Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
MEERSCHAUM PIPES
Queer Incidents That Led to
Their Popularity.
A C0BBLER'S DISCOVERY
Something About the Methods of
Manufacture.
EACH BOWL MADE BY HAND
Process of Cutting, Shaping and Fin
ishing Important Don'ts
for Meerschaum Smokers

Written for The Star.
1t is highly interesting story of the
origin of the industry that they tell In
the meerschaum pipe shops Of Vienna and
New York
A certain Hungarian nobleman, who lived
IN the first part of the last century, be-
came weary of looking after his vast es-
tates, turned the care of them over to an
assistant, and slipped away to Asia Minor
for little vacation. There he soon forgot
his troubles in a fever of curio purchasing
and among the other things that came
into his possession was a nodular mass OF
white stuff about the size OF very large
Irish potato. This he was told, had been
dug out OF the alluvial soil. rich with any
number of similar specimens.
The purchase. made because of the ex-
treme lightness of the material soon pa ssed
out of the nobleman's mind. Indeed. he
did not give 1t further thought until he was
unpacking his curios In his castle a short
time after his return home. He was n
great smoker, he had strong fad for
curious pipes. and as he handled the white
material, so bulky and yet so light he was
struck with the idea that 1t would make up
splendidly into a unique pipe. Forthwith
he turned the curto over to his cobbler.
with instructions to bore a couple of holes
into ii and fit 1t with stem. But the
cODDIer was thrifty llQlVluudl. lie mated
to waste so much good material on one
pipe, so he took matters into his own
hands cut the block In two and made two
pipes one for his master, the other for
himself
A Lowly Cobbler's Discovery.
During the next few weeks that followed,
the cobbler, as he sat at his bench pegging
away and running his thread through bees
wax. derived much contentment from his
new pipe. And one day he got a decided
surprise That was when he beheld two
shiny brown spots on the bowl
His curiosity was as marked as his
thrift As he rolled the pipe over In his
hands, his mind was busy at work trying
to ascertain the cause of the spots Finally
Il dawned on him that they had come right
where thumb and finger clasped the pipe
when it was removed from his mouth. That
thumb and finger always held the beeswax
when # was used Could the particles OF
beesWax that had undoubtedly been trans
ferred to the pipes surface, be responsible
for the eauttful glossy color? The cobbler
would find out; he rubbed the pipe all over
with the wax; then he smoked possessed
his soul In patience, and what was his JOY
when he observed the pipe taking on a
glossy color all over may be easily mag
ined by every true lover of the weed
The nobleman was duly Informed of the
discovery; his pipe which, fortunately had
not been used, was also rubbed with bees
wax; 1t, too, took on glossy brown color,
end the nobleman, delighted. at once noised
the virtues OF his new pipe about among
his friends. They in turn made inquiries
of the material used in the pipe, some of
it was obtained from Asia Minor and treat
ed with beeswax, and long before either
the nobleman or the cobbier had passed on
the stage of life the meerchaum pipe in
dustry had developed and was growing
Justify.
Waxing a Meerschaum.
To this day every meerschaum pipe. be-
fore 1t leaves a makers hands, is dipped