The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-10-03
MISSOURI MEERSCHAUMS
MANUFACTURING THE HUMBLE
CORN COB PIPE.


corn cob pipes, writes Washington,
Mo-, CORE spondent of the st. Louis
Gl0be- Democrat. The most pretentious
business building is given to corn cob
pipe making. The principal business OF
Washington. in fact, is the turning out
of these adiuncts to a smokers outfit,
which are familiarly called "Missouri
Meerschaums. Beyond all this Wash
ington enjoys the distinction OF being
the only possessor in the world of
corn cob pipe factory.
In 1878 II. Tibbe secured the patent
for filling the interstices of a cob with
what is described in the application for
the patent as "a cement-likc substance"
The substance is simply plaster of paris.
The manufacture of pipes was then be
gun in a small way. In 1882 Upton j..
Werlich, of Kansas City, had some
thought of going into the same business,
but with several others, took an interest
in the Washington factory and organized
q stock company The operations then
became more active, and have so increased
that Mr.. Tibbe now receives 500
month royalty on his patent. Beyond
this he holds one third of the stock, the
remaining two thirds being divided
DtlMICu DlIs w tlIlCu anu AlllCC ObhNiSs
The exact amount of the annual profits
| is not known to the public, but the best
posted claim that each one of the five
stockholders pulls out about $40, 900
year. BY the arrangement under which
the pipes are made, the company is re-
| lieved of the responsibility of selling the
product or of investing any large sum in
stock or machinery. The sole care of
the members is to buy the cobs as they
are offered by farmers. They are turned
over to the outside party, who contracts
to make the pipe, at to much gross.
The finished pipes are taken by one st.
Louis wholesale house, which agrees to
take all the company can produce. The
only annoyance experienced by the com
pany is now and then scarcity of cobs.
Neighboring farmers do not seem to
"catch on'' to the fact that they can
make more from the cobs raised than
from the corn itself. The kind known
as the Collier cob is preferred, as it is
larger and the corn is not set in as deep
as in other varieties. For good cobs one
cent apiece is paid, and many load is
known to have realized $50.
Farmers in the vicinity of Washington
are urged to grow the Collier corn and
bring III the cobs.
An insight into the manner of manu-
facture, obtained after considerable
trouble: The accessories are of the
simplest kind. They are SO simple that
there is only wonder that so good thing
could have been kept in one company's
hands so long. The cobs are delivered
at the factory and are dumped under
cover. They are then sorted and the
good ones counted and paid for. The
desirable size is one and five eighths
inches in diameter, farmers being sup
piled with iron rings of that size through
which to try cobs. Those rejected are
invariably left by the farmer, not being
worth carrying away and are used in the
factory furnaces for fuel. The good cobs
are then sawed by small circular saws to
the right length for turning, one big
cob making two pipes The boring fol-
'ows. The piece of cob is placed in a
sup that holds it tightly, and an inch
Auger connected with rapidly Ievolv.
ing shaft is brought down through the
cob's centre for specified distance.
This is done wonderfully fast by the
boys, who are proficient from practice.
With one hand they jam the cob in the
cup, bring down the auger with move.
ment of the lever by the other hand, and
in twinkling it is over. Almost as fast
as they can be counted the sawed pieces
of cobs are bored. The turner's next
take the pieces. There are two shapes
to the pipes, the "pear" and straight. v
The first swell in the centre and are
rounded at the bottom; the others are
only smoothed, the natural contour of the
cob being left unchanged. The turner's
are experts. They have no patterns, but
are guided by their eye and the condi-
ton of the cob. The piece already bored
is placed on a spindle, the other end
having spring bearing that gives the
pressure to hold it steady. With turn
ing tool the cob is cut down to the firm
body and the shape given, exactly as in
wood turning. The fastest turner in
the factory can do 1000 pieces in a day
of ten hours, but the average for the six
men engaged in this particular part of
the work is $500. They are paid 81 per
1000.
The next step involves the patent
looked upon as throwing the laws pro-
lection ound the company's interests.
The filters, so called, carry it out They
are boys, who fix the bored and turned
pieces of CObs on spirdles similar to
those used by the turner, grab hand
full of plaster of paris and clutch the re-
volving embryo pipe. A jar of water
sits over their hand so fixed that tiny
stream flows down and molstcns the
plaster One grab, presto all the irreg
ulaTities of the cob are filled with pas-
ter. The pieces are then dritd, sand
papered and shellacked All is by
machinery, and when the shelac is dry,
the pipes are ready for packing. The
amount Of plaster or shellac used is trif-
ling One barrel of plaster will fill 80, =
900 pipes, aad one gallon of shellac will
cover them; the stems are of Arkansas
cane, and come already cut. OF the fac
tory's capacity, Mr.. Werlich said it was
intended TO make $50 gross of pipes a
week, and the shop would run through
the year if a sufficient supply of cobs
could be had. There was never an ac-
cumu!ation of stock, as the cobs usually
came in by the single load and were
worked up very fast.
For filling the interstices Of the cob
the company looks upon plaster of paris
as the best thing possible. Many cobs
do not have to be filled at all, being
large enough to tuAdown smooth. One
early preparation tried was OF cornstarch
and gamboge, but this was not satisfac-
tory. Nothing is done 20 the inside of
the pipes, the cob being left in a natural
condition. The new patent tllling has