St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-07

morning. only feeling very thirsty and duh.
For several other nights had the same
trouble. but each night l went 1t was less
marked. A few more nights and l COM
menced to get the real enjoyme Mt from the
pipe.
GETTING USED TO 1T.
After smoking felt extremely easy and
comfortable, lay INDUCING myself to the
extent of my imaginative nature, INDUCING
In the widest fancies- that appeared at the
moment so real and no thought OF worldly
trouble entered nv mind. Then the fire.
ouenters of the joint were always telling
stories. cracking jokes. Sometimes we
sang in low voices. Then we drank beer.
Feeling hungry, two or three OF u dubbed
together and bought kettle Of hot coffee
and sandwiches from the little restaurant
near by Again such refreshing sleep.
How the time few! Hours were only min
utes and days hours.
Nv next step was to learn how TO pre-
pare my own opium for smoking, and be-
fore this always had to get some one else
to do it for me. This is termed cooking
and takes months to become proficient in
To do this the needle or yen hoe K is grasped
between the thumb and first two fingers of
the right hand. The point is dipped into
the ium, and removing it small portion,
the size of bead, adheres to tie yen hook.
1t is now held over the flame of the lamp
and swells up to the size Of chustnut.
Striking it against the globe Of the lamp it
bursts and little confined steam escapes.
leaving it all shriyelled up. This Is re-
peated until it ceases TO swell.
The object of this process is to evapoyate
all moisture from the opium. changing it
from sticky substance to solid, similar to
sealing wax.
The pipe is held in the left hand and the
bowl warmed over the light. The opium,
in melted condition. is rolled over the face
of the bowl until it is shaped into a cone,
the apex being the point Of the needle.
This is termed chying. The cone is now
heated until it is very soft, the needle is
pushed into the small hole Of the bowl and
hattens the apex Of the cone till 1t becomes
cylinder. The hole Of the bowl Is thor
oughly heated, the needle is pushed entirely
into the hole, melts the opium, which now
adheres to the bowl; the needle Is then
twisted out, leaving small hole through
the opium to the opening of the bowl. This
mass is termed pill. TO smoke this the
bowl is held over the lamp so that the pill
is directly above the flame. The opium
| melts. giving forth vapOr OF smoke. This
melted opium.
1t took me over a month to do this right.
now came to the joint every night, fire.
quently lying in one spot two nights and a
day. Some Of the frequenters didn't leave
the joint once week, and then only for
few hours, having no home 10 go TO.
They were the professional cooks, receiv-
ing so much for every % cents worth OF
opium, what was brought in shell.
hardly ever ate more than one meal a day.
Sometimes l only took that because
/ thought it was best for me, and not because
L cared for it.
FIRMLY IN THE TOLLS.
Some nine months after my first introduce
ton TO a Joint was unable to get my usual
smoke one night. l felt very bad when L
got in bed. but Immediately fell into
heavy sleep. from which was aroused In
the morning after much calling.
On becoming thoroughly awake went
through series of novel sensations.
First l began to cape and pain in the
back of the head started, then tears ran
from the eyes, catarrhal discharge from
the nose, my teeth chartered and l trembled
| from head to foot, a cold sweat covering my
body. L tried to eat some breakfast. but it
would not stay on my stomach. Half an
hour more and rheumatic pains shot through
my limbs, cramps in the stomach. took
| dose of laudanum and in few moments
all the disorders ceased.
now realized for the first time that was
victim to the opium habit, or, as the
Chinese have it. "inyun fun" / was COM
PEELED thereafter to smoke at least once a
day, sometimes oftener. When could not
smoke 1 used laudanum or morphia.
The misery / suffered is indescribable.
Sometimes right in the midst of CONVEX
sation would be seized with this sickness
and must quickly get an 0piate or be COM
pletely Frustrated.
This went on for some time. My face
became sallOw, my eyes bright, the pupils
contracted. l never passed comfortable
hour unless l was either under the infiu-
ence of opium or liquor. Ny mind was
filled with the darkest thoughts towards
| myself, and life became almost unbearable.
| 1t was then determined to break the habit
or die.
My treatment was this: / went to the
country, away from my old associations,
| kept reducing my dose of opium every day
| gradually, at the same time taking nervines
and tonics. 1t took nearly three months of
uncomfortable suffering before i was cured.
My advice is to keep away from opium in
all forms, as no good comes from it. The
| opium used for smoking, called by the
smokers dope" is an aqueous extract of
the ordinary commercial gum. The Chinese
have secret mode of preparing this ex-
tract making it more palatable to the taste
and easier to get ready for smoking. 1t is
! imported from China in an oblong brass box
about five inches long, two and half wide.
The can is only half filed, as in warm
! weather it puffs up, and would overflow
the can if allowance was not made for this
swelling. 1t is about the consistency OF tar
melted in the sun, and nearly the same
color. The mode of measuring it when
selling is by Chinese weight called fune.
There are about eighty-three fune in an
nounce, and can contains AIS fune, or
about five ounces. This sells for 1925
can, best quality, and inferior. grades as
low as Sc. In smaller quantities eight to
ten fune are sold for % cents.