Telegram-herald., 1890-02-25
THEIR FAD Is THE PIPE.
Fortunes Spent On heerschauzn
and Brlax by Crank Collsctors
c.ya sr4ssss 5000 spssa1asAs Thai
Issk TAiFss-ess rsArs 60 SsthsT.
A Ma wae eoIored 500 Nicer
seh.uns IN FffsseR fsar~
ocrrslsss lsse

predllecElon TOR pictures @hot-cf Tor
sruor. still another for coins medal
lions. watches or even spoons IL i re-
corded that one in6ef4tig4ols collector
succeeded IN getting together q variety
Of spoons of every age and nation, since
man ersg discarded the use OF nngers
for a more civilized and polite substi-
tate There are still Others who have
9 mild species Of mAuia for the eollec-
tion Of pipes, and whose highest amoi-
tion Is to rival the famous assortment
OF Captain Bragge, OF the British Army,
who. for thirty-hve years. has been
travelling all over the globe gathering
IN the pipes OF every nation and kin
drei under the sun.
Some time ago. l was privileged with
an invitation 10 visit the Captain at his
home in London, and there l saw his
pipes. He is gentleman Of ample for
tune which enables him TO indulge his
fad 20 his hearts content
II think it WAS about 1855 that / be-
gan to take an interest in this research
to become pipeologist as some OF
my friends iocosely dubbed me-" said
the Captain. II 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 por-
celain. French pipes OF great antiquity
made from curious woods now unknown
to growers Swedish pipes OF copper
ard stone, Russian OF silver. niclo
and malachite; great, seductive Turk
ish pipes OF glass, metal and clay, nargh-
ilehs chibouques and hookas. Then,
too, l had Italian pipes, centuries old.
OF terre Gotta and olive wood, antique
Spanish pipes that might have been
smoked by the Moorish Dons after the
invasion. and which were formed of
various woods and of material re-
sembling meerschaum, 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 Black Country; venerable
Chinese pipes. said to be of almost
mythical age. and those that the
Hindoos use in their temples.
"All these" he continued, 81 pro-
cured in Europe and Asiatic 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 anterior to
the knowledge of tobacco in the old
world. / found the field for investiga-
tion vast one. 1t carried me over the
whole region from Alaska TO Mexico,
and spent six months there. | secured
many pipes made of jade, flint and
other hard stones. How they were
ever carved out of jade is mystery to
me. 1t is the hardest of all materials,
and was used in Egypt and Greece for
certain weapons. and it is even to-day
esteemed SO valuable that the
Chinese hold it as the equal of gold"
Some of the pipes shown me by the
Captain were Indian calumets, made
from the pipestone or catllnite. Others
were of Aztec clay, similar TO our pot
ter's clay and having the general
characteristics of all Aztec pottery
workmanship. In the Lake Superior
region he found many pipes artistically
inlaid with copper and lead, and alonH
the lower valley or the Mississippi the
pipes af tho mound-builders somewhat
similar in form to those Of the
Aztecs.
Il have repeatedly loaned my collec-
tion to the Alexandra Palace Museum" :"
said the Captain, ''and to other exhibi-
tions as we'll There are about 5000 in
all, al i archeologists here and in your
own country place very high value
upon then, 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 line Of archaeological re-
search. Mr.. w. T. Wilson, OF New York
City, has one Of the largest collections
of meerschaums in the world. He has
500 specimens in all. and has spent fif-
teen years in gathering them.
Il color them by smoking them my
self" he said. 1T is fortunate that
am able to spare the time their care de-
mands, for there is nothing more deli
cate or easily injured than good pipe.
Yes, / give several hours a day to clean
ing, brushing and keeping them in or
der. and | allow no one to touch the
pipes, although their care is really suf-
fcient to keep an expert employed all
day regularly"
! The value of his assortment would be
! difficult to com pute. 1t embraces many
I quaint specimens OF rare workmanship
I from the best artists in Vienna,
and other centres of the reer-
schaum trade, and the material
+ is the true "ses-fosm," from the
meerschaum mincs of Eskischia. in
Asiatic Turkey, where the product for
centuries has been guarded from the in
reference of outsiders, the mines being
worked by she villagers under the pro-
lection of the Sultan. This is the only
place in the world whore true meer-
scbaum Is found, an Indifferent inita-
tion being produced 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 Illus
trating notable events. are represented
By the artist in plisble material, which
s worked when moist with water. One
bowl Is bag Of gold with the features
f OF Boss Tweed distinctly outlined on 10;
another gives the strong face
Of Old Abe a" Lincoln, still
another has plastic representa-
tion Of Millets "Angelas." in which
she fgares Of the two peasants stand
out with rare nsturslness. the Pictur.