The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-16
Meerohaum and Amber.

! nhoorcnRupn anu AMh0r. t
"The world buys It's meerschaum at
Vienna. The crude material is 8 sort
OF clay, Of delicate texture and very
white color, which is formed by the sei-
iment Of sea foam. It Is flshed from
the water close to shore, and is general
ly found in Jumps varying in quantities
from the size Of an egg to that of a half
bushel measure. Small pieces are some
times found ashore, where they have
been washed by the waves. It Is caught
and raised by sort of dredge. and is
soft, pliable and pulpy. It goes at once
to the dressing-shops, where the inner.
fections are clipped off, ana sfter drying
the piece IL polished smooth, 1T lis then
packed in boxes, about as large again
as peach crate, and placed upon the
market. Each case contains 100 pounds
and is worth from $10O to 5000, accord
ing to the size of the pieces, the largest
onts commanding the premium, because
they are generally of the better quality
and make less waste in the manufacture.
We endeavor not to disturb the original
texture any more than is necessary, so
that the larger piece is, the less par
ing there Is to be done, because
several pipes can be taken from one
block"
"Then you do not crush and mold the
materially"
ooh, no, sir. That would destroy
the texture by closing the natural pores,
the very thing that is undesirable. It
is that that distinguishes pure meer-
schaum from the limitations. The
material, as it comes from Vienna, is
sent to the manufactory and placed in
cold water. In the course of q few
hours it becomes soft, resuming it's
primitive condition, and. is about as
pliable as soap. The cutters then take
it.. dissect the blocks, and with their
thin-bladed knives, cut out the pipes
and II the design is fancy, carve the
limitations. The green pipe is then
placed i'll all oven where currants of
warm air flow freely, and it is thorough
| ly dried, resuming before it is taken out
the hard condition in which we receive
it. The cutting is very difficult work.
and no Americans have ever been able
to become adopts at it. All our cutters
come from the old country. They earn
about $35 a week, and are always able
to command situations, because the
opportunities for learning the trade are
50 limited that the supply cannot be
come greater than the demand.
"After the green pipe Is hardened it
goes to the dressers, who remove the
false mouth-piece used to keep the
pipe from shrinking while in the oven,
and smooth the surface with a sort of
sandpaper known to the trade as schach-
teiham. The polisllers, who are gener-
ally girls, take the pipes, cover them
with melted beeswax, and rub them
with soft flannel until the surface shines.
| The stems are then placed in position.
each being made for u particular pipe.
The case-makers take the measure. and
make the cases in which the pipes arc
presented to the public. 1t generally
| requires about {. week to make pipe.
because the processes Of softening and
hardening are dangerous il they are
hastily conducted"
"How are imitation lneerschaum pipes
| :nado?"
''The shavings Of the good pipes are
mixed with plaster of paris and other
such substances, making pliable com
pound that is taken through the same
process as the genuine material. You
can distinguish the genuine from the
imita' II by its texture and color, the
more I'd appearance. 1t cannot be
colored as prettily as the genuine be-
cause the process of pulping which it
passes through in mixing closes the
natural pores and kills the substance"
"You also manufacture the amber
stems?''
Eyes, sir; and that is an art in which
even more skill is required than in max
ing meerschaum ware. Amber is a
product OF the Prussian coast, and is
procured from the same source, and by
| the same methods as the meerschaum.
although in much loss quantities. 1t is
carved while it is soft and is dried grad
ually. The polishing is done by INNER
sing the dressed ware into liquor mix
ture of alchol and beeswax, and rub
bling with soft flannel until it glistens. -
And it is very expensive2"
"Much more costly than any goods
we handle. This piece, which is about
| eight inches long elegantly polished
and carved, as you see, is worth abou
5000. 1t was made for display, and
would be too heavy for convenient
usage"
"What part of the process in amber
requires the superior skill?n
/
ago, it was necessary in getting curv-
ed piece Of amber to cut it out Of the
block, but there are few men who can
bend 1t. They hold the straight piece
over heated jet until it begins to soft
Ell. They cannot lot it out of their
fingers, and the heat is such that it
would be impossible to retain it in one
position, SO that they must bend it
| while fllmblinn IL and hauo m Jr> a.
very quickly. They have no opportu-
nifty to measure or survey, even by tlleir
eyesight, the curves. 50 that they must
be so skillful that they can tell by the
weight Of the goods at the various an
giles whom the bends are completed"
Il correspondent Of the Scientific
American 1t York. Pennsylvania, "sug-
gests the burning of petroleum ior re-
polling hostile fl ,ets from harbors like
those OF Baltimore, Philadeiphia, and
New York. A hundred Thousand bar.
rolls of oil DOur,,d mo, an ont. AZ ui n ~