Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-02-26
AN EVENTUAL CAREER.
Is That OF Billiard Ball When r. ken
from First to Last.


There are few men or things that
are called upon to roll into more close
corners or queer situations than is n
billiard ball. That is. of course. after
it has become full-hedged billiard
ball. Its career prior to this is rather
monotonous. An elephant, either in
Asia or Africa, carries it with him in
his wandcrings very near to his trunk.
1t is then known as tusk, aud has
been the cause of some tall lying in
the way of elephant stories told by
various persons, of whom Rider Hag-
gard is now the foremost representa-
tive.
The transition from being an elc-
plants tusk to being n billiard ball in
good standing is not sudden. 1t takes
time to effect it. In the first place.
according TO the Mail and Express, it
is not every tusk that is suitable to
make billiard ball from. There are
several factories in New York city. and
they say that it takes good while to
turn out perfect ball. The firms
here, however, have to do but part of
the work, for they get the tusks that
are of the proper quality sent to them
cut into sections, each section being
large enough to allow OF the turning
of single ball ont of it. Most of this
material comes from Hamburg. The
ivory is so marked that the turner's
here know what part of the tusk each
piece comes from, and in this way can
calculate rs to the grain and quality of
the article.
1t requires skilled labor TO turn out
billiard ball. One-half of it is first
turned, an instrument of the finest
steel being used for the work. Then
the half turned ball is hung up in net
and is allowed to hang there for u
year TO dry. Then the second half is
turned and then comes the polishing.
Whitening and water and a good deal
of rubbing are necessary for this. 1t
is necessary in the end that the ball
shall to the veriest fraction of grain
be of Il certain weight.
1t is after being placed on the bill
lard table that the real life OF tho
billiard ball commences. There are
pores in ivory just rs there are in the
epdermis. These may close, and
then, if in hot room, the ball is likely
to crack, or it may crack by reason of
conclusion with other balls. During
the first stage the billiard ball may
mix in almost any society. 1t may
gyrate under the magic cue of a Slos-
sou, Schaefer, VignauX or some
other champion, or it may be toyed
with by fair DANES in private billiard
rooms in swell houses on Murray Hill.
When it cracks it drops step lower.
1t is sent to factory and II small
fraction of Il nick is shaved off from ii.
You next see it in some second-rato
| billiard room on Sixth avenue. Final
| " it rolls even lower and into some
secondhand shop, aud thence into Il
Bowcry saloon, where crooks" manip-
ulate it to the dismay and discontinue
of visitors from the rural districts.
| The rest is soon told. The balls be-
come cracked, dccrcpit and practically
useless for the purpose for which they
were made. Then they are bought up
| by dealers, are cut up and made into
smaller articles. If the worst comes
/ to the worst, they can be burned and
used in the making of ivory black.
A chcckcred life enough is that of a
billiard ball