Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-29
Cigarette-Making in Cairo.
THE GREAT NUMBER EXPORTED TO ALL PARTS OF
THE WORLD.

THE GREAT NUMBER EXPORTED TO ALL PARTS OF
THE WORLD.
From the London Lancet
The bales are opened as required, an d the
various leaves mixed so that four different
priced qualities result the best kind being that
in which there is the least Smyrna tobacco and
the least percentage of large leaves If cigar
cites are made exclusively of the best leaves,
which are light yellow brown in C. dior and
measure only 4x2 inches, the aroma is very
pleasant, but the smoker gets headache after
about five of them. The middle leaves, when
dry. measure about 7x41 inches. and the low
est leaves of all are considerably larger. Ca iro
air Is so dry that the leaves must be damped
with water here before being cut. but in Alex
andria this is not necessary. English-made
machines cut up the leaves, and on the follow
ing day the Cigarettes rolled by Greek. Sy-
rlan or Jewish workmen. A clever wor knan
can roll as many as fifteen hundred day. The
cigarettes are then carefully overhauled by an
expert, left a week to dry, and then packed in
tin boxes for sale. They should, of course. be
smoked directly, instead of being kept, as is
too often the casein England.
so MUCH FOR THE TOBACCO,
now for the paper. All large Cairo firms en-
ploy one kind of paper only, which is made by
half English company at Flume near Trieste
1t comes to Alexandria in foolscap sheets and
Is there cut up to the required size. 1t is not
known how IT is made, or whether it is chiefly
rice straw; but the merchants here all vow that
IT Is the best they can get. IL one is right in
suspectlng the paper instead of the tobacco, it
might be well to try to get cigarettes rolled in
tobacco-leaves instead of paper. The only
other ingredients left to consider is the starch
for joining the paper. This is used with thin
stick by the men who roll the cigarettes l
may say that each workman is allowed TO smoke
as many cigarettes (say forty as he likes dur
ing his work. and is presented with ten every
night to take home with him. The first estab-
llshment that visited only came into being
five years ago, but now it has three branch
shops in London and one in Bombay Berlin
and New York. The proprietors sell only l
per cent of their cigarettes in Egypt, but ex-
port 5000 week to England. besides 400 900
weekly to India. Europe. China Australia, &C.
My second visit was paid to well-known pur-
yeyor who exports 100000 week to England
alone, where / saw
ONE HUNDRED MEN ROLLING CIGARETTES,
and bales full of the best tobacco leaves. At
the third house was shown several bales of
Jobec tobacco from Yenidje. This consists of
specially-selected leaves. and is the finest pos
sible from Turkey. This proprietor sends
about 125.OOO every week to England. NV
fourth visit was to a man whom | had never
heard of before, but who is keenly alive to the
correspondence in the English newspapers He
sends every week more than 50. 600 cigarettes
to England, and greater quantity to GERMANY
Although in a smaller line of business than the
Others. he gets his leaves and his papers from
the same spot as his competitors. There are,
of course, many other reputable establish
ments in Cairo besides these four, which, as I
have shown, supply every week 200 900 cigar
cites to England alone, and about the same
number to other parts of the world. NV
opinion is that no opium or other drug is mixed
with the tobacco; and even in hasheesh dens
the devotee buys a bit of the cannabis indica
extract and mixes it himself with the tobacco
In conclusion, one practical hint from wise
old Oriental who smokes seventy or eighty
cigarettes day, his wife smoking almost as
great number. Always use a cigarette holder
and in the holder tiny plug of cotton wool
previously dipped in lemon juice and changed
every time with the cigarette.
A WHOLE FAMILY PoIsoNED.-The Philadel-
phia Press says: kensington family consist
ing or seven persons, were suddenly taken ill
last evening after drinking tea, which must
have contained some poisonous substance.
samuel Hazlett, his wife, three sons, one
daughter, and one granddaughter sat down to
supper shortly before o'clock. and finished
the meal about Z. No sooner had the family
rose from the table than each one had a
strange feeling. Mr.. HaZlett was taken sud-
! denly Ill and fell in faint All seven were
seized with symptoms resembling that of poi
! soning. DIR. Fulton was summoned and found
the family In PROSTATE condition. He ad-
minlstered restoratives after he had pro-
| nounced the sudden sickness due to poisoning
/ Mr. Hazlett was in a low condition at midnight
and the physician said he would likely die.
The Others are doing well. The poison is sup
posed 10 have been taken in the tea
IT WAS COSTLY FuSERAL.-The surrogate
az Lockport, n. Y, has given a decision in the
dispute over the bill for the funeral of Mrs
Katie Weston. Mrs. Weston was the wife of a
lumber millionaire, James D. Weston. formerly
/ OF Tonawanda, and member of the firm of 4
W. Weston Son. The cost of her funeral has
/ been variousy estimated at from 80 600 10
! $4,000. Tho body was transported in n
special train, and no expense was shared
by her husband to do honor to her memory
! Soon after his wife's death Mr. Weston also
died. In his will he made his father. Abiiab
! w. Weston, his executor The elder Mr. Wes-
ton sought to have the expense of Mrs Weston,s
funeral paid out of her estate, and il was tbis
endeavor that brought the matter into the snr-
rogates court. The surrogate has virtually
decided in favor of the Contestants. Among
the items cited by the surrogate are the foj.
lowing: For the casket, original bill. ESQ al
lowed $3.50; bill for the Erie special train. dis
| allowed, s220; bill for flowers. $6l7. allowed
200; printing bill, s6s2.50; physicians bill
1897, allowed $500. 1t is stated that the mater
Will be appealed to the higher courts by old
Fogg says that some of the people ON the
1 n.