The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-20
THE OPIUM SMOKERS PIPE
1t May Cost 5000, aud Grows in Value
the More 1t Is Smoked.

1t May Cost 5000, and Grows in Value
the More 1t Is Smoked.
An opium smoking layout consists I; I
about dozen distinct articles, al
though only half OF them are abso-
,lutely necessary for smoking. and in
case of emergency person could get
a!on" with four-pipe. bowl, amp and
ycnhock OF t.,esc, the pipe is first
In ilnporta 7cc.
Opium. pipes vary in size, price. color,
material, quality and beauty. Those
Of the better grade are made of ivory,
are used only by well-to-do smokers,
and cost anywhere from $50 to 5000.
The pipes generally used are made en-
tirely Of bamboo, and cost anywhere
from 81 to $50. These prices relate to
old pipes. secondhand.
A new, bamboo pipe, which no ono
cares to smoke until 1t has been tho
roughly seasoned, costs several dollars,
Is OF light brown or yellowish tint,
and resembles piece Of fishing pole
III appearance. Only after continuous
smoking for perhaps several years Will
It begin to develop that rich. glossy.
brown color similar to meerschaum
tobacco pipe-a color so much desired
by smokers. In fact, there is really
more difference between a good opium
pipe and a poor one than there Is ye-
tween high-grade French briar to-
bacco pipe and Missouri corncob
The average opium pipe is eighteen
or twenty inches in LENGTH although
they often come as long as two feet
and as short as twelve inches. They
also vary in circumference. Some are
an inch, other sare two inches in di-
ameter. Even on the commonest kind
111rE@ two ~
an inch others are two inches In d.
mouthpiece to the saddle Is the body
of the pipe proper. Tho saddle Is that
part which holds the bowl In place,
and is generally situated about half
way between the centre Of the stem
and the end, On the ordinary pipes
the saddles are of tin or. brass: on the
finer ones they are of silver. and even
gold is sometimes used.
Immediately behind the saddle Is a
Realistically formed knob of from a
that Is an outgrowth Of the wood, and
is termed the nut orr hoodoo. a we'll
shaped and nicely polished hoodoo is
highly appreciated and valued u by
smokers, both Caucasian and Mongo-
liam Superstition forbids Y the latter
from ever smoking a stem that has no
hoodoo on It; In fact, all opium pipes
minus these queer knobs are regarded
as being fit only for foreigners
Sometimes the Chinese make artlfi-
cial hoodoos of sealing wax or clay.
placing them on heather pipes and
palming the counterfeit off on unso-
.phisticated foreigners for q good price.
Opium pipes pass for collateral security
In nearly all the pawnshops In the
large cities, but IL one were to try
to pawn or sell stem that had no hoo-
doc on 1T, he would be sure to expe-,
'rience difficulty.
There Is only one way Of testing an
opium pipe without smoking It, and
that is to feel Its Weight, Pipes Of
quality and value are inyariab IDLY heavy
from continuous smoking;t It hose that
haven't been smoked much areellg ut,
both in weight and color The longer
an opium pipe has been used, the bet
ter It Is. OF course. a great deal de-
.pends also on tho quality Of he opium
smoked and on the care OF the stem
In general. ls5 !.
81 often a smoker on getting q new
pipe viii place 1t in the care OF some
Cinnamon running an opium Joint, pa
}tronized by,a large number OF SIN = !
5ers, with the object OF having " used
AS nlucl, as possible for q period ofs slx
months or q year, paying the keepef
so much for the priVil ege, hlss " the
only known method of 9hay Ing ~ Pipe
broken In quickly III 3is3 y.
s IN addition 70 the manu- acturlns 3! 81