Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10
Mainstay of Thibetans.
HOW MEERsCHAUM rs MINED.
Where It is Found-Process of Max
ing It Into Pipes.


From the Scientific American
Despite our familiarity with meerschaum.
used in pipes, 1t is safe to say that few
peculiar properties OF this substance or the
ancients believed the substance to be petri-
fed seafoam hence the German name meer-
schaum meaning seafoam; and very apt
name 1t Is for the mineral Is very white
and 50 light that it Will float when. dry.
floating In the Black sea which We're evil
waves. This may also have had It's infiu-
ence on the seafoam theory of It's forma-
ton.
Meerschaum Is found in best quality and
most abundant quantity in Asia Minor,
though ii also occurs In Greece. Spain, Mo-
ravia and Morocco, and even in this coun-
try in South Carolina. The richest mines
are on the plains of Eskishehr. $50 miles
southeast of Constantinople. One of these
mines is said to be a thousand years. old,
and consists of about two thousand pits
within an area of six miles, all but about
100 of which have been exhausted. The
mineral occurs in nodules, or humps, of va
rious and Irregular sizes, buried in the al
!uvial deposits of the plain. Another mine
comprises 5000 pits, only 100 of which are
being worked.
The material is mined by the inhabitants
OF the surrounding villages and transported
In the rough to Eskishehrs The meer-
schaum is soft when mined, but soon hard
ems when exposed to the air. For this rea-
son the humps are roughly scraped off at
first and then laid aside to dry. When dry
they are subjected to thorough scraping
and cleaning and are finally waxed and
polished. The Jumps are now sorted ac-
cording to size in four classes and packed
in boxes. In this condition the meer-
schaum is shipped to the pipe manufac-
turers.
In a meerschaum pipe factory the larger
pieces are cut with a band saw to a con-
yenient size, after which the meerschaum
is soaked in water until 1t becomes quite
soft. Meersehaum when wet becomes very
soapy. and will produce quite a iather IL
rubbed. In fact the material serves as
very good substitute for soap, and is thus
used In Morocco. Meerschaum dust makes
an excellent cleaning powder for removing
soaked, the meerschaum can be cut like
cheese. and 1t is then roughly shaped
with knife to the form of a pipe. When
dry the bowl and stem shanks are drilled
and then, lie the pipe Is of a plain pattern,
1t Is turned on a lathe to the desired form.
II square stem shank Is desired, 1t is
shaped with file. The shank is now
shouldered and threaded to receive the am
Der stem piece. These stems are cut from
plates of solid amber. most of which Is Inn
ported from Germany.
Amber occurs in many parts of Europe
and America. but in largest quantity along
the coast of Germany. This fossil gum is
found in Jumps or grains and is melted at
500 degrees r.. and refined.
There are two qualities of amber the
transparent and the Opaque, .or cloudy, the
latter being much tougher and, therefore,
more servieeabie The pipe stems after
being fooled out are bent to the required
shape. They are first immersed in oil and
heated until they lose much of their brit
lane % hay hold ~
eohol flame and bent as desired. The
threaded ends of the stem are protected
while bending by an arbor screwed therein
The pipes are now carefully smoothed
with pieces of American rush. or shave
grass. The stem of the grass, owing to the
natural deposit of silica, has a fine rough
ness which perfectly adapts 1t for this serv-
Ice. After the pipes have been properly
finished with the rush. they are Immersed
in melted WAX for short time. depending
on the density of the meerschaun and then
they are given high polish with chalk pre-
eipitate.
Meerschaum IL an excellent material for