The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-01
BILLIARD BALLS.

Whore the Material Comes Trom-How
Manufactured.
How many persons who WELD a billiard
cue are aware of the time, trouble and e1-
peuse of making the ivory spheres? asks
the New York Sun. The billiard ball, in
its natural state, is the principal means of
defense for an elephant. In time the Gle
plant falls a victim to the venturesome
hunter, and he parts with his tusks, which
are the most valuable of all his possessions
to commerce.. Most of the tusks find their
way to London, which is the great sales
mart for ivory. There. twice ayear-spring
Inc fall-the buyers of ivory gather.
There are different grades of ivory, and
only the finer kinds are suitable for making
billiard balls. The best comes from the
small tusks, which are from four to six
inches in diameter at the thickest end.
These are sawed into blocks, each section
being large enough to ALLOW of the turning
of a single ball.
Iho factories devoted to the billiard hall
industry in this country usually receive the
ivory in this shape, the sections being
marked so that the turner's NOW what part
of the tusk each piece comes from, and in
quality. 1t takes a long time to produce q
perfect ball. and only skilled labor is en-
ployed.
The exact center of the ball is first dis
covered by means of measurement. The
block Is then placed in a socket, and one
half of the ball is turned by an instrument
made OF the nnest and sharpest edged steel.
The half-turned ball is then hung up in q
net for q short while. then the second hal +
is turned, and the ball hung up as before
III a room, the temperature of which ig kept
at from sixty to seventy degrees. The
roughly turned ball is kept in this
position for about q year. Then comes
tho polishing, whitening, etc. A great deal
of hard rubbing is also necessary, as the
ball before being ussd should be rs near a
certain weight as possible, and measure two
and three-eiRhths inches in diameter. 1t
has been found impossible to get two balls
exactly the same weight. Very often the,
will be heavier On one side than on the
other, and frequently they split riaht
through the center. This is due to decay.
In the window of one of the large manu-
factories OF billiard balls in this city lies a
tusk about two feet long. 1t was purchased
some years ago, M while being sawed ii
two the saw came In contact with an OBJ
struction. 1t proved to be a riffs bullet,
which had penetrated the tusk when quite
young, for the whole inside of the tusk haC
a decayed appearance.
The price of ivory for making billiard
balls has greatly Increased within the pas
few years. and the demand exceeds the sup
ply. A billiard manufacturing compan'
has offered $4,000 for a perfect substitut
for livery. but nothing thus far has been in
vented that combines the elasticity nm
durability of the ivory ball. Not until afte
il is placed On the table is the real life O
the billiard ball shown. The pores in tn
ivory may close, and then if the bail
kept in q hot room it is likely to crack
or it may crack by reason of concussio
with other balls. This is one of the grea
difficulties TO contend against. 10 over
come this the bells should be kept at a
even a temperature as possible.
When a billiard ball is first used it occu
pies the first rank. A crack may soon b