon with file, and then it
is fraised on the bench and the neces-
sary openings bored into it. Amber is
very brittle, especially the very light and
clear kinds, and great care has to be eX,
ercised in boring. Then it is polished
All those little bits that are cut off IL
working the meerschaum, and which ar
probably more than one. half of the en-
: : tire volume of the raw material, have
be thrown away. In Vienna they max
: imitation goods with them. They grin
= up the chips and press it into shape, an
sell at prices One-tenth to one-twentietl
as low as the genuine goods. OF course
that stuff can't be made to color. Tht
!, cases in which the finished goods ar,
put are made here in the city. [ pay
from Sc per dozen upward.
at would be impossible" said the
bookkeeper of another firm, ''tO give
you an idea of the variety of meerschaun
pipes and cigar holders we deal in
They run from 81 to $50 and upward
and the price depends a good deal Oh
q, the kind of mounting, whether they
have straight or bent amber, whether
they have fine carvings, monOgrams
etc., and whether precious metals are
: made use of on them in any way. BY
e taking q look around here and there and
| going upstairs into the factory You viii
g see every grade of meerschaum goods
l. from the cheapest and simplest to the
most expensive and artistic. The aver
age pipe, though, runs from S36 to S6(
'e dozen. We supply the market al
t over the West and Northwest, as far cas-
as Ohio and Indiana, and rs far west a
Montana, New Mexico and Texas. Gu
ID West they want only the best goods
and when they get that they are no
particular about the price.
v, "We sell some of our finest goods on
lie that way. The price, 1 forgot to men
G. ton, depends also a good deal On tn
length'of the pipe. One eight lnche
ee long. for instance, will be about $lC
while ten-inch one will be Sl2 or 81;
This is Vienna measure, which Is trlti
shorter than the American. In WlscoI
-u sin and Minnesota they buy nothing br
~ ~ straight pipes, and all through the min
ing districts the same kind are the mos
" largely in demand. In Texas, kansi
~ and Missouri they buy straight, bel
~ and bowl pipes. i'll fact, every kind. l
| tlttL region lllC DNll Bll'Np ''A> = @-
y in favor. In fact, we cannot mai
of ~ enough of them to supply the demonC
~ I mean, of course, carving of bull
- heads. or of the whole beast, on the pip
- or around the opening of the pipe. 1t
- their favorite animal, it seems. In Mo
= tana. Arizona and Nevada, they on
- = want the finest kind Of goods. HC
~ wonder at that. Well, the cowboys ~
III the laborers even invest their first fe
III dollars in a fine meerschaum pipe out
~ that region. They know what sol
ny comfort is. And, as for the mmel
I po nothing is too good for them. Some
VIC the finest monograms we have ever c
1"- have gone out to the miners and ranC
u.s. men. - Chicago Herald.
tho A DAYTON, Ohio, man writes to
l,o paper that his child chad fifty fits
~, twenty-four hours" and is now W
=" hearty, and rugged. Oh, well, we sho,