Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-09-03
RARE AND PRECIOUS IVORY
It's Many Uses in COmmcrce-Grent
Bulk Comes from African Elephants.
(FrOm Answers

When the King and Queen visited the
London docks a short time ago, they saw
laid out on the floor of one of the great
Warehouses $4,000 worth of ivory-an
array of fine tusks which must have rep
resented great hunting adventures in trop-
lcal forests.
Africa is the chief source of the world 8
supply Of ivory, and It Is estimated that
10000 elephants are annually slaughtered
for their tusks. But not more than 20
per cent. of this ivory is represented in
the total imports to Europe.
Elephants have been dying off for years
and years. and 1t Is only since ivory came
into general use that their tusks have
been dug from the soil. Some of them
have, in the meantime. been stored and
used by natives in many ways Even to-
day some native chiefs in the interior Of
Africa possess stoCkades round their pal
aces, composed OF rows of tusks collected
when they We're of little value and they
now barter these for the Injuries of mod
ern life
But elephants still abound in the Ger
man southwest African district. known as
Caprivi. This place is in the extreme
south Of Ovampoland, has not been COM
pletely explored by Germans in order to
avoid irritating the natives, and yet the
district contains more elephants than any
other in Africa. The Portuguese are
well acquainted with the fact, and the
ivory which they convey thence by way of
Angola has long been source of unlim-
tied wealth.
or course. ivory is produced in small
quantities by the hippopotamus. narwhal.
and sperm whale, but the comparatively
Insignificant tusks of the former have long
ceased to suffice even for dentists alone.
though no other Kind Of ivory Is adapted
for their special requirements Any sup
ply that may be extracted from the ocean
is obviously of too slight and precarious
a nature to he relied on: and though I'M
portant remains of mammoth tusks are
! from time to time unearthed In Siberia,
the ivory trade, both ancient and modern,
has practically depended upon the African
elephant.
: Although in recent years the ivory inn
ported into London has decreased. the
falling off has been caused by a new mar
ket having been created by the opening up
of the Congo Free State. The ivory COM
/ ing from that region is now sold In Ant
to both markets are put together the total
imports actually show an increase
The average weight of ivory obtained
from single elephant is about 30 pounds,
/ but tusks weighing up to $50 pounds and
1870 pounds have been procured. Examples
have even been recorded of tusks exceed
ing 200 pounds In weight, but these are
/ very rare.
/ The most expensive tusks are those used
in the manufacture of billiard balls; they
have cost as much as Gl60 per hundred
weight, but the average price Is proba bly,
nearer G1oO per hundredweight, The av-
erage price for the best tusks may he
stated at from eight to II shillings per
pound Apart from billiard balls. ivory is
chiefly used for knife and other handles
combs. piano keys, chessmen and carved
ornaments.
| All the tusks are sorted into sizes and
qualities, and the shavings that are lef,
over after tho manufacturers have taken
what they want are made up into a
thousand small articles in everyday use
| Although ivory has been the sub1ec,
OF almost rs much artistic perception and
workmanship as gold itself, 1t is with Its
purely unitarian aspects that people are
now chiefly concerned, Many substances
have been applied to the purposes fol
which real ivory is admittedly supreme
| Celluloid for instance Is one of its coun-
terfeits, and poor one, indeed; but II
has been Immensely developed during re-
cent years, particularly in the United
States. great many things that were
once made of ivory may, and. as manu-
facturers tell us, must, now be made OF
| celulod.
| Then there is what is known as vege-
table ivory, produced from the nut of the
tagua plant a native OF the northern re-
gions of South America. The kernels of
these nuts when ripe are exceedingly hard
and white, and bear remarkable resem'
blance to real ivory. They are extensively
used IN the manufacture of buttons, UNI
brella handles and small trinkets, and
millions of them are being imported into
Great Britain every year.