The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-02-19
Pool Racks and Billiard Cues.

".Time is money in billiards and
pool as in many other things" said the
foreman of the largest company in the
country engaged in billiard table manu-
featuring to Tribune reporter, land
on that account many inventors are
continually racking their brains for
ideas that will benefit billiard men and
put money in their own pockets.
The old-fa.hioned pool ball racks
will soon be things of the past. Much
time is lost in taking the balls from the
rack. as at present constructed. and
depo>iting thcm in the triangle. which
must also be put in place before the
table is ready for a game.
There are half-dozen new things in
this line. One is rack that can be
carried bodily to the table and its con-
tents dumped into the triangle. An
other rack is so constructed that the
balls run into triangle furnished with
bottom slide. The triangle can be
detached from the rack and carried to
the table The bottom slide is then re-
moved. leaving the balls in position.
The third is combination of rack.
gully. and Triangle. and is called 1.-The
automatic pool rack and pully." 1t is
made OF oak or ash. and is ornamental
The rack i, fastened to the wall. The
triangle is at the end of the gully. The
gully mo, cs on hinge and can be
lowered to the level OF the table. The
balls run into the gully and thence into
the triangle. which occupies its proper
position on the table A motion of the
wrist put triangle and gully into posi-
ton against the wall, and the rack i:
ready once more for the reception OF
the balls. Cue-racks are made in vari-
ous styles, but nothing particularly
new or striking, except in the way OF
ornamentation, has been developed in
their manufacture during the last few
| years.
Taste in billiard cues takes wide
| range. but all tastes can be satisfied at
| the warerooms in this city. There they
can be seen in all stages of manufact-
| ure. They range in price from so cents
| to as many dollars. The tips are made
| of ash or maple, The butts are fash
ioned of ebony, walnut, tulip, amaranth
| "a close-grained reddish oolored wood.
susceptible of high degree of polish),
mahogany, snakewood, cocoa, bola,
rosewood, and a number of other
| woods. Sometimes three or four differ.
ent kinds of wood are used for center
| pieces, or. IN the butt. All sorts of COM
binations are attempted in the manu-
facture of fancy, special, or exhibition
cues. Many are ornamented with
name. pieces of inlaid pearl, ivory, sill
yer, and gold, according to the taste OF
the owner. The leather tips with which
cues are furnished were invented by 8
| Frenchman named Mingaud. in 1928, and
in the same year were introduced into
this country. France has a monopoly
of their manufacture to this day. They
are imported ready for use.
The average length of the American
cue is feet 9 inches. The weight
ranges from II to FL ounces. The
favorite sizes of tips are nine and ten
sixteenths of an inch. Cues feet
inches in length have been made for
| special orders, and cues of great weight
have been sent to South America. where
they play the game on tables measuring
u BY 15 feet, and occasionally as large
as 8 by l6 feet, and with balls weighing
from Is to Is ounces. Vignaux uses q
maple cue, with an ebony butt and an
ivory butt piece. His name appears on
bit of inlaid pearl Many cues are
made with handsomely carved butts
The carving adds to the appearance of
the cue, and enables the player to take
firm grip. Many corrugated butts
are also used. Handsome cues range
is price from $5 to $l5--NeU York
| Trib,kne