The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-03-14
- AN EvENrFuL CAREER.
lis That OF billiard Hall when Taken
from First To Last.


There are few men or things that
are called upon 10 roll into more close
corners or queer situations than is
billiard ball. That is. Of course. after
II has become full-iledged billiard
ball. Its career prior 20. this Is rather
monotonous. An elephant, either in
Asia or Africa. carries 1t with him IN
his wanderings very near TO his trunk.
II 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 ele-
plants tusk TO being billiard ball IN
good standing is not sudden. IL takes
time to effect il. In the first place
according TO the Mail and Express. IL
Is not every tusk that Is suitable 10
make billiard ball from. There are
several factories in New York city. aud
they say that it takes good while to
turn ont a perfect ball. The firms
here. however. have TO do but part OF
the work, for they get the tuslss that
are OF the proper quality sent to them
cut into sections. each section being
large enough 60 allow of the turning
of a single ball ont of il. 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 as to the grain and quality of
the article.
1t requires skilled labor TO turn out
n billiard ball. One-half OF il 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 Tor a
year to- dry. Then the second half is
turned and then comes tho polishing.
Whitening and wuter aud good deal
of rubbing are necessary for this. 1t
is necessary i'm the end that the ball
shall to the vericst fraction of grain
be OF 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 as there are in the
epidermis. These may close. and
then. il in hot room. the ball Is likely
10 crack. or il 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 Slos-
son. Schaefer. Vignaux or some
other champion. or il may be toyed
with by fair danes in private billiard
rooms in swell'houecs on Murray Hill.
When il cracks it hrops step lower.
IL is sent 10 factory and small
fraction OF nick IL shaved off from il.
You next see il ia some second-rate
billiard room on Sixth avenue. Final
w il rolls even lower and into some
secondhand shop and thence into a
Bowcry saloon. where crooks manip-
uate IL 10 the dismay and discontinue
of visitors from the rural districts.
The rest is soon told. The balls be-
come cracked, decrepit 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 II the worst comes
TO the worst, they can be burned and
used IN the making Of ivory black.
A checkercd life enough is that OF a
billiard ball.