The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-17
A PUFF OF SMOKE.
Some Facts About It That Smokers
Are Unaware Of.

From the New York Herald
Science has calculated that an av- |
erage pun OF cigar smoke sets free |
over 1000. O00, 600 tiny particles. n Whit |
from a pipe liberates over 800, 900, 900 |
of these particles, and one from a |
cigaIette starts 1900 900, 900 Of them |
flying through the surrounding atmo- |
sphere. A very curious fact concern
ing tobacco smoke is the remarkable
change of color which 1t undergoes af-
ter entering the mouth. From the
burning end of a cigar the smoke is
sues in deep blue threads, while that
which is expelled from the mouth is
OF a decidedly brownish tint. Sir Will
lam Thompson Uord Kelvin) recently
accounted for this difference by prov
ing that the minutest particles have an
intense affinity for moisture. From
this he reasoned that when tobacco
smoke Is drawn into the mouth its
smallest particles are Immediately de-
tached from the rest by the presence
of moist surfaces, to which they fly and
lodge
Besides particles smoke contains
several gases and vapors. Though Sir
Walter Raleigh won his famous wager
with Queen Elizabeth, he took no ac-
| count of these when he attempted to
show her the weight OF his smoke by
subtracting the weight of the final
ashes from that of the unburned Ci-
gar, and his demonstration would not
hold good with any scientist today.
An error now common even among
old smokers exists in reference to thC
| nicotine in tobacco. The dark stain
| ht t..l.
| after blowing smoke through it is
! caused by SCOT and tar from the smoke,
and not by nicotine as nearly every
body supposes. This same stain is de-
! posted on the teeth and finger tips
| of cigarette smokers. The cake" in
the bowl of a pipe is composed of real
coal, as good as any that is mined
It is formed by the juices oozlng under
the high temperature from the burning
tobacco. and would burn If subjected
to sufficient heat. Clogging in pipe
stem is caused by the rapid accumu-
lation Of tar. Nicotine Is colorless and
forms less than one ten-thousandth
part of all the substances precipitated
| from tobacco smoke.
1t has often been quoted that a grain
of nicotine administered all at once
this have been argued it's terrible eff
fects on the body of a human being.
While this statement is undoubtedly
! true, 1t Is somewhat misleading In
order to commit suicide by smoking
the dog would have to consume over
400 strong cigars. one right after the
other. He could put himself out of
the world much easier by eating the
boxes.
Whatever the i'll effects Of tobacco
when used to excess, in moderation
1t acts on the adult as a mild seda-
tive. 1t is claimed that after the thir-
tieth year it's use prolongs life and pre-
serves the mind, by lessenins the bodi-
ly functions of waste and repair
Experts say that for smoking. to-
bacco is one of the least injurious sub
stances known. Compared with other
well known vegetable substances used
for the same purpose. tobacco is very
mild. Opium, without doubt. is most
fearful in its effects. for the drunken
ness it produces ultimately unbalances
the mind. Next to opium in power are
certain kinds of grasses, notable among
which is hemp, which causes intoxica-
tion and anaesthesia. There is evil
denCe to show that the ancient Aztecs
made their victims inhale the fumes
from smoking grasses, after which the
intoxicated prisoners went peaceably
to the altar to be sacrificed to Quetzal-
coatl Ohe sun god) Grape leaves
which are smoked in parts of western
Pennsylvania, are in some ways almost
as powerful as opium. and legislation
has been undertaken against their use
Both cubebs and corn silk infiame the
mucous membrane and upset the di-
gestive function. None of these evi
results from the moderate use of to-
bacco. Hygienically, strong tobacco is
better than mild, for in smoke from
the mild varieties the tiny particles are
far more numerous, and tend to dry
up the blood by absorbing large guam
titles of moisture from the mouth and
lungs. For this reason, paper cigar
cites, even when unadulterated are
held to be injurious.
Connoisseurs of tobacco believe that
in the near future low prices for good
cigars will effect the extinction of do
mestic skunk cabbage varieties With
the advent of American colonies In
, the East and West Indies and reduced
prices on their products some dealers
expect to see fine cigars selling at
and 8 cents apiece. Already severa
importing houses have begun to ad.
vertise greatly reduced prices on Porte
Rican tobacco as a direct result of the
war. Several shipments of Manila to,
baccO and cigars are already on theil
way from the Philippines, and will bt
, rushed into the market in a few weeks
On account of its high flavor and low
price Philippine tobacco is expected tC
come into popular favor the instant il
Is put on sale in the ordinary retail
cigar store.
Before the war our tobacco importa.
tions amounted to many millions O
dollars annually, and economists
prophecy that from a purely financia
point of view the national policy O
expansion will be vindiCated by the re-
, sulting boom in the tobacco trade.