The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-21
THE WORLDS
SUPPLY OF IVORY.
FACTS ABOUT THE TRADE NOT
GENERALLY KNOWN.

From the New York Sun.
r. Van Baer has for years been
prominent in the ivory industry Of the
Congo, which is now the greatest
source of ivory in the world. He has
recently written a series of articles on
the ivory industry which have just
been published in LIE Movement Geo
graphique. Some of the most inter-
esting facts, particularly those which
are not widely known, are reproduced
here from his exhaustive treatment OF
the subject.
Ivory is derived from the secretion
and solidifcation of gelatinous matter
called dentlne, which is contained IN
the hollow part (pulp cavity of the
tusk This matter is conveyed
| through minute veins extending ra-
| daily to the surface of the tusk, Where
| it hardens in concentric layers. Inc
| surface of the ivory is covered with
| a crust. about three millimetres thick,
which is removed before the ivory IS
turned into any industrial product.
An intimate relation exists between
| The age of the elephant and the RAPID
| ity of ivory growth The young ami
mai SeCfeCeS Il 'UuCH lciA SNl 49,
of dentine than an old elephant. It's
tusks are hollow almost to their point.
This hollow part or pulp cavity
gradually decreases in size with ad-
vancing age. About three-fourths or
four-ffths of each tusk of old animals
is solid ivory.
Another way to tell whether the tusk
comes from a young or an old amman
is to examine the hollow part of 1T. Ii
the hollow is of the same diameter
where the tusk energies from the head
as at the further end of the hollow the
tusk is that of an adult animal.
Some writer's have referred to the
large number of small tusks in the
market as proof that elephants are
killed for their ivory before the tusKs
mature. The fact is that more than
two-thirds of the ivory sold is that OF
adult animals.
1t is from the older tusks Of solid or
nearly solid ivory that billiard balls
are made. Most of the elephants are
killed by the natives, and ivory hunt
ing is with them a secondary consid-
Grafton. Their chief reasons for kill
ing the elephant are that he destroys
their plantations and that his flesh IS
regarded as an excellent food re-
source.
Elephants have not been so reckless
ly destroyed in Africa as in India,
where the wild elephant is now almist
unknown. 1t will be remembered that
in India, on account of their destruc-
ton of crops, wild elephants were
for a time poisoned in large num-
bers.
Many tribes which organize great
elephant hunts in the Mobangi region
of the Congo impair the value of the
ivory by driving a herd into an en-
closed space and then setting fire to
the tall grass, so that the animals
are nearly burned to death before
they are finally killed with spears.
The tusks are thus more or less cal
cined and their value is greatly re-
duced.
The elephant is found in. all the
well-watered and fertile parts of equa-
| torial Africa. The finest and most
transparent ivory is obtained from
the humid and low-lying regions.
In the higher and colder districts the
ivory is coarser in texture. Along the
frontiers of the animals habitat, his
ivory becomes very hard and brittle
as, for example, the ivory coming from
Senegambia.
About one-fifth of the tusks coming
| from Central Africa are affected by
some strange disease, the results of
| which are seen in little masses or
1 VI d SUBSTANCE IndL differs
| from ivory in structure and compost
| ton. They are harder than ivory,
| darker in color and evidently originate
| in some interference with the secre-
| ton of the dentine. The Germans call
| this disease Ivory smallpox"
The tusks that come into commerce
| greatly vary in weight, with about
| two pounds as a minimum. The max
| imum weight is not definitely fixed.
| Ono ir nf tI1clye flao q mir al
| that recently came to Europe weighed
| a little over 316 pounds, or about 15S
| pounds to the tusk.
| Tusks are occasionally found of even
| greater weight. One enormous tusk
| for example. weighing POS pounds, was
| sold a few years ago to the late King
| of Bavaria to serve as the principal
! piece in a chandelier.
The most remarkable pair of tusks
| that has yet been obtained in Africa
was purchased at Zanzibar two and a
| half years ago, for the large price OF
| $4,000 They We're taken from an ele-
| plant that was killed near Mount
| Kilimanjaro, German East Africa, by
| an Arab after he had chased the ami
| NAL for many weeks.
His attention was attracted to this
! particular elephant by it's enormous
size, but much time and patience were
| expended before he got near enough
to put in a killing shot, The tusks
| weighed 459 pounds, one weighing about
tewnty pounds more than the other
One tusk was very slightly longer than
the other and measured 1915 feet.
One of the classifcations of ivory is
based upon the weight of the tusks
| A heavy tusk weighs twenty-five kilo-
grams or more, medium tusks from
eighteen to twenty-five Kilograms. The
smaller tusks are adapted for bangles
bracelets, billiard balls and other such
purposes. About 30 per cent. of the
| stock imported into Antwerp is heavy
tusks and about II per cent. medium
tusks, the smaller tusks making ur
more than half the total.
The form of the tusks also varies
greatly. The longest tusk yet obtained
measured 10. 16 feet. AS regards theil
form, tusks occasionally come into the
market that are absolutely straight
but they are very rare.
Sometimes a tusk is found which has
curled around, forming almost a per
feet circle. Such pieces are defective
and their unusual form is apparently
due to some disease in the ivory. They
are usually without any hollow interior
and if they continue to grow must nee
essarily penetrate into the flesh of tn,
head. IDS
Frequently an elephants tusks arr
not of the same length or weight. Thi:
is due to the tendency of most OF these
paohyderms to give preference TO on,
or the other tusk in defending himself
in digging up the soil or in any othe
use OF his tusks.
The particular tusk that is used more
than the other is likely TO be n little