The morning times., 1896-02-16

There are fads and fashions in pipes.
1t is now the proper thing in Washington
10 smoke pipes instead Of cigars and cigar
cites. The styles in pipes are too numerous
to mention, and the prices range anywhere
from one cent, for the commonest clay
pipe, to hundred dollars for the finest
coIored meerSchaum.
Contrary to the fashion OF ten years ago,
the meerScharm is not the popular article
OF today. 1t has been superseded by the
French briar pipe, which, by the way, is
not French briar at all.
In the real flrst-t4ass article the briar
is made or the root of bush which grows
in Italy, and was called French briar be-
cause OF the great demand for il in France.
Some goods called French brar are really
nothing more nor less than American apple
wood artificially colored. Ii would be
impossible to name all the different ma
terials Of which pipes are made, but some
OF the leading ones are worthy OF notice.
The tastes aud desires OF pipe-smokers
differ so much that the houses are kept
constantly busy in satisfying the demand
for something new.
There are lew pipe smokers who have
not collection OF pipes. They have their
dry smo oke. their wet smoke and
'perfumed' smoke, which is accomplished
with the aid of the water pipe. There is
no smoker who has not the desire 10 pos
sess a sweet pipe, one that with age will
grow strangely sweet in taste.
THE CORN COB.
The old corn-cob pipe, some viii tell
you, Just fills the bin, cob with no
composition lining and a genuine reed
root stem. Occasionally one runs across
a sweet pipe among the brlars, and he who
does possesses an exceedingly valuable
article
A dealer said The other day. There is
no way 60 tell sweet pipe by Looking at
it. If l could sell one with that guarantee
could command for it a handsome price
Among the sweet pipes it is well TO re-
member the German weschel and the
American cherry. For sweetness the
weischcl is the best, while the large-bowl,
long-stemmcd cherry wood pipes satisfy
the smoker with flavor Of tie cherry
that is particularly desirable.
The trouble with wood pipes is their
tendency to burn out. Many are as tinder in
briar soon becomes Of little good. Remedies
have been suggested TO prevent briar pipes
from burning out. The mos, common pre-
ventive is 10 soak the pipe i'm water be-
fore il is first used. The water soa king into
the wood makes the pipe for a time proof
against the fire. but after awhile ii must
be soaked again. as il gets dry and becomes
charred 10y The heat within the bowl The
H.
the fault OF the smoker. II instead of smok
ing hard the first timehe would smoke easily
and encourage gradual heating. it would
sot need any soaking. Seldom does pipe
burn out if treated well by easy smoking in
the beginning.
I'm clay pipes the emeerschaumandt The Gam
bier take precedence. The meerschaum is
well known To everyone. but few know
whence it derived IFS name and what it
Is Nicer means in English sea" and
''sch3um' means foam
CALLED SEA FOAM"
Macrchaum is q porous clay found in the
Mediterranean, and received the title
Of sea foam because when first obtained
1t is so light as TO float upon the water.
The meerchaun, received in large blocks,
Is cut and carved into pipes, and theD
boiled in wax. II it were not for this last
process there would be no cOloring for the
pipe cOnnoisseur to undertake. The nico-
tine which permeates the soft clay, would
when the pipe became heated soak through
and prevent coloring.
1t is a painsta king Job TO color meer-
chaum. Many persons have failed in the
attempt because they did not carefully
observe the rules necessary for the inter
esting work. and because they were too i'm
patient 10 see the result Of their endeay-
ors
A meeTchsum pipe undergoing the color
ing process must be tenderly nursed and not
abused IL must not be given a shock
when heated by putting it on a colored
marble mantel. Should you do this you
might find d crack or two. because meer-
chaum. when heated. expands. and a sud
den cold viii cause contraction sufficient
60 crack il.
To properly color it you must not smoke
hard and fast With the idea of viewing
the beauty in a few weeks. 4 slow, quiet
smoke viii in a few months develop the
white into a beautiful mahogany color.
Nor is il Wei TO use strong, dark tobacco,
rs it viii blacken the lower part of the
bowl instead OF giving it a deep brown.
The Gambler clay is very popular in
France, and is a clay made by process
discovered by a Frenchman named Gam
bier.
So much for the materials of pipes. One
next viii notice the endless styles which
are seen in the store windows. For many
years Americans did not favorably regard
the pipe. Then some one noticed how popu-
los - in, and -
"EneIfsh, you know" 1t was just at
that time that French briar was coming
in vogue, and several college swells got up
the now prevalent style, known as the
bulldog
RESEMBLES THE CANE.
In appearance it is stunipy, heavy, and
fiuingly corresponds with the heavy cane.
A large, thick bowl and short fiat stem
and mouth piece are the characteristic
features of the bulldog, which is made
in ali prices from 10 and % cents for the
cheap wood TO SO for the genuine wood
withsilver rmountings and dpureanibermouth
piece.
A mouthpiecc used greatly in England,
but not liked on this side, is made of vulcan
ized rubber. while horn is yet favorabiy
regarded. The Americans are not as fas-
tidious about their pipes as the English,
who view everything about pipe even TO
the grain of the wood. Over there our
English cousins fancy the straight up
and down grain, and such pipe commands.
% per cent greater money. In the United
States the curly grain is liked as well as
the straight grain, and no discrimination
made While the tendency is all toward
the bulldog, the fashion, like the fair sex, is