THE PRODUCTION OF MEERSCHAUM

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 134, 8 June 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE PRODUCTION OF MEERSCHAUM

Mr. Oumberbatch, British Consul at Angora, in his latest report, says the rich deposits of meerschaum are found 20 miles to the south-east of Eski Shehir, an important station of the Anatolian Railway. The Belgian Consul in Constantinople, who recently visited the place, states that it would be difficult to determine the exact area in which the meerschaum is to be found. Judging from the number of pits at considerable distances from each other, it must be extensive. The localities where most work is carried on are SepetdjiOdjaghi and Kemikdji - Odjaghi. The meerschaum is extracted in the same way as coal. Pita from 25ft. to 120 ft. deep are dug, and as soon as the vein is struck horizontal galleries, sometimes of considerable length, are made ; but more than two galleries are seldom to be found in one pit. The stone as extracted is called "hamtash," or rough block, and is soft enough to be easily cut with a knife.' It is white with a yellowish tint, and is covered with a red clayey soil of about one inch thick. In this state the blocks are purchased by dealers on the spot, not by weight or by measurement, but according to approximate quantity, either per load of three sacks, or per cartload, the price varying from £5 to £30 per load, according to quality. These blocks are dried and subjected to certain preparations before being conveyed to Eski Shehir. Some of them are as small as a walnut, while others attain the size of a cubic foot. Those which combine regularity of surface and size are the best. The manipulation required before they are ready for exportation is long and costly. The clayey soil is removed and the meerschaum dried. In summer exposure for five or six days to the sun's rays suffices ; but inwinter a room heated to the required temperature is necessary, and the drying process takes eight to ten days. When dried the blocks are well cleaned and polished, then they are sorted into about 12 classes, each class being packed with great care in separate cases, and each block being wrapped in cotton wool. The bulk of the meerschaum is sent to Vienna, where it is worked, and dispersed all over the world. Most of the finest specimens are Bent direct to Paris. The quautity annually exported is put down at 8,000 to 10,000 cases. The various taxes levied by the Turkish Government amount to about 37 per cent, ad valorem.