New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-24
SCIENCE, INDUSTRY, AND INVENTION.


mary recompense is in grudgngly extended,
in other, i; is wholly denied. OF many the MEN,
ory lost. Henry Co, the inventor Of the process by
which cast iron is converted into wrought ron impov-
eri.hed himself In perfecting it, AMI died msersbly
poor HE children even now in their old age, subsst
on a psl,ry annuity of flOO from the Government.
Yet the invention Of the process of padding iron
added hundreds Of millions to the wealth OF England,
doubled the value Of her coal mines, gave employment
to thousands of her population and literally enabled
her 10 subsdize the world. Fitch, the undoubted in
yertor of the steamboat who propelled by engine
Of biz own continuance not knowing that the steam
gire had been already invented in England, lived so
miserably and suffered 80 intensely from poverty
and ridcule as to be driven to suicide. His
name is imnortalzed on the wheeLhouse of
ferry boa, on the Delaware! Fulton, who per-
fected the gigantic conception making it the practical
reality We now behold it wherever rivers lakes
and sess expand, was the subject of continual rdicue
and litigation. He realized reputation only, not
fortune When q national contribution for the benefit
of his children was proposed by setting up in every
steamboat boxes into which some sympathetic hands
might deposit the stray pennies of an exubersnt thank
fuuess the of many boats refused to permit it.
The inventors Of the saw, the plane and even OF the
railroad Utterly unknown. 1t is probable that the
famishing descendants of the former go sup
PEERLESS to bed and that those Of the latter would be
denied the cheap gratuty OF travelling as deadheads
So also, az we intimated on former occasion, the
world has forgotten to whom it was indebted for the
Undertook although for centuries it supplied the
most civilized countries with the means of obtaining
light and fire. There is no record that Eden, with all
its concentrated comforts, yielded any fire but that
which blazed from the flaming sword before which
the primal sinners were driven forth into the wilder
ness Yet in that wilderness in all others that now
exist the art of producing it must have had CON-
mon origin. The spark kndled from dry wood
by laborous friction in it's rudest form Of application,
and accident must have subsequently drawn it forth
by the collision of stones The Indians, from the
Arctic regions to Patagonia possess common knowt
edge Of these kindred processes. But most of them
were ignorant of the and value OF iron until taught
by Europeans. Hence the union of the flint and iron
in one receptacle symbol of advancing civilza-
on and that the latter had newly asserted ts supre
macy. The finder. substituted for the dried moss or
rotten wood completed the invention, and the world
adopted il with wonder. II may yet linger in coun-
tries into which steam and railroads have not pene-
trated but in all others it has fulfilled its mission and
cessed to be either made or used. Attempts were
phis but chemistry had not then reached its present
high position, and failed in its endeavors. 1t finally
produced the friction match, aud thenceforward the
tinder.bo1 became obsolete.
The common friction match, now almost ndis.
pentable as light and water originated in Scotland,
and was the result Of accident. Its inventor John
Walker a chemist by profession, died only a few
months ago. While experimenting with chlorate OF
..Ixl,x & bod he
art of making friction matches. For long time the
matches 60 produced were cold only in his own neigh
borhood Of Stockton yet as he got H. %. per box,
he realized handsome cum from his discovery. But
Prof. Faraday having his attention directed to it, vis-
tied the inventor at his laboratory, obtained box,
and made the discovery subject for his lectures.
From this beginning the matter went into the n,ws-
papers and scientific journals, where it attracted the
attention Of entsrprising men, who simphfed and
cheapened the process and pushed it into great COM
mercial importance. II is now and for years past has
been. a vast business in England, employing many
xorkmen consuming tuns Of chemicals and whole
careoes Of American pine; e products being exported
TO foreign countries, in many of which, even in ai-
vance of steam and railroad il is invading the domn
ion Of the tinderbox. From England it came to US,
and we were clad to have il even at shilling box.
Perhaps the earliest manufacturer here was DIR.
Abel Cooley of Hartford, Connecticut. BY some he
is supposed to have been the inventor, but this is
probaby in consequence Of the early day at which he
embarked in the business He was also the frat who
patented medicine in this country and thus threw
omen the door to what has since grown up into an
immense traffic, making sick, curing others,
bu. probably killing more than the doctors, at the
same time giving life to the newspapers by an snor-
mons outlay for advertising No sooner had friction
matches been imported here than American ingenuity
was invoked TO improve and cheaper them. So long
as foreisners held possession Of our market, they
compelled us to pay them shilling box. But ms
clines were quickly invented which converted pine
board il to myriad Of sticks Of uniform length and
III ckness without loss Of material. sing machine
will produce 5000 spn.s per minute each splint max
ing two matches, as each end is dipped in the paste,
after which the spnt lie cut in two. This equal to
.nrodrctiop Of 5000 600 in ten hour. Females and
youpe children employed in handling, dipping,
and packpg them in cheap paper boxes, made by
other juveniles on the premises, and rival factories
were established II various places, each striving by
the supericr quality of ts and the low prices at
which they were sold, TO command the market. In
this furious contest for supremacy, the English match
VA. quickly superceded and the price has now fallen
from sl5 per gross for the imported article 10 81 per
p-oss for bomemsde match Of infinitely better
quality. Their eheapress is Astonishing, yet many
Manufacturers have grown wealthy at these 10"
price,. Bat the consumption is even more wonderful
as mstche. are used by everybody and on every ocea
SION. Utica paper informs Us that manufacturer
in Heikier county. has made during the last eighteen
wears about 6, so 600 900 matches, using 2,1,OO
feet Of lumber. His present annual consumption OF
uu Der Is ls coo feet equal to four large rats Tbs
,ro.irces 21JO,0OO matches daily. or more tlan