The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-16
THEIR FAD IS THE PIPE.
THE FORTUNES SPENT ON MEIER
sCHAUMs AND BRIARS.


One Man Who Colored 500 Nicer
schaums In Fifteen Years-Mound-
Builders Pipes - Public Men as
HPipeoloyists - Grants Scattered
Collection How Cleveland's Clay
Pine Was Saved to PROSPERITY.
CopgriGht)
NEW YoRK, Feb 15.-Almoss every man
of wealth and opportunities has hobby.
One mas a prediction for pictures, another
for arinor. still another for coils, medal
lions. watches or evea spoons. 1t is re-
corded that one interchangeable collector sue
ceeled in getting together a variety OF
spoons of every age and nation, since man
first discarded the use Of fingers for more
civilized and polite substitute. There are
still others who have a mild species OF IN mia
for the collection of pipes, and whose high
est ambition is to rival the famous assort-
ment Of CAPT. Bragge of the British army,
who. for thirty-lye years, has been travel
ing all over the globe gathering in the pipes
of every nation aud kindred under the sun.
Some time ago l was privileged with an
invitation to visit the captain at his home
In london, and there saw his pipes. He
Is a gentleman of ample fortune, which
enables him to indulge his fad to his hearts
content.
81 think 1t was about 1855 that began to
take an interest in this research-to become
q pipeologist, as some OF my friends 11cosely
dubbed me,n said the captain. Il came to
the United States about twenty years ago,
after | had exhausted all the possible
sources of supply in Europe and Asia.
had clay pipes from the sixteenth century,
wooden pipes from Switzerland, very
ancient, German pipes of china and porce-
lain, French pipes of great antiquity made
from curious woods now unknown to grow
ers; Swedish pipes OF copper and stone,
Russian of silver, niclo and malachite;
great, seductive, Turkish pipes of glass,
metal and clay. narghilehs chibouques and
hookas. Then, too, had Italian pipes centu-
ries old, of {, IRA Gotta and olive wood, antique
Spanish pipes that might have been
smoked by the Moorish dons after the in
vasion, and which were formed Of various
woods and of a material resembling meer-
schaum, that is still found in Spain. had
African pipes, brought by traders from the
interior, where they had belonged TO Kings
and chiefs in the clack country; venerable
Chinese pipes, said t. be Of almost mythical
age, and those that the Hindoos use in their
temples.
"All these" he continued, IT procured
In Europe and Asatic Turkey. But |
learned that in America, the original home
of tobacco, prehistoric pipes were to be had
for the seeking, which belonged to ages
long terror to the know ledge of tobacco
in the old world. found the field for in
vestigation vast one. IL carried me over
the whole region from Alaska Co Mexico,
and l spent six months there | secured
many pipes made of jade, flint, and other
hard stones. How they were ever carved
out Of jade Is a mystery to me. 1t Is the
1,s.., IT all ,,1s a
Egypt and Greece for certain weapons, and
IL is even to-day esteemed as 81 valuable that
the Chinese hold it as the equal of gold"
Some of the pipes shown me by the cap
tain were Indian calumets, made from the
pipestone or catiinite. Others were of
Aztec clay, similar to our potter's clay and
having the general characteristics OF all
Aztec pottery work nanship. In the Lake
Superior region be found many pipes artist
cally inlaid with copper and lead, and along
the lower valley OF the Mississippi the pipes
of the mOund-builders somewhat similar in
form to those of the Aztecs.
81 have peatedly loaned my collection
to the Alexandra Palace Museum" said
the captain, land to other exhibitions as
we'll There are about 5000 in all, and
Psychologists here and In your own country
place a very high value upon them, as
showing the progress of art development in
the past"
But while the captain is undoubtedly the
greatest of pipe collectors. there are several
IN this country who have taken an almost
equal interest in this somewhat odd iue of
archaeological research. w. T. Wit
son OF New York city has one of the largest
COLLECTIONS OF meerschaums in the world.
lie has 800 specimens in all, and has spent
fifteen years in gathering them.
II color them by smoking them myself"
he said. ut is fortunate that am able to
l0Da hair Dc Co.
there is nothing more delicate or easily IN
Jured than good pipe Yes. give several
hours day to cleaning, brushing and
keeping them in order, and allow no one
TO touch the pipes, although their care is
really sufficient to keep an expert employed
all day regularly"
The value Of his assortment would be
difficult to compute. 1t embraces many
quaint specimens of rars workmanship
from the best artists in Vienna and other
centers OF the NEE schaum trade, and the
material is the true "sea foam" from the
meerschaum mines of Eskischia, in
Asiatic Turkey, where the product for
centuries has been guarded from the inter-
ference of outsiders, the mines being
worked by the villagers under the pro-
lection of the sultan. This is the only place
in the world where true meerschaum is
found, an indifferent imitation being pro-
duced in Spain and this country. Some of
the designs are of rare beauty. Incidents
of the late war, episodes from Shakespeare,
general history, and many odd designs,
illustrating notable events, are represented
by the artist in pliable material, which is
worked when moist with water. One
bowl is a bag of gold with the features Of
Boss Tweed distinctly outlined on it
another gives the strong face of "Old Abe
Lincoln; still another mas q plastic repre-
sentation of Millet's 'Angelus," in which
the figures of the two peasants stand out
with rare naturaness, the picturesque vii.
lage church, with its tall spire, forming 8
background.
Mr.. Wilson's comparatively modern col
lection is offset by that of a Pittsburc
enthusiast, who has the largest aud most
valuable collection of mound-builders' pipes
in the world.
Many Of our public men who happen t.
be lnveterate smokers are amateur pipe
collectors and set great store by their as
sortment Of clays, briarwoods and meer-
shaums. Gen. Grant, at his death, left a
large number Of pipes, the accumulation OF
years, and some of which he had saved
from West Point days. Others were pres
ents from friends and still others were
souvenirs of the various college or military
societies to which he belonged. MANY
~. L