The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-10-12
TOWELS UNTOLD.
The Funny Fancy OF = New York
Man Who Has q Collection.



for towels has made their collection q
fad, and he has gathered from all parts
of the world an unparalleled assort-
ment of them. BENJAMIN r. Daven-
port, a lawyer, better known as pub
Usher of several books, is the possessor
of this unique collection, and he proud
ly displays his store Of towels of all ma
tions, numbering thirteen hundred and
twelve.
Mr. Davenport, says the Philadelphia
Record, has been engaged for twenty
years in the amassing OF this bizarre
exhibit, which includes towels Of cotton,
wool, linen and silk. He has been ably
assisted by many of his friends. To
the acquaintance departing for distant
lands Davenport has been wont to say:
'sSend me towel from Madagascar, :"
or, "While you are in Patagonia, pick
me up one of the native towels"
BY far the greater part of the col
lection was picked up III the hotels Of
the United States by Mr.. Davenport
personally. They vary in size and tex
ture. A thin, sleazy cotton rag, through
which one might read newspaper,
bears the startling legend, indelibly
stamped across it's limp surface: Stolen
from the Occidental hotel, Leadville,
COL" 1t is evident that the miners had
formed the habit of carrying Off the
tow els to use as shirt fronts.
In contrast to this economical rag
there is roller towel, thirty feet in
length, secured in an Illinois wash
room. 1t was what the porter who
sold it to him called 1.-The house towel. :"
One set of seven towels, of varying
thickness and texture, including gen
uine Turkish article that looks like forty
cents worth of tripe, recalls the luxury
of local bathhouse. A square section
of jute bagging, such as is used to
cover cotton bales, was considered
quite the thing in hostelry on the
banks of the Yazoo river. A real Gu
riosity is stiff and infexibie e.. -.
found in the composing room OF Penn
sylvania weekly newspaper. It was
''the Office towel"
There are towels of softest damasls,
with daintily embroidered initials that
call up romantic visions, and there is a
section of mummy cloth, brought homo
from Cairo, which once might have
been used to dry the moisture from the
far skin OF Phareohs S daughter, or pos
sibly have been tucked underline chin
of the infant Moses.
There are towels that are as small as
napkins and towels that would answer
for bed spreads. Some are as soft to
the touch as the fluffy bosom of elder
swan, and others could be used to CRATE
horscradish upon. There are dainty
French towels and heavy, square Ger
man towels; soft Italian towels that
give forth faint odor OF garlic; cold,
heavilv-Starched towels that come from
England; Scotch towel that is made
of tweed; an Irish towel OF unbleached
linen that will take of the cutiele as il
it was made of emery paper; towels
from the South Sea islands that ere not
towels, but are cocoanut mats; care
fully-drcssed chanois skin which came
from the Alr6; jean towel from In
diana; japanese towel OF fbrous pa.
per, and heavy silk towel once owned
by Adclina Patti.
Then there are common towels OF nc
particular individuality that are in the
collection, because they were known to
have been used by some celebrity OF
because there is tale of adventure,
romance or sentiment connected with
their acquisition. Mr.. De7enport's con
science is never troubled when he con-
templates his treasures. Very few OF
them were accidentally packed into bis
baggage. AS to the consciences OF the
porters and chambernails who assisted
in their compilaticn-that is anothe.
story. Each Of the towels is duly tagged
and numbered, and acatalogue gives
the history of each article.