The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-14
A PUFF OF SMOKE.
Some Facts About IL That Smokers
Are Unaware of.
From the New York Herald

puff of cigar smoke sets free over 1000, OOO,-
900 tiny particles, Whit from pipe lib
crates over 1,SO0OOOOO of these particles,
and one from a cigarette starts 2.9O0, COO.
600 of them flying through the sur
rounding atmosphere. very curious fact
concerning tobacco smoke is the remark
able change in color which it undergoes
after entering the mouth. From the burn
ing end of a cigar the smoke issues in
deep blue threads, while that which is
expelled from the mouth is of a decidedly
brownish TINT Sir William Thompson
Qord Kelvin recently accounted for this
difference by proving that the miuutest
particles have an intense affinity for mois-
ture. From this he reasoned that Wnen
tobacco smoke is drawn into the mouth
its smallest particles are Immediately de-
tached from the rest of the presence of
moist surface, TO which they fly and lodge
Besides particles smoke contains several
gases and vapors Though Sir Walter Ra-
leigh won his famous wager with Queen
Elizabeth he took no account of these
when he attempted to show her the weight
of his smoke by substracting the weight
of the final ashes from that of the I'M
burned cigar, and his demonstrate ton would
not hold good with any scientist to-day.
An error now common even among Odd
smokers exists In reference to the nico-
tine in tobacco. The dark stain which
comes on a white handkerchief after blow
ing smoke through it Is caused by SCOT and
tar from the smoke, and not by nicotine
as nearly everybody supposes. This same
Is deposited on the teeth and finger tips
of cigarette smokers The cake" in the
bowl of a pipe is composed of real coal
a "a IS 80 70
by the juices oozing under the high tenn
perature from the burning tobacco, and
would burn If subjected to sufficient heat
Clogging in a p3pestem Is caused by the
rapid accumulation of tar. Nicotine Is
colorless and forms less than one ten
thousandth part of all the substance pre-
cipitated from tobacco smoke.
1t has often been quoted that a grain of
nicotine administered all at once would
klii the strongest dog, and from this have
been argued it's terrible effects on the body
of human being. While this statement
Is undoubtedly true 1t is somewhat mis-
leading. In order TO commit suicide by
smoking the dog would have to consume
over 400 strong cigars one right after the
otner. lie 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 IL acts on an
adult as mild sedative. 1t is claimed that
after the thirtieth year its use prolongs life
and preserves the mind, by lessening the
bodily functions Of waste and repair.
Experts say that for smoking, tobacco is
one of the least injurious substances
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 eff
fects, for the drunkenness 1t produces I'LL
ttmately unbalances the mind. Next to
opium in power are certain kinds of
grasses, notable among which is hemp,
which causes intoxication and anaesthe-
STA There Is evidence to show that the an
cient Aztecs made their victims inhale the
fumes from smoking grasses after which
the intoxicated prisoners went peaceably
TO the altar to be sacrificed to Quetzai-
coatl 6he sun god Grape leaves, which
are smoked in parts of Western Pennsyl-
vania, are In some ways almost as power
full as opium, and legislation has been I'M
dertaken against their use. Both cubebs
and corn silk inflame the mucous mem
brane and upset the digestive function.
None of these evils results from the mod
crate use of tobacco. 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
of moisture from the mouth and lungs
For this reason, paper cigarettes, even
when unadulterated, are held TO be in
furious.
Connosseurs of tobacco believe that in
the near future low prices for good cigars
will effect the extinction of domestic
skunk cabbage varieties. with the advent
of American colonies in the East and West
Indies and reduced prices on their products
some dealers expect 10 see fine cigars sell
Ing at and cents apiece. Already sew
eral importing houses have begun 10 adj
vertse greatly REDUCED prices on Porto
Rican tobacco, as a direct result OF the
war. Several shipments Of Manila tobac-
co and cigars are already on their way
from the Philippines, and will be rushed
into the market in a few weeks. On ac-
count of its high flavor and low price
Philippine tobacco Is expected to come into
popular favor the instant It Is put on sale
In me ordinary retail cigar store.
Before the war our tobacco importa-
lions amounted to many millions of dollars
annually, and economists prophesy that
from a purely financial point OF view the
national policy Of expansion will be vim
dicated by the resulting boom In the TO-
bacco trade.