Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-09
A TOWEL COLLECTOR,
one Who Has Drawn These AdJunrts o
Toilet From All over the world.

bne who Has Drawn Ihcsc Adiuncfs
Toilet From All over the world.
Mr.. Benjamin II. Davenport Of Ashur,
Park, N. j., has boen engaged for *
years in tho nmnssinR OF this bi1arrc OK
hibit, which includes towels Of cottol
wool, linen and silk. Ho has been abs
assisted by many of his friends. To thu
acquaintance departing for distan. lands
Davenport has been wont to say, "Scni
me towel from Madagascar" or "whils
you are In Patagonia pick mo up ono Of
the native towels"
BY far the greater part OF the collection
was picked up In tho hotels OF the United
States by Mr. Davenport personally They
vary In size md texture. a thin, sleazy
cotton rag, through which ono might read
newspaper, bears tho startling legend
indolibly stamped across Its limp surface
"Stolon from tho Occidental hotel, Lead.
VILE, Cole" 1t is evident that the min.
ers had formed tho habit of carrying of
the towels TO use as shirt fronts.
In contrast to this economical rag therc
Is n roller towel, 80 foot in length, secured
In an Illinois Mushroom. IL was what
the porter who sold IL to him called "tbc
house towel One set Of seven towels, Of
varying thickness aud texture, including
genuine Turkish article that looks like
40 oonts' worth OF tripo, recalls tho lux.
ury Of local bathhouso. A square SEQ.
tion of jute bagglng, sucA as "a used to
cover cotton bales, was considered quito
the thing In a hostclry ON the banks OF tho
Yasoo river, A rcul curiosity is a stid
and indoxiblo affair found In the compos-
ing room Of Pennsylvania weekly news
paper 1t was "the Office towel"
There are towels Of softest dnmask, with
daintily embroidered initials that call up
romantic visions, and there is section OF
mummy CLOTH brought homo from Cairo,
which once might have boon used to dry the
moisture from tho fair skin OF phnraohs
daughter or possibly have boon tucked
under tho chin OF tho infant Moses.
There arc towels that are as small as
napkins and towels that would answer for
bedsproads. Some arc as soft to the touch
as the fluffy bosom OF oidor swan, and 9TH
crs could DO used to crate horse radish up
on. There are dainty Fronch towels and
heavy, square German towels soft 1tnlinn
towels that give forth faint odor OF gar.
lie; cold, heavily starched towels that come
from England; Scotch towel that Is
made Of tweed; an Irish towel OF I'M
bleached linen that will take off the outl-
clio rs II it was made Of emery paper tow
els from tho South Sea islands that arc
not towels. but are coconnut mats; a caro-
fully dressed channels skin which came
from the Alps, jonn towel from India q
japanese towel Of nbrous paper and a
heavy silk towel once owned by Adolina
Patti.
Then there arc common towels Of no
particular individuality that arc in tho
collection because they wore known to
hayo boon used by some celebrity or DO.
cause thorc isa tale Of adventure, romance
or sentiment connected with their acqui-
sltion. Mr. Davenport's conscience is never
troubled when ho oontomplAtos his troas'
ures. Very few of them were accidentally
packed into his baggage. AS to tho CON
sciences Of the porters and ohnmbormaids
who assisted in their compilation, that is
another Gtory, Each of the towels is duly
tagged aud numbered, and catalogue
gives tho history of each artlclc.-Phila'
dolphia Record.