The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-01-09
QUALITIES OF A MBEK
MANY POWERS HAVE BEEN CREDIT.
ed TO The YELLOW GUM

The Belief In Its ABILITY TO Ware
on Diseases of the Throat-used "a.
a Charm Against Various Kinds o,
Misfortune In olden Times.
4 want 10 buy string of amber
beads" said a nervous young man to
clerk in large cigar store In Mas.
sau' street recently. II. don't know
Just where to get them, but under
stand you people keep them"
Sorry my good man, but we are ali
out Of them at present, but csln tel
you where you canlget them And
the clerk gave the young man the ad
dress of a jewelry firm near by.
ITS strange" said the clerk, show
many people come in here To buy am.
her beads We used TO keep a stock on
hand, but there was no money in it for
Us, and we gave it up" The clerk was
well informed on tie subject and went
on to tell something about amber tint
was interesting indeed. you know,
1t is an old superstition" he continued,
Chat d string of amber bei.ds around
child's throat will keep off throat
troubles and especially Group. Doctors
Of course, poohpooh the idea, but moth.
ers viii swear by the beads. Wheth.
er there is really anything In 1t or not
| cannot tell, but must say that peo.
pie testify to the fact that these beads
do wonderful good in throat troubles.
and 1t is really facts that count.
you know, the idea is an old one,
and amber was known before the
Christian era. History says that Pop.
paea made Nero dress the amphltHea-
ter at Rome with amber and had bro
ken pieces strewn in the arena to pre-
vent the Infectious odor of the common
people from reaching her when at the
games during an epidemic. The Turks
were the first TO use amber as mouth
piece for pipes, owing TO its alleged
quality. of not carrying Infection Such
mouthpieces were first fitted to the
PUBLIC pipes those which were passed
from mouth TO mouth.
Few people know where amber real
" is found Dutmost of 1t comes from
Prussia, and some from Fiai.ce aile
Norway Gathering of timber Is u,
:dild& play, but. is fraught with prIva /,
tlon. lizard work and danger The moth
er whose baby wears a string OF beads
krDws. little Of the risks that were run
10 gettle yellow gam. In olden times
the amber used to be gathered after.
storms. the heavy seas having loosened
the wealth which lay at the bottom OF
the shore water. The men would then
venture M To their nacks in the surf,
and with long noies. na-ins hooks on
the end, they would rake up the pieces
Of amber and carry them in to shore.
This is now much simplified, and
~e no longer wait for storms, but In
stead divers are employed, who go to
:he bottom of the sea and detach the
rich deposits. When the amber has
been washed and the pebbles have.
been picked out. II is passed into re
volving drums with certain amount
of sand. which scrubs OF the outer
surface. 1t is then sorted into about
a dozen different varieties, according
to color and shape. Flat pieres are
used for smokers goods. Round pieces
90 to make up beads aud fragments
Tor varnish.
"rhe size used to be an important
commercial factor. Now 1t plays an
uninportant part. 1t is just as eass
now to make large mouthpiece as II
was formerly a small one. A, few
years ago Il manufacturer as an adver
dsement made cigarette mouthpiece
that was over fifty inches in length
Years ago the price for such a bis
stem would have been enormous. but
now II Is considerably reduced. The
pale pieces of amber are bought By
the pipe manufacturers OF Turkey apa
Egypt. The light, whitish colors ars
used for ornaments In Italy, and the
finest grades OF clouded green, gray
and blue are sent to the United States
England and France.
"what is amber? Wei, that is NOT
so easy 10 answer Men OF science say
shat ages ago, long before Earl Eric
carried at his side the Rightly sword.
with the hilt OF amber, that gave hi:u
earning of the storm and fight, there
stood on the Samland mighty forest
OF conffers, whose descendants today
are found in California and Oregon.
These trees piled up around their roots
the golden gum. and when the sen sub
seqnenfly wiped out ths forest the am
her was buried in its depths, from
s,-hfc1, IL ;c raaxc eqffIrpd
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