Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-01-23
FACTS ABOUT TORTOISE SHELLS.


Nh'rc 'heN tom" from, How Polished
and Made Up, and Their value.
The importation and manufacture Of
tortoise shell into combs, hairpns aud 9th
cr articles of that nature has grown to be
an immense business
81 have had forty years experience in
the trade" said the proprietor of an up
town tortoise shell comb factory, to
HdU ana Express reporter, and have
during my career bought enough She II to
fill the Great Eastern"
Where do you get ii from ~
1t is found in several parts of the globe
viz. Florida Keys, Bcrmudas, Honduras
ana across to Africa, around the globe to
the East Indies and China and on the
Pacific coast at Cape St Lucas Notice it
is confined to the same longitude in differ
belt"
Are there many varieties of shell ?"
There are three varieties The real or
genuine tortoise, from which the finest
specimens OF shell are obtained, is called
the iiawkblll, or Eagle of the air Next
comes the I.oggerhead turtle, Il degener-
ate, which furnishes Il very inferior quail
~ and cannot produce those beautiful col
Ors like the eagle. Last, the green turtle,
which for shell purposes is almost good
for nothing. The real tortoise has thir-
teen distinct and separate pieces OF shell
distributed over his back, designated as
follows Four kite pieces, one head piece,
four backboues, two hips and two tail
pieces The extreme edges OF Il tortoise
shell are cal led calpers or ages, and from
these the finest ambcr-cOlOred shell is
produced. The bottom of the foot Just
beneath the toe nails, the shell taken
therefrOm il also amberCOlOred."
'"tan the shell of land turtle be utiliz-
ed in Il comb factory :"
1T is considered worthless for comb
purposes Yet it is susceptible of being
highly polished, and many fine iewelry
boxes are made of it. Carbuncies fire.
quently get on real tortoise shell, eat
through and produce Il faulty shell, just
rs Il knot in Il fine piece of pine timber
ruins its grain. The price ofthe real shell,
select quality of cliff the hips are consid-
cred the best pieces and always called
cliir, Is ~ a pound The caliper ami toe
nail shell sells from - cents to $50 a
pound. But when il is worked UP. polish
ed, etc. it is worth treble the original
cost. '
Can shell be dissolved ?"
NO. it cannot he dissolved or melted,
although IL FrenchnIau once asserted that
it could. the late DR.. Chiffon and the
noted DR.. Quimby are my authorities on
the subject. 1t Is put together 10y being
welded as iron. only with this difference
the air Is excluded. Shell can be no more
melted than person could make a beau
tiful red, yellow or green color by mixing
all the CGlurs OF paint together. 1t j. said
DR.. QuimbN possesses valuable secrets in
regard to tortoise shell and its capabili-
ties. 1t would be a calamity if he should
die without telling all he knows. Shell
can be burned or DESTROYED hy certain
acids, otherwise it is indestructibe East
India shell and Honduras shell cannot he
welded together, owing to some difference
in their temperatures Florida Keys and
West Indies shell works better than any
other. The African and East Indies shell
Is harder and possessed of a more brilliant
color but has the fault of being too brit
tie. Shell is a conductor and not porous,
because ii cannot be dissolved. Dark
coors usually predominnte in all speci-
mems of shell. 1t i considered the health
lest article Yet to come in contact with the
hair and scalp. 1t is Il boon to woman
kind and is manufactured specially for
their use
What is the process of manufacture
ing =
The shell is first placed in cold water
and allowed To soak for some time. Then
it is placed in boiling water for several
hours After this another soak is given
III cold salt water and final boil in pure
fresh water prepares ii for the workman
It is now kept pliable and al certain tenn
perature until worked into the shape or
design desired. The final polish is then
given and the arInOr of the rough Saurian
of the sea is sold to adOrn the head of
some fair woman
Mr.. Evarts and His Social side.
Is. Y. Correspondence of the Phil, Ncw,1
The candidacy of William VI. Eyarts
for the United States Senate has brought
into the comic journals again the familiar
CariCatures of the man who is popularity
supposed to have such a weight OF gravity
in his big head that his little heels ought
to turn UppermOst, like the light end of Il
roiy-puly toy But that is IA misconcep-
ton. EVarts i a Jolly old fellow, very
1.'i At Il 1s.1
his dignity and much given to joking
when safe from public observation. III
the magnificent luungiuG-rooms of the
| Mon League Club, of which he is the
president no anecdotes than his are lis
tened to with less strain upon patience,
and their peculiar quality is that, through
the sObriety of his speech, the nearer neV-
er can tell whether the story is to be fun
ny or not That in itself compels close
attention, of course, because ii won't do
to put bland smile on the face while the
mind runs to something remote, since
there may he no place for laugh to pro
perry come in. Ii was Evarts's habit of
maintaining il sedate Visage that made his
treatment ot an audaciOus and self-com-
plaCent young woman effectively crush
ing. She wore the tlaring hat and the ex-
aggerated garments of an actress, though
she WAS no nearer the stage by profession,
rs she rattnEly explained, than was inn
piled in being an elOcutiOnist.
nav ultVlt Dpltl W NtlI bll YOU, MI.
Evarts, she said, because felt sure you
could appreciate the services which could
render to your children
As he has eleven of them ranging in age
from to 80, he felt bound to lean back
from the work on his desk and listen To
any proposition that purported to be bene
fetal to them.
Il would like an engagement to instruct
and entertain the younger members Of
your family the caller continued. Il
am very clever indeed. and am accuStom-
ed to recite for hours every day
1T may be said To have become chronic, "
the lawyer interposed.
20, suppose So and the elocutionist
was radiant.
well, now and here he became ap-
parently retrospective, as he does when
formulating his long sentences, THE theo-
ries and practices of my household, in so
far as they seem to he pertinent To the EN-
ployment of an entertainer, instructor, or
We may say assume without any mis-
conception of your proposition or otfense