The times., 1898-09-23
MEERSCHAUM PIPES.
Styles Which Some of the Worlds
Smokers Prefer to Smoke

(FrOm the New York SUM-
Most Of the plain meerschaum pipes
sold nowadays are of practically the
same styles as briar pipes and finished
and mounted in the same manner. OF the
once familiar meerschaum. that was
substantially a meerschaum bowl with
a short upturned stem part into which a
weichsel stempiace was inserted cOmpar-
atively few are now sold. Many of the
meerschaum pipes OF today are of the
bulldog pattern. and many are made like
wise Straight-Stemmed, but with bowls
in various rounded forms: and there are
briar-shaped pipes with droop stems The
mountings are silver or gold bands, or
ferrules. round the stem part. where the
pit or mouthpiece is attached. and, on
some pipes. a mounting round the top
of the bowl. In these pipe mountings
those produced by Americans excel all
others in suitability and design With
their production in modern styles and in
forms adapting them TO the most con-
venient and advantageous use has come
an increased demand for pipes of meer-
schaum.
Such are the pipes usually bought by
the American or Englishman. VINO. il
he smokes a meerschaum. wants a scout.
stocky. serviceable pipe. There are sold,
however, some meerschaUms that are
the stem part and mouthpiece little II
any longer but very much slenderer and
lighter than those parts of the pipes
more commonly sold But while the
American and the EngIishman prefer
generally when they buy a meerschaum
a good. solid pipe. the FTenchman who
smokes a mesrschaum wants long and
slender pipe as also does the Italian.
The plain meerschaum pipe made for
the French or Italian smoker is in de-
sign substantially like a clay pipe. with
a bowl of the same general shape. though
of finer lines, and with the same long
slender stem. But made of such a ma
terial as meerschaum and beautifully
finished and with long, slender. deli
cate mOuJhpiece of amber. there is no
danger of the pipe being mistaken for
a clay pipe Simple and at the same
time quaint as such pipes may at first
appear to one unaccustOmed TO them.
they may easily be objects of beauty, as
was cer.ainiy. in an especial degree, one
seen in a shop where many such pipes
were displayed. II was finished in all
but the polishing: was about a foot in
length. including the delicate amber
mouthpiece which would measure per-
haps four inches, and the meerschaum
was of a smooth and milky whiteness.
while the long, slender amber mouth
piece was of light yellow, cIOud5d with
white.
Such pipes are made with the bowls
placed at different angles. as is the case
with clay pipes and the bowls are made
rather thin walled than other
wise, in keeping with the
general character of the pine. These
slender meerschaum pipes are made,
some of them. with the stem fashioned
TO present twist in appearance. but
most of them are made with the stem
straight and smooth. They are made.
including the amber bit or mOuthpiece.
in various lengths, the price of the pipe
depending on the length, and as with
other meerschaums on the quality. Such
pipes have been made thirty-Six inches
in length. Pipes of from eight to- twelve
inches in length are the pipes of this
kind most commonly sold.