The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-21
Billions OF IOOthp,ckS Arc
Used Annually.
Fine Specimens Come From
Portugal and Japan.
A Luminous Life Line for the Saw
ing of Wrecked Mariners.

There Is one thing tnat tne sthIls'iCi"h
does not figure up annually and that Is
the number of wooden toothpicks used In
this country. The fact is that tho num-
ber is simply enormous, and mounts up
into the billions. Ninety per cont OF all
the toothpicks manufactured in the
United States are made from white berch
timber in Franklin county, Me, ana yet
scarcely more than hundred persons are
employed in the industry in that state
Outside of the state of Maine the prin-
cipal factories are in Pennsylvania
Massachusetts and Western New York.
some maple and poplar are used in the
manufacture of American toothplckS
hut white birch is the standard timber
in all the factories The best toothplcks
made anywhere in the world come from
Portugal. They are whitfield 10y hand
from orangewood splints by peasant girls,
the only tool used being an ordinary
jackknife. These picks are MS smooth as
ivory and will not break into splinters.
They are expensive also. The girls VINO
make the picks receive less than ten cents
day. AS the duty on foreign made
picks in only 30 per cent. they can be
sold here for less than picks OF similar
quality could beS manufactured In TINS
country, despite the improved American
machinery and skilled labor.
The profit in American picks is almost
exclusively on the cheaper grades. some
of the Portuguese picks are highly orna-
mented with hand carving but they are
too EXPENSIVE for ordinary use and COM
merce. Small quantities have been I'M
ported into this country on.rare occasions
for use at notable banquets, or as unique
specimens of handicraft. Next to Portu-
gal, Japan sends the largest supply OF
toothpicks TO the United States. These
are made by hand from fine reeds They
also arc sold in close competition With
the American product owing TO the
cheaper labor In Japan. The cases in
which the japanese picks are enclosed are
fine specimens of skill with the Jackkniie.
They are of wood. cut into strips as thin
AMI delicate as tissue paper, but they are
very strong The cases are ornamentod
with hand painted japanese scenes, and
are of size TO be conveniently carried In
tho vest pocket
The superstition relating TO the nun Der
thirteen which not a few otherwise intelli-
gent and the great mass of unintelligent
persons still entertain, has received fresh
blow in the experience of the Arctic ex-
plorer DIR. Nansen. He has, quite apart
from his achievements as an explorer,
established strong claim To recognition
by entirely and finally knocking out the
number thirteen as "a symbol OF disaster.
Not content with being born on the thir-
teenth of the month"; he went of on his
recent expedition with "A party numbering
thirteen all of whom returned safely.
Tho Fran got clear of the ice on the thir-
taenth Of the month, on the same day on
which Nansen arrived at Tromsoe, and TO
crown all, he was entertained by the Royal
Geographical Society on the occasion of
its thirteenth anniversary, held on Feb. l3.
A correspondent wants to know il il
Is not an undisputed fact that America
was named for Amerigo Vespucci, u Flor
cntine merchant who visited the newly
discovered continent several years after
Columbus voyage. 1t can hardly be re-
ga'ded as undisputed since it lis claimed
by certain historians that on his fourth
voyage Columbus found "A Central Amcri-
can tribe Of natives bearing the name of
Ameriques and that his associates desig-
mated the country by the name OF those
Indians. On the other hand the existence
Of the Ameriques has been doubted, but
recently the descendants of the ancient
AmeriQues have been found dwelling i'm
Honduras and NJ. "A. Pinart, IA French
explorer, has studied thor language and
investigated their relations TO otner native
tribes OF course the discovery of the
of America was derived from them.
The wreck Of the bark Mason on the
reefs off Cape Cod some years ago, re
suited in the death of all the crew, who
were found frozen in the rigging in tn,
morning, because In the darkness the,
were unable TO see the life line which haC
been shot TO them, and which was within
easy reach If they had known whore &,
look for IL. Ibis sea tragedy suggostc,
to Reuben III. Plass of BROOKLYN, th
iuea OF line made luminous by phospko
rous which he has finally perfected
The greatest difficulty Was IN making tn
luminous substance burn out bcfor
reaching the ship. Finally, by com
hipation of chemicals he succeeded IL
producing PHOSPHORUS which ignitcs n
q temperature of l6i degrees The mora
from which tic lilo line is shot weigh
ls5 pounds. Tnis invention is "a YER
inportint one. Most OF the lives saye
from wrecks are due To the life lire, am
the inability to use this eifectually in tn
night has caused death of many who's
lives This invention would have saved.
there Is no fog and the storm Is not To
severe, tie luminous liiC iine VIII u