The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-02-28
VAKHMAN'S TRAVELS.
tCpyriohl. 1911
BY EDGAR L. wAKEMAN.


| hkhLkII cNHLANDI ECU. 1Es-SthAoiu
shire, the principal seat of the English
potteries, is an inland county, lying nea
the center OF England. Long and mar
row, something like rhombus in form
1t separates the four midland COUNTIES
Of Derby, Leicester, Warwick and Wor
cestershire, on tho east from the two
important western shires Of Chessire ant
Shropshire, and extends north ant
south, one.ffth the length Of the king
dom.
1t has 10 great place in history. The
old monks were not attracted to 1t as
region in which to build spiandid alb
beys. Antiquarians have not founC
much in it to wrangle over. 1t has in'
spired little 10 romance and song. Nc
one ever came to it a second time for lts
beauty. Forbidding and unfertile hills
merge into flat and monotonouu mead
ows in the south. Along its middle
reaches are the coal pits, and the near
FORCES with the distant thunderings.
In the north, even less comedy than the
south, begin the bleak, bare elevations
Of Bunster and Viewer, the true Eng
lish moorlands which stretch, with va
trYing height and drearineBs, north
through the entire kingdom, spreading
into the wild and denOlate mountain.
moors OF Yorkshire, Durham and North
CUMBERLAND, until lost among the mists Of
Scotland which sway and sweep above
the mournful YarroW and murmurops
Tweed. 1t has few commonplace
streams; one little lake., measured by
yards; and one river, the Trent, the
third in size and extent in England,
though unnayigable, which springs from
little Newpool, near Biddulph, at the
edge OF Cheshire, flows southeasterly
through the entire shire; but with never
a glen to invite legend, nor cascade to
make or inspire song.
Two Roman roads or military ways,
Waiting Street aud ICknield Street, inter
secting, cross the shire from east to west.
Ii you will tramp to the Longwynd Hills,
over in Shropshire, you can trace the
trackway worn white and bare to the
eternal stone, over which the Romans
brought supplies OF pottery, 1900 years
ago, from the Severn valley and Stafford.
shire, to their military stations south
and southwest OF ancient Uriconium.
At least the curious old books will
brayely tell you that is how the huge,
bleached furrow you will see was dug
through the gorse and hare.bslls OF the
wild and unlovely waste. Better ways
than these now traverse the shire.
Canals CLEAN along valleys, glisten
above viaducts and penetrate noun
tains, making sesports of every busy
town; and with the railways they have
cut old Stafford into more curious pat
terms than a grandam's "broken.dish"
patchwork quilt.
The shire was once all foreet land.
That was not long ago. But they assert
in StafTordshire that all these old forests
were felled and the whole shire former.
" made bare, simply TO FIRE the old
fashioned ovens. Out of these came the
tygs, possetcups and pots OF the Roman
time, when huge, strong mugs were
good enough for drinking purposes, the
Delft, pitchers and porringers Of the
Norman period, down to even those
marvellous achievements 81 the Wedg.
wood time, when the priceless Barbe'
reni, or Portland, vase was not only du'
plicated but excelled in fifty wondroue
copies. Then came the era OF coal and
clay in Stafordshire, or more properly
speaking OF Wedgwood, clay and coal
Somebody has computated that you
could walk on crockery over all the
area OF Staffordshire, which comprises
about 100000 acres Of land, Il
all that ever went out of the shire
could be brought back and set dowr
piece by piece within it. But without
one primeval tree, and with room fol
but few others save in parks and dem
esnes OF the nobility and potter gentry
Staaordshire is still forest; in the
south and center mighty forest o
chimneys where coal and iron endlessly
burn and fuse and pollute the land from
flaming cayerns at the feet OF leviathaI
tree trunks Of brick, from whose top
oyerspreading arms Of smoke wheel ant
turn with the wind, and the blessed
sunlight rarely filters through thei
thick and aulphurous pall.like foliage
In the north, stilla forest Of chimney
in the Pottery District so dense, her
with the great ovens at their feet look
ing like monstrous ten-pins OF giants
that, standing in the tower OF the Oh
church at Henley, the metropolis OF tn
pokteries, through the stacks Of Turn
stall, Burslem, Milton, Bucknall, Long
ton, Stoke. on. Treut, Henford, LaR
End, Penkhull, Newcastle and Eturii
YOU cannot clearly define in half doze
tiny spots the dreary horizon line.
This hideous transformation, ont
which such vast utilitarian stores an
countless articles OF beauty have com,
has been tho work OF little more than
century. Pottery work OF 800 years sc
can be dt tinitely traced to Burslem. TIL
!, town was thea known as butter DO
u terry, that is. a pottery where pots K
keeping butter were made. Then
1890, along came two ingenious Hollal
ders named Eler. They introduced
new form OF glaze scared by supeffci
yitriication Of the clay through tho 81
perheatcd fumes OF common salt. Tt
Elers also brought to Stafford the u
glazed red China method from the eas
This was all very wonderful for th
time, but by and by white ware made |
appearance through an accidental disco
cry. On a journey to London, one
the Burslem potters had powdered iii
recommended by an inn.hostler, 4
his horses disordered eyes. To mo
easily pulveriEe it, flint stone "
thrown into the fire. The potter 80
that the fame changed 1t to 9 pu
white. Flint stones were gathered
the south OF England, sent to Stattor
shire In large quantities, mixed with
baCco.pipe clay, and pure white stor
ware was produced. The crushing Al
grinding mills for pulveriEing flint, mi
inV It like flour with water, and servil
It In paste oil any desired consistenC
were only q matter OF time. Then,
l76S, Josiah Wedgwood perfected cart
enware for the table-whose FIRST de
cate cream color is 80 attractive to c.
/ lsctofs-whiGh 30 pleased the Quee
that she gave to 1t her name and patro
ace. The word Queen WAS stamped
! aIl these dishes. Hence "Queenswar
Of that and the present time. +
lowing this, came the most brlllia
career ever enjoyed by manntactnr
The story reads like an Arab
i. NjVhts' tale. This one man WEI