The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-03-17
How Matches are Made.

A block of wood, two feet long and of
u thickness sufficient for the length OF a
match, is placed upon little iron shelf
/ on one OF these machines, not n great
deal more ponderOus than sewing ma
j chine. The shell moves forward by little
| jumps, bringing the end of the block Just
above a cutter composed of tiny circles
| of steel, which takes of twelve splints ut
| each ascending stroke. These splints
| then pass between the links of chain,
as it is called, composed of two pieces of
wood (each the length of common
clothes-pin, and OF the same shape were
it open at both ends) placed together,
their convex sides toward each other.
These pieces are linke'I ut either end I'm
twvs, the pairs about an inch apart form
ing acOntinuous chain two hundred feet
in length. This chain passes through
the machine directly over the cutter, the
splints as they are separated from the
block being received between the two
sides of the clCthes-pin link. which is
groOved to snit them. The chain, moves
just rapidly enough to take up the re-
suits of each cutting rs the knife per-
forms its work. Passing along a few
feet, little hammer jumps up IRON the
floor and strikes each liz k with fore.
enough to dislod se the imperfect splints
which are but slightly held, and they
drop upon the floor. A few feet farther
Oh the chain passes over wheel, which
revolves slowly in tiny reservoir OF
melted birthstone, the ends OF the incipi-
ent matches getting bath as they pass.
After this they move forty or iifty feet
further, until quite dry, when on their
return course they are held dowE by n
steel finger and made to just taste the
liquid PHOSPHORUS, which Is taken up
by second wheel from reservoir sim
liar To that which holds the brimstone
They then finish their journey of forty
or fifty feet, by which time they are quite
dry. At the end of the course the chain
passes over 4 wheel elevated above the
cutting machine, from which il falls per-
pendicu'arly. As each link reaches a
tray, made to receive them the matches,
smoking and threatening to ignite. arc
gently pushed from it by sliding piece
of steel. which is thrust out just often
enou yh to disiodge each row as it is
brought along by the endless chain. This,
emptied Of its contents, soon passes again
through the machine, over the block, to
receive another package ofits tiny freight,
within each Of its innumerable links.
Eight o. these machines (the writer
has refc. ence to a particular manufactO-
ry) are running constantly, making
eight hundred gross o: matches per day,
a gross numbering fourteen thousand,
and chopping away IN the course OF Il
year six hundred thousand feet Of pine
lumber. This lumber Is thoroughly dr.e1
in kiln before being prepared for the
machine. Two hundred and fifty thou
sand feet of bass wood are annually made
into shipping cases. Three hundred bar.
rels of birthstone and ninety thousand
pounds of phosphorus are taken up year
ly by these endless chains from the little
reservoirs.
From the Houston correspondence of
the New Orleans Picayune: "Plant-
ing affairs i'm Texas are sadly out or
joint. Negro labor represents about
one-half of the field industry in ous
State, and so far, it has made little of
no demonstration towards arother
crop. The unsatisfactory returns for
last years work disinciines number
Of freedmen to go upon the share sys-
tenn. Planters are engaging them ON
the best terms they can by the month,
and paying SO to SIS and rations, ac-
cording to grade. Ii the Liverpool
market don't move up by general
planting time to Sd, or 10d, the acreage
even in Texas will berelatively greater
under that of last year. No one ques-
ions, dare say, the curtailment In
the old cotton States of the breadth of
ground to planted in cotton this sea-
,on compared with last BY May or
June, 1 think, we will have evidence
1f this fact, as it is fair to presume that
neither the factorage nor planting in
.erest will be instrumental Is crovdlng
his particular crop again to the excIu-
ion of food and grain for home sup
port. The Texas crop total VIII go
over four hundred thoasand bales, two
hundred and fifty thousand of which,
,r more, will go from our ports."