The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-25
a TOWN OF MEERsozAUMs.
Where very House Is Workshop
for the Making Of sezusiful Pipss-
Ian IA r2t L. IL n Pm


From the PhiIadelDh Press.
RUHLA, Der. I2-No smoker nas won his
splrs in Germany at last until he has
colored a meerschaun The man who sees
in handsome pipe thing Of beauty and
and JOY forever, seldom GOES to Ruhla,
bat when chance does bring him there, be
brings away, not one meerschaum, but
pOcketful.
n This litfl lie village, nesting among the
s-ufof Thuringia in a valley so narrow as
TO lea scanty space for single street, is
an terestlng industrial study. Ruhla
makes pipes, and little besides; small and
Large, cheap and dear, china and clay, wood
and meerSchaum, pipes for the forester,
pipes Tor the king. But factories there are
none, though 200o workInen are making
pipes
The medieval industrial cor ditions sur
Vlye here better. PERHAPS, than anywhere
else IN Europe. Every house Is a workshop,
ana SO oftentimes a store There are
INSTRUMENTATION, journeymen and appren-
tees, but the mas er WOrken are more
numerous, though many OF them are masters
only OF themselves. In the shop that pro-
| duces the finest work of the iowa, the only
workmen are the master and one journey
| man Bnr re master Is ma ter, an arts,
with sculp!o.'s genius, which he lavishes
upon his pIpos. His chef d'BuUre was a
=.
ing by Van Dyke. and wrought into a
massive cigarholder. The master was loath
to part with it, but it is now on its way to
America
Some idea of the extent of the industry
that Is carried on in this primitive fashion
may be gained from figures. OF meer-
schaum pipes alone 100000 imitation and
900, 600 genuine are made here yearly. The
imitation pipes resemble the genuine in
appearances, but instead of coloring they
burn. and soon look unsightly. Careful
Work Is not expended on them, and the de-
signs are commonplace OF the genuine
pipes, on the other hand, the designs are
| often original and elaborate. and fine pipe
may occupy master-workman for an en-
tire week. These pipes are nearly all ex-
ported Very few Ruha pipes are sold in
Germany. The prices are as various as the
pipes. A good meerschaum, however, can
be bought for eight marks, or So; of course,
simple in design. Twenty to thirty marks
buys masterpiece. The price of one
genuine meerschaum will buy a dozen iInita-
ton.
mere IS no mystery in the manufacture
The meerschaum is imported in huge I'M
formed Jumps from Asia Minor, white and
attractlve-looking even in its natural state
1t is an earthly substance, largely composed
| or magnesium compounds, and is easily cut
| and scratched. The rude pieces are roughly
fashioned into the desired form by means of
| a lathe and chisels, then laid in tallow and
| polished With horseta aud finally boiled in
wax or oil and tho oughly rubbed to give
the customary polish.
A stroll through the single long street Of
| tbs village, WITH side excursions into the
alleys opening here and there, is interesting
Few houses have any sign, but if q has
| no scruple abo peering into windows he
may Ind N almost every house from one to
nal1 dozen persons buslly at work on pipes
OF all kinds and various conditions of in
| completeness. If he ventures to enter one
| OF these medieval workshops let him not
undertake to drive ba gain" IL sug-
gestion is made that the price is too high,
| the indignant reply will probably be that
| you need not buy, and that money cannot
| pay for the labor of love expended on that
| par ocular pipe.
| A hint to r1sent or prospective owners
| or meerschaums may be serviceahle. 1t is
well known that there is great difference
In the way pipes color, and the reason is
| commonly supposed to be a difference in
| the quality of the meerschaum. This is by
no means always the case. The col ring
depends mainly upon the boiling in wax or
Oil. In those pipes that have been boiled
| In wax, the wax, afier a certain time, be-
comes hard and granulated. A very good
meerschaum, therefore, that has been
| long time In the shop, may not color well,
| if at ALL
The remedy is simple one, and consists
only in boiling the pipe again in wax,
process any man can perform for himself.
| Procure some pure wax, melt it. put the
pipe, previously carefully cleaned. into it,
and let it remain until the wax has had
time to permeate the porous substance.
Take the pipe and hold it high above
flame and let all the wax run off that will.
After cooling it is ready to smoke, and if
before it was obstinate and unruly about
coloring, it will now be found to color
evenly and quickly. or course. if it is imi-
tation meerschaum it will no more change
its spots than the leopard, no matter what
treatment be given it.