The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-06-11
PIPES oF ALL KINDS.
Made OF All Materials, but Clay GlvCs I
Best Smoite,


Almost every material has been FASH
ioned into pipes; stone, wood, corncob,
bronze and other metals, bone and clay
of every kind The fashionable neer.
schaum is a species of clay called mag.
nestle, which is the mineral magnesium
in union with slick or flint The his.
tory of meerschaum's origin forms
pretty little story. In the year 1928
there lived at Pesth, the capital of Hun.
gary, certain Koral Kowates, shoe
maker, whose ingenuity in cutting and
carving wood attracted the attention OF
Count Andrassy. The latter on his re-
turn from mission to Turkey, brought
with him large piece of whitish clay,
which had been presented to him as
curiosity on account of its extraor-
dinary lightness. On it's being shown
10 the shoemaker it struck the latter
that, being porous, it was naturally
well adapted for pipes, as it would alb
sorb nicotine. The experiment was
tried, and Koral cut a pipe for the count
and one for himself. In the pursuit of
his trade, of course, Koral could not
keep his hands clean, and considerable
shoemakcr's wax adhered to the pipe.
The clay, when Koral wiped it off, re-
ceived, wherever the wax had touched,
a clear brown polish instead of the dull
white it previously possessed. Attrib-
uting this improved tint to the proper
source he waxed the entire surface
polished the pipe again, smoked it, and
noticed how admirably and beautifully
it colored: also how much more sweet
ly the pipe smoked after being waxcd
Koral had struck the smokers philoso-
piers stone. Other noblemen i'm
ported the singular species of clay for
the manufacture of pipes. The natural
scarcity of the esteemed substance and
the cost of importation and transpor-
tatiOn confined it's use TO the richest
European noblemen until the year 1880,
when it became general article of
trade. The first meerschaum pipe made
by Koral has been preserved in the mu-
scum OF Pesth. Meerschaum clay is
found in Samos and Negropont, in the
Archipelago, and in Asia Minor, but
mostly in kaffa, town in Crimea. 1t
is soft when first dug out of the earth,
but hardens on exposure to the air. Its
name, IL German word signifying sea
foam" was applied because of its light
ness and whiteness. There is a vast
number of mock meerschaums and
others made of pressed meerschaum
chips in the market The excellence of
the true meerschaum is in its capability
of becoming of that beautiful, slightly
notified brown color which a Judge at
once appreciates. The mock meer-
schaums will color, but always in the
wrong place; the upper part, which in
a genuine mcerschaum, if well smoked,
is white, in a short time becomes spotted
with dirty brown, while other parts
will show irregular patches of yellow
ish hue. The greatest mcerschaum
pipe factories We're in Austria and Ger
many, but in late years the trade has
undergone great change, and to-day
the best workers in the carving and
preparation of meerschaum pipes are in
this country.
Common clay, however, is the univer-
sal material in every community of
smokers, and it has many advantages in
addition to the most important of all
cheapness. One may buy gross of
good clay pipes for the price of a single
meerschaum, and the latter costs to-day
less than half of what it would a dozen
years ago. According to the rate of con-
sumption the humble 81 D." is the
most popular of al pipes. In this shape
it lends its aid to the most minute and
eye-straining occupations, and at the
same time to the hardest demands on
bone and muscle in the laborer. 1t is
the most porous, and considered by
those who have regard for possible dan
ger in the pipe as the most healthful,
for it readily absorbs the injurious
nicotine In the point of convenience
the clay pipe has advantages. In the
country, in the town, it is always handy
and ready for your enjoyment, uni css,
of course, You are affected by the tyrant
Pride and lack the courage to seek in
the sight of others the qualification of
the weed by the method that affords
most complete satisfaction. AS to
shape good taste sanctions only the old
and general design. Fantastic heads,
thighs and other forms produced by the
rioting fancy of makers who strain for
novelty find comparatively little favor
The only deviation from the genera
shape that has seemed to warrant fa.
vorites in the introduction of the nova.
BILE mouthpiece so as to admit of easy
and frequent cleaning Reed stems and
mouthpieces attached with ferrules are
accepted by those who cling to an old
pipe, after it might well be discarded,
because they dislike the taste of the clay
while breaking in a new one
l
| have their recon- lamentations. They do
not heat so readily as clay, ana as the
tobacco is burned at a lower tempera-
ture there is less elimination of nico-
| tine, which requires considerable
degree of heat for its extraction. Then,
too, these pipes may be fashioned so as
to admit of thorough cleaning by en-
| larging the bore of the stem and pro
viding movable mouthpiece. Numer-
Gus devises have been resorted to in
| these pipes to receive and remove the
Objectionable juices of the weed in
smoking, but none of them has been
successful The more complicated the
pipe is the worse it is for the purpose of
affording sweet and comfortable
smoke on all occasions.
The thorough smoker regards pipe
as the image of true friendship-it
should improve by age. 1t should free
ly smbibe the oil and juices OF the weed
and not become encrusted.
The brier pipe to-day commands even
greater regard than the meerschaum
among the votaries of the weed who are
| willinO to nav "a GOOD Dricp for n GOOD