TAMAQUA 



5694 



TAMMANY SOCIETY 



A new talus contains large fragments of rock 

 and has a steep slope, but an old talus is usu- 

 ally composed of fine particles, and has a gen- 

 tle slope. In such a talus we can easily trace 

 the transformation of rock into soil. See ERO- 

 SION. 



TAMAQUA, tamaw'kwah, PA., a borough in 

 Schuylkill County, situated in the eastern part 

 of the state about midway between its north- 

 ern and southern borders, and on the Little 

 Schuylkill River, ninety-eight miles northwest 

 of Philadelphia. The Central of New Jersey 

 and the Philadelphia & Reading railroads pro- 

 vide railway transportation, and electric lines 

 communicate with adjacent cities and towns 

 east, west and south. This locality is noted for 

 its immense deposits of high grade anthracite 

 coal, and the leading industry of the city is the 

 mining and shipping of this product. The manu- 

 factories include powder mills, hosiery facto- 

 ries, foundries and lumber mills. Tamaqua has 

 a library and a state hospital. The place was 

 settled in 1799, was organized in 1829, and was 

 incorporated as a borough in 1833. The popu- 

 lation increased from 9,462 in 1910 to 10,840 in 

 1916 (Federal estimate). Tamaqua is an Indian 

 name which means running water. 



TAMARACK, tam'arak, the name applied 

 in the Western and Southern United States to 

 the larch. In New England and Canada it is 

 known by the local name hackmatack. The 

 tree is described under the title LARCH. 



TAMARIND, tarn' a rind, a large, tropical 

 tree of the pulse family of plants, cultivated 

 for ornament and utility. Its fruit, a brown pod 

 from three to six inches long, is filled with an 

 acid, juicy pulp which is used in India to make 

 cooling beverages, such as sherbet. This pulp 

 is shipped in large quantities to European coun- 

 tries, being packed in layers in casks. Boiled 

 in sugar or syrup, it becomes the preserved 

 tamarind of commerce. Tamarind seeds are 

 used to make a yellow or red dye, and the root 

 of the tree furnishes a beautiful hard wood, val- 

 ued for cabinet work, though fashioned with dif- 

 ficulty. The tree itself is very attractive, with 

 wide-spreading branches and light green foli- 

 age. It is widely distributed in warm countries, 

 but has not been successfully cultivated any- 

 where in the United States except in Florida. 



TAMBOURINE, tambuhreen', a musical in- 

 strument constructed on the principle of a 

 drum, consisting of a circular wooden or metal 

 frame about two inches deep, across the top of 

 which is stretched a piece of tightly-drawn 

 parchment. Little bells are attached to the 



hoop, and these jingle when the parchment is 

 struck. The tambourine has no musical pitch, 

 but is used merely to beat rhythm. The per- 

 former plays it by striking it with the knuckles 

 or elbow. Spanish and Italian peasants and 

 gypsies of all sorts use it for their dances, and 

 it is invariably found in Salvation Army bands. 

 This instrument is similar to the timbrel of the 

 Old Testament. 



TAMERLANE, a form of the name of the 

 conqueror Timur (which see). 



TAMMANY, tam'ani, SOCIETY, or THE 

 COLUMBIAN ORDER, was founded in New York 

 City, May 12, 1789, by William Mooney, two 

 weeks after the government of the United States 

 was established. Mooney had been a soldier of 

 the Revolutionary War, and he started the or- 

 ganization as "a fraternity of patriots solemnly 

 consecrated to the independence, the popular 

 liberty, and the federal union of the country." 

 The original members were those who, before 

 the war, had been members of the "Sons of 

 Liberty" and "Sons of Saint Tammany," socie- 

 ties which were organized to promote the cause 

 of independence. 



The organization of the society was by tribes, 

 one for each of the thirteen states. The no- 

 menclature was selected from Indian words 

 and phrases, the name of Tammany being 

 adapted from that of an Indian chief whom tra- 

 dition credited with great wisdom and with 

 respect for white people. The members were 

 called braves, the place of meeting was the wig- 

 wam, the thirteen states were named Eagle, 

 Panther, Deer, etc. The head officer of each 

 tribe was a sachem, and the head of the na- 

 tional organization was the grand sachem. The 

 honorary title of very grand sachem was con- 

 ferred upon Washington and his successors for 

 a time, but was abolished at the close of Jack- 

 son's administration. The master of ceremo- 

 nies was called sagamore, and "Freedom our 

 Rock" was adopted as the society's motto. The 

 Tammany Society always fought for manhood 

 suffrage and against imprisonment for debt. 



In the first years of the country's history, 

 the government tried, but failed repeatedly, to 

 conclude a treaty of peace with the warlike 

 Creek Indians. The Tammany Society under- 

 took the task of conciliation, and brought the 

 chief and twenty-eight of his warriors to New 

 York City for a banquet, in August, 1790. Then 

 the members of Tammany, themselves dressed 

 in full Indian costume, escorted the Creeks to 

 a conference with President Washington. The 

 result was the signing of a treaty the next day. 



