The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-17

| mouthpieces and a lining of meerschaun
to the bowl, just half as heavy in the
mouth as brier or meerschaum and
more durable, if one does not object t.
It's somewhat glazing appearance.
The great novelty of the pipe trade
Is the Columbus egg pipe, specially de
,igned for busy smokers, and is a pipe
that wherever laid down, on the desk or
table, will always hold the bowl orifieo
uppsrmost, and not spill ashes or fire.
The name comes from the schoolboy
story Of Columbus trying to balance the
egg, which puzzle this pipe satisfactorily
solves.
Smoking tobaccos are great improve
ment on four years ago. Then the idea
was to catch the eye and nose before
smoking. A handsome mixture of our
famous golden belt of North Carolina
tobaccos was perfumed with tonquin,
altar and geranium, delicately blended,
and In the case of one old time leading
smoking tobacco, now dead as far as de-
mand goes, chronicle was used with
lavish hand. When smoked the burnt
essential oils ruined the tobacco, made a
shrinking pipe and called forth the pro-
tests of cigar smokers. This is all
changed. Most leading dealers have
special mixtures prepared for them con-
tanning nothing but tobacco and modi
cum of New England rum for moisten<
ing purposes. 1t is this evolution in
manufacture, introducing smoking to-
baccos worth one to two dollars per
pound, which is the secret of the present
popularity Of the pipe.
A curious invention is the conbina-
ton of cedar lead pencil with a pocket
cigar lighter. It looks like pencil,
writes like one, but slide up tiny but
ton, and, prestol it is taper ready lit. A
more substantial pocket lighter Is in the
form of watch, which, by pressing the
stem winder, opens the front Of the case
and exposes the light.
Cigarettes are also in line with a num-
Der of novelties, the most striking one
being walking stick with q ciga.
rette machine concealed In the handle.
When the crook is lifted off there is seen
a tiny funnel and hollow tube; round
this is placed a cigarette paper; loose
tobacco is crowded into the tube; when
full it is easily withdrawn, and the to.
bacco is left in the paper ready Tor smok
ing. There is still another machine
which, without any outside adornment,
may be taken as the pocket cigarette
machine par excellence. 1t consists of
divided cylinder three inches in length
and about q quarter of an inch in diam
eter. The upper of the two longitude
nal halves of the cylinder is drawn back,
the lower one filed with tobacco, the
upper one replaced, the loose edges
trimmed off and a piece of cigarette pa
per rolled around the cylinder, when it
may be Withdrawn, and the cigarette is
made.
Still another, very good, but slightly
cumbersome, is flat box holding the
tobacco and having two hds--one to
| hold down the tobacco and the other to
make the cigarettes The upper Id is
of metal, having two openings in it,
through which runs an endless band Of
silk ribbon three inches wide, which,
when the lid is closed, is operated by
levers set in action by the closing of the
lid To operate it open the upper lid,
place cigarette paper an portion OF
tobacco spread over its entire length in
the lower opening, close the lid, and the
cigarette is transferred by the levers and
the endless band to the upper side of the
lid ready for use.
Another improvement in cigarettes il
the doing away with gum or paste to SO
cure the closing of the paper necessary
to obtain the requisite draft. This is
done by mechanical twisting and in
denting of the edges of the paper, which
holds it firmly in position. Another idea
is a ventilated" cigarette, obtained by
perforating the paper wrapper in pc.