Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-02-21
BILLIARD TABLES.
America Leads the World in the Manu- faeture of Them.
 

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 faeture of Them.
 tCleveIand Heraldl
 A gentleman who for many years was the agent of one of the two great billiard table manufactures in this country. has recently located here. To a reporter last evening he said: The manufacture of billiard tables in America is not practically monopoly. America makes the finest billiard tables in the world. and they are shipped from here to foreign points. European centers. Sandwich islands. and everywhere that tab eS are used The su- periOrity of our tables lies in the cushions. IL is fact not generally known that all the billiard table cushions in the world are made down here at Akron. The firm which have mentioned owns the right 10 use these cushions. They formerly cold their cushions to small dealers. asking about $50 for set of cushions that cost about S9 To the uninitiated it may perhaps be necessary to state that the cushions are the level edged projections bounding the table and against which the balls are projected in the game. It Is necessary 10 have yielding. elastic body. which will give the balls arebOund action To accomplish this the cushions are made of soft rubber. with small strips Of vul- caniZed or hard rubber near the edges. For many years billiard table manu- lecturers were at loss how 10 give the cushions the proper elasticity. A thin ribbon of steel was tried, and then fine steel wire. which was keyed up to the proper tention by little wrench. These devices were necessary because a cushion of soft rubber is too gummy. These cushions did not seem to answer the purpose. how ever. and the vulcaniZed rubber cushions were adopted The Europeans still use the Old-fashiOned tables. They have gummy. dead cushions, which have often to be warmed and livened 10 make them work.
 One of the principal billiard table man ufacturers of America began by making pigeon-hole tables for use in little German saloons. He advanced his business until his tables were sold in nearly every city in the Union. Years ago billiard tables cost on an average about $500. Now the average price is but S350 and a most elab- crate table made for one of the Astors cost but $500 Nearly the whole process of manufacturing billiard tables has been changed Formerly the beds were made of wood Even the most thoroughly sea sOned wood was liable to warp, and mar be was next tried. but that too made a poor bed The marble drew moisture that rot the cloth and warped as bad as wood. The slate from Vermont and New Hampshire was tried, ana it filled the bill The state for billiard table costs about $12. Another most i'm pOrtant feature of table is the cloth. France may not make as good tables as we. but we have to look tO the French man to furnish us the best billiard cloth Tf s1 Ev,C e fOfh hff ia n TO- ality the finest broadcloth Every thread must be of uniform size, and the cloth must have a perfectly smooth surface. It costs from S6 to S9 yard
 ~The inlaid ornamental work of a table is handled by skilled mechanics. who re- ceive big wages. It requires good me chanic 10 set a table properly. At billiard matches a man is usually on hand with a spirit level to adjust the table in case the crowd on one side of the room should be enough larger than that on the other to cause the floor to sag.
 ~Ges. sir. we have not only the best | general billiard players. but the best billi- | ard tools in America, said N.. Eugene | Carter. In England they play the old | fashioned pocket billiards, and the tips of | their cues are not much larger than lead | pencil Maple makes the best cue because | lt VIII not warp Out or me An ausOlutely | straight cue. a perfectly level billiard | table. and perfect ivory balls must be had | tO insure good playing. A set of billiard | balls cost from Ss2 10 S26. When firss turned they are green and mushy. as We say. Many players get the cubes of ivory | and keep them hung up in their rooms two or three years to season. Then they | have them turned down to diameter of ? 9-l6 inches. and after using them awhile they have them turned down again to 2s inches which is the size used in matches. A billiard ball must weigh exactly seven ounces to meet the requirements of a game. and they are selected with the ut m st care to get the proper weight. Such 2 ice care is taken to insure accuracy that Troy weight is used in weighing the balls. and ball which exceed seven ounces
 three or four pennyweightS is rejected. You can readily see that balls of unequal 1 weight would lead a player to make blun- ders.
 "A billiard table. continued the speaker. is a splendid barometer. can tell when storm is brewing by the way the table acts. IL is heavy and the balls are greasy and the chalk fails to cling 10 the cue as 1t should