The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-06-26

ADDO Y 1AAI9 NJ
THE HISTORY OF FIRE. ~ ~,.
How Fire Is Produced among Bnrbnrou'
nndCivllized Nations.
Who first made fire, how, when anc
where it was made, are past finding out
but this we do know. that fire was II
common use at the earliest dates O
which we have any historical records
and that, then as now, when under con
! troll It was esteemed Ms an Invaluable
servant, but when it burst the bonds
that should confne it, it was feared a.
an unappeasable master and became
symbol of destruction. We can scarcely
SUPPOSE the existence Of men withoLt
fire and without a knowledge of some
means Of kindling it. True, Commo
dore Wilkes, in his narrative OF the
United States Exploring Expedition,
tells us that when he visited Fakaafo,
or Bowditch Island, in 1841, he found
no signs of fire, and that the natives
we're alarmed when they saw sparks pro.
duced by striking flint and steel, and
the curling smoke from cigars; but at
best that is but negative evidence; they
may have been estonlshed at the produc.
ton of fire in q, to them, new form, and
still not have been ignorant of fire itself
and, besides, Mr.. Hale, the philologist
of the expedition, gives us q vocabulary
of the language of these islanders, IN
which we find they had name for fire,
aft, and that, at least, is presumptive
evidence that they had it in fact. Ac:
cepting this presumption as q literal
truth, and we believe it should be so
accepted, we find that all the races and
tribes Of men yet discovered have pos
sessed a knowledge OF fire, although
they may have somewhat different
methods OF producing it, and it is OF
these different methods that We propose
to speak. ,..3
In all the primitive methods friction
is used, and it is probable that the first
fire made by man was kindled by rub
bing two pieces of wood together.
Darwin, the naturalist, tells US that q
common practice in the Sandwich
Islands is, or was, to place" block OF
very light wood on the ground, and to
run a blunt stick back and forth; the
movement is rapid and as considerable
pressure is applied, grove is soon worn
in the block, and Ultimately it takes fire.
Mr.. Darwin says that though practiced
native would produce fire in short
time, he found it rather hard work, but
succeeded. This process is common in
all the South Sea or Polynesian Islands:
Captain Cook gives an account of the
Australian method, as follows: s'They
produce fire with great facility and
spread it in wonderful manner. They
take two sticks of dry soft wood, one
eight or nine inches long, the other flat;
the first they shape into an obtuse
point at one end, and pressing it on the
other Othe fiat piece or block! turn it
nimbly between their hands, often NOV
ing them up and down to increase the
pressure. By this means they get fire
in less than two minutes, and from the
smallest spark they increase it with
great speed and de1terity." (The read
er will obtain clear idea of the process
by placing pencil between the palms
of his hands, the point OF the pencil
resting on the table, and rubbing the
hands back and fourth.) This method,
with some notifications, has been found
in every quarter of the globe. Cook
found it in Alaska and Australia; it was
in use in Ceylon and Central America;
among the Malayans and the Mexicans.
A method still in use among the gauchas
of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres is to
take an elastic stick, say half an inch In
diameter and eighteen or twenty inches
in length, with one end pointed and the
other square; the pointed end is placed
against piece of soft wood, and against
the square end the operator firmly
presses with. his breast, the stick mean
time rapidly turned. :...
The Esquimaux had process similar
to but better than those above de-
scribed. Davis, after whom Davis
Strait is named, tells us that, in 1886, a
Greenlander "beganne to kindle fire
in this manner: He tooke piece OF
board, wherein was hole halle throw;
into that hole heput the ende of round
sticke, like unto bedde-staffe, dipping
the ende thereof in traine-oil, and in
fashion of a turner, with piece of
lether, by his excellent motion did rapid.
ly produce fire." The Esquimaux had
two instruments, one operated by two
men, the other by one. The large ma
chine consisted of spindle, with disk
and a cross piece at top; a thong OF
sinew was passed around the spindle
twice, one man grasping the cross piece
held the drill firmly in place, while q
rapid motion was impaired to it by the
second man pulling the thong back and
forth. The second machine was used not
only for making fires. but, with the
spindle pointed with stone, for drilling
holes iu both wood and stone. Instead
of the large Cross piece, it was provided
with small mouth-piece OF wood with
piece of stone imbedded. This, firmly
held between the teeth directs the tool.
The same apparatus has been found in
Alaska and Aleutian Islands. 49, .
A better method of working the drill
was in use by the ancient Egyptians
(and is still in use by US for certain pur-
poses); the thong of a bow was looped
around the spindle, and as the mere
drawing of the bow back and forth gave
motion to the drill, by this means one
hand did all the work that two accom-
plished by the other method. This bow
fre.drill was also used by the Sioux In
dams of the Northwest, .,-, -....
Another method OF operating the drill
was used by the Iroquois Indians, of
New York, and is thus described by MIR.
Lewis 81. Morgan, the historian of the
Five Nations: "It consisted OF an up
right shaft, about four feet in length am
an inch in diameter, with o small wheel
set upon the lower part to give it mo-
mentum. In notch at the top of the
shaft was set string, attached to bow
about three feet long. The lower end
ested on piece of dry wood, near
which we're placed small pieces of
punk. When ready for use the string
was first coiled around the shaft, by
turning the latter with the hand. The
bow is then pulled downward, thus un-
coiling the string and revolving the
shaft toward the left. By the momentum
given to the wheel the string is again
coiled up in reversed manner, and the
bow again drawn up, etc. This is con-
tinued until sparks are emitted at the
point of the shaft, which are caught on
the punk, which is thus ignited." This