Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1870-12-24

tradition points to this origin of fire.
The Moslem tells US that Gabriel in
structed Adam and Eve how to make
bread apd when an oven had been
made under his direction, he fetched
fire from He'll with which TO heat it.
| The Angel, however, took the precau>
ton to wash this FIRE seventy times in
the sea, as otherwise it would have
burnt up the earth and all that it con-
tained -.
We must here distinguish between a
mere knowledge of the existence Of FIRE
and knowledge of it's use. Volcanoes
furnish examples of fire by no means
rare, and woods have often been set on
fire by the lightning stroke. Yet man
/ might know fire as an element long be-
fore he thought that il might be rem
dered of some use; and the ancient
accounts have scarcely exaggerated the
Importance or difficulty of the discovery.
This is indicated by the fact that vari-
ous nations have been found to whom
the use of fire was altogether unknown.
This was the case with the inhabitants
of the PHILIPPINE and Canary Isles at
their irst discovery, and also with vari-
Gus tribes in Africa and America, who
consequently fed on raw flesh. The
inhabitants of the Mariana Isles, dis
covered in 1921, had not the least idea
of fire. When they first saw il, as
introduced by Magellan's people, they
regarded it as aspecics of animal which
fed upon wood. The first who up.
preached were burnt. which inspired
great fear of the terrible creature which
could painfully wound with its strong
breath. (Kltto,)
DIR. Bartss, in his I" Weekes and
Workse gives the following account of
Adams discovery of FIRE copying the
account given by Sanchoniatho OF the
production of fire by the rubbing To-
gether of two trees, he tells US that
Adam, who Witnessed this, fed with
terror when he saw the ruddy flame
arise from the copsc, which was soon
all on FIRE. The fame pursued him
till naked plain arrested its progress
Recovering his courage, Adam turned
back, and observed with interest that
cheerful glow which the heat impaired
to his frame, and the speed with which
it drien his damp clothing. Amid the
cold of the ensuing winter, Adam often
thought with regret OF this, and, since
this fire was not again kindled among
the trees, tried thousand ways to
achieve its production. As we have
previously remarked, Sanchoniatho
tells that men first found out FIRE by
rubbing two sticks together, and that
the forests of Tyre took FIRE from the
branches of the trees rubbing against
each other during severe storm of
rain and wind, result which is evi> |
IDENTITY impossible. For, although saw
age nations still obtain FIRE by this pro-
cess, it II tedious and laborious, requir-
ing constant friction and dry material
circumstances very different from those
of storm of wind and rain, with its |
fitful gusts. The labor required TO pro
duce fire by this method will be appre>
ciated on q perusal of DIR. Marcy's |
account:
81 The most difficult of all methods of |
making ere, but one that is practised
by some of the Western Indians, is by
friction between two pieces of wood.
had often heard of this process, but
never gave credit TO its practicability,
nntiIl saw the experiment successfully
tried. Il was done in the following
manner:
Two dried stalks of the Mexican soap
plant, about three.fourths of an inch in
diameter, were selected, and one of them
made Fat on one side; near the edge of
this fat surface, small indentation was
made to receive the end of the other
stick, and q groove cut from this down
the side. The other stick 10 cut with
rounded end, and placed upright upon
the frst One man then holds tho
horizontal piecc upon che ground, while
another takes the vertical stick between
the palms of his hands, and turns il
back and forth as rapidly as possible, at
the same time pressing forcibly down
upon it. The point of the upright stick
wears away the indentation into fine
powder, which runs off to the ground
in the groove that has been cut ]; after
time it begins to smoke, and by con-
tinued friction, it will at length take.
fire.
This is an operation that is difficult,
and requires practice; but if drill
stick is used, with cord placed around
the center of the upright stick, it tcan
be turned much more rapidly than by
the hands, and the FIRE produced more
readily, The upright stick may be of
any hard, dry wood, but the lower,
horizontal stick must be Of soft, in
flammable nature, such as pine, cotton
wood, or black walnut, and it must be
perfectly dry. The Indians work The
sticks with the palms of the hands,
holding the lower piece between the