New-York tribune., 1885-01-11
TIE UHleLIyG SPHERES or ITORT.

now BIfIIARD BALLS ABE MADE AND WHAT THEY
CosT
trne set Of balls is Just necessary for the game
of billiards .as ars the table and cue. An immense
number are turned oat in this city. The ivory is
im,ortnd from Asia and Africa III tusk form. The
urinr,nol pointS of exportttion aro Zanzibar and
West Cape. Ivory il steadily RI ing in price. rs
tho elephant takes great pleasure in sticking his
usk into the earth and nses 10 almost exclusively
for roofing purposes the original color soon gives
place to. darkish brown. The natural color is pre-
served in thr manufacture of certain articles Int is
necessarily .dsrenscl with in ths manufacture OF
blizzard balls. Tho tusk is sawed into blocks and
then put into lathe. Not more than sixteenth
of an inch is lost in turning the balls and from
every ablock' are procured two rings which are
used other for martngale rings or for the purpose
of preserving peace III tine family by providing the
baby with something To chew upon. 49, .
Billiard balls are divided INTO three qualities. all
clear" q half clear" aud season checks. Inc hrst
quality is entirely free from enamel, which forms
the bark or outer covering THIS enamel has lust as
much gdten and elasticity IN 1t rs clear ivory ana
does not interfere with the efficiency ol the Dali bnt
merely shows a flaw in appearance. In get OIL
half clear" balls the two white balls are Tree
from emanuel but from the cOlOred balls the enamel
has not been removed. The balls are coored with
aninc dyes. "Season checks are balls when
have become cracked checked III seasoning.
The blocks after being roughed are allowed To
season for six months. During tins period many OF
them become cracked. me cTdckS arc NV vi Consc-
uucnce so far use is concerned unless they are
large Ivory Is extremely sensitive TO weather
changes and balls often crack whilo exposed III
show cases. During the present month SALESMAN
held an all cearn ball in his hand while talking TO
a customer. The opening of the front door allowed
gust of cold air to enter. IL brushed past the
bali which showed its sensltlyeness Ivy cracking
almost IN two pieces IL balls are kept IN even
temperature and carefully oiled occasionally they
will last IN use for years. good set oil balls mas
been known to last in billiard room for SIX years
I'm other eases has been worn out vi shape ana
become badly cracked in six weeks:
All attempts to provide an artificial substitute for
ivory have failed far billiard Dalls are con
cern"d The best quality OF ccuold seems 10 i,ck
the requisite elasticity. In appearance there IL no
comparison between ivory and ceiluloid lhe Iatter
shows 10 ~ Ain and s of dirty white. In tire
manufacture of fancy articles some success has
material called zyonite. Ii has not been used for
billiard balls. Probably hundred diderent COM
positions have been tried but all have Jailed to pro-
dhce Y billiard ball equal to that made Of ivory.
FOR pool balls cellulod Is found to answer reason
ably we'll. The same elasticity Is not required In
pool balls and ~ most OF them are coored the
difference between celulOid and ivory Is not so
marked. The price also Is a factor in the case
set Of ivory pool balls costs SO while celluloid
set can be purchased for $3J. Few all clear pool
sets are made except " tn Order" set OF all
clear, billiard balls costs $24 half clear" W.,
and season checks" from $l5 to $50. The above
prices for standard sizes, 2as inches. set OF
| composition balls can be procured for $i2 90
rhe largest size billiard ball kept in stock is Gig
| inches South America sometimes calls for three
During the last few year. there has been .
marked Increase in tho mannfacture and sals 20. OF
pertains to the game. The old prejudice that OK
n al against tho game has worn Itself out aud 10 u
the exception rather than tho rule now 90 find rich
| mans residence without . billiard rvonl