Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-24

ARE REAL PIPE STORIES
QUEER FADS OF MEN WHO ENJOY
SMOKING.
Freak Fashions From All Over the
world-Philippines Furnish
Many Odd Designs.
From America.

From America
These pipe smokers are the queerest peo-
pie on earth,'' remarked the repairer as the
door closed and the morning customer dis
appeared in the crowded streets. Just
look at this pipe. Six feet Of stem and a
bowl large enough to hold half the plug
cut in the country store. Actually it isn't
worth marking down to 80 cents and plac-
Ing on the bargain counter. but that fellow
Is willing to pay a for having 1t repaired
Just because he inagines smoke created in
any other bowl and drawn through another
stem wouldn't taste like tobacco.
Particular? Why, New York pipe smok-
ers are the most fastidious people on the
earth. They have more fanciful ideas to the
square inch than the women who throng
I'D street on bargain day. Just let a pipe
smoker get his head set on one particular
pipe and you could bail the Hudson river
dry as easily as you could break this at
tachment He would pay $40 for repairs to
an old pipe that wouldn't sell for 80 cents.
That's why I'm in the business
The number Of habitual pipe smokers in
the city runs away up into the thousands,
and the different styles of pipes Is almost
as great as the number of smokers. Men
who run pipe hospitals have scores Of
freak styles and shapes sprung on them
every day.
Fads in Pipes.
Some slaves of loose tobacco take to the
German pipe with its elongated stem and
cavernous bowl, and they wouldn't think
they were smoking at all If compelled to
adopt the bulldog style Of pipe that the
staggering college boy smokes on the
street. The German bowl is necessarily a
home luxury, because few smokers care to
be bothered with a dray.
Another home pipe that appeals strong
ly to the metropolitan smokers is the
chibook, or Turkish bowl, with its half doz-
en- appended flexible stems and it's bowl Of
water through which the smoke Is drawn.
These pipes are prevalent for the most part
in bachelor apartments, and the feature
that is their strongest recommendation is
that several smokers may puff at one OF
them at the same time.
Pipes From the Philippines.
The increase in the number OF tourists to
the Philippine Islands has flooded New
York with various styles of pipes that are
new to local dealers. They are in the
main unique, and are more valuable as or
naments and additions to collections than
for the actual satisfaction obtained from
smoking them. Yet pipe smokers, who al
ways are on the lookout for something
trade an old reed stem and coblike bowl
for the finest meerschaum in town.
The large MORO pipe, which Is intended
to serve as a war club when not otherwise
In use, Is by far the most novel Of the
recent importations from the Philippines. II
has an immense stem, covered with short
barbs and the bowl Is OF sufficient weight
to make 1t a dangerous weapon when WELD
ed by a native Filipino. There are several
of these Moro pipes in this city and smok-
a a IA To r1ffh In I'm.
ply because they are queer.
One pipe-smoker Is the owner Of q highly
priced specimen that was carved out OF
steers horn. A bowl Of briar was In
serted in the end and connected with g
reed stem tipped with amber. He spends his
evenings smoking his pipe and couldn't be
induced to try any other. 1t is heavy and
hard to handle, but he likes it, neverthe-
less.
Some curious designs are to be found ir
the collections of pipe smokers who appre-
ciate carving. One man who consumes q
pound of tobacco every week smokes from
snakes head ingeniously worked out OF
French briar. Another finds satisfaction
in a bowl representing a dogs foot. The
human skull also has been counterfeited tc
meet the fancy Of the pipe smoker.
The Meerschaum.
A good many lovers of the meerschaum
pipe spend their time trying to color their
high-prced treasures in fantastic fashion
believing that they have the genuine arti-
Gle. AS a matter of fact, scores Of them
waste their breath against exceedingly de.
ceptive limitations
The first meerschaum pipe made in the
United States was carved by Charles Pol
lack In New York in 1860 from a block
which Rev DR.. Tying Of Brooklyn brought
from Turkey. Pollack learned his trade
from his fatherin-law in old Buda and In.
troduced the meerschaum industry in this
country in 1861.
The literal translation Of the word meer.
schaum Is foam of the sea- but 1t in re.
ality Is a sflicate of magnesla. The raw
material comes from Asia Minor, where.
from the Turkish government derives a
great deal Of revenue. 1t Is extracted much
the same way as coal. Near Eski Shehir
an important station Of the Anatolian rail-.
way, where rich deposits are found, pits
from 23 to $50 feet deep are dug, and as
soon as the vein Is struck, horizontal gal.
leries. sometimes Of considerably length
are made.
The stone as extrac ted Is called hamtasf
Trough block, and is soft enough to be
covered by red clay SOIL The manipula
ton required before 1t is ready for export
Is long and costly. There Is some found ir
SPAIN but 1t Is not suitable, being too full
of flaws. The best quality Is called "Spie
gel meerschaum" Qooking-glass meer
schaum) account Of it's beautiful luste,
when colored) The first piece OF meer
schaum was brought into Hungary by 6
nobleman about the year 1900, who gave Il
to cobbler on his estate to carve into 6
pipe bowl. AS he was mending shoes
thereby using wax, some Of 1t got on the
bowl. which caused the pipe to color wher
smoked.