The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-11-22
GETTING FIRE
Row our ANCESTORS MANAGED IT

EOW OUH AHDESEOHS MANAGED 1T.
In early ages, when wild in wood;
fine noble savage ran, = compliance witt
the request, "Will YOU give me a light
p,ease?" involved, if the camp fires hat
gone. out. a spell of unremitting hard
work. considerable manual dexteritv
and an HnstiRted application of elbow
g-ease" The primitive mode OF striIs
ing ERE was by rubbing one piece o.
drv wood upon another until incandes
ceace was induced Probably Jebal
the father of dwellers in tents and
herdsmen, and Jubal, the father ot
musicians. were indebted, when they
needed a light, to Tubal Cain, their
half brother, the first "artificer i'm brass
md iron" who doubtless gathered
his mi hv fire Sc tn. il might nCu''-
er through the night and be ready
for blowing upiB the morning. How
ever this may he, 4 care of those who
lived in very early stages of the worlds
history would appear to have been to
keep their lamps or fires constantly
burning, rather than to depend upon
means Of striking FIRE when their
lamps had gone out" (Matthew
XIV, 81 1t NAV be supposed that
when 4 braham and Isaac proceeded 10
Moriah for the terrible sacrifice m pros
pect, it vas lamp, and not q lucifer.
that the patriarch had wheL he took
the fire in his hand" The mainte-
nance of a continuous light was i'm
posed upon the children Of Isreal rs a
religious duty: Bring the pare oil
olive beaten tor the light, to cause the
lamp TO burn always" Exodus xvii,
20) The exlinguished lamp or candle
vas evidence of the divine displeasurn:
"Fhe lamp OF the wicked shall be put
out" Returning to early methods
Of striking fire, tribe of South Amer
ican wages improved upon the dry
wOOd-frictiOn process. They discover
C1 that they could generate showers
of sparks by the sharp, abrasive con-
tact of 4 certain kind of pvrites upOn
siliceOus or fiintv stones. The sparks
directed upon n quantity OF dry, read
j'y in1ammable fibrOus material, oh
iJined fame with comparatively little
trouble hevOnd procuring and pre-
Taring materials. In the matter of
striking a light" the human family
remained in a state of comparative bar
harism till within period almost with
ir the recollection Of many juniors Of
the oldest inhabitant." Cur grand
mothers kept the kitchen fire alight all
night bv placing a block OF coal upon
j. AMI packing it with small coal o.
ashes, so IS to allow Il TO smoul@er
only till the morning The first tri-
umph Of applied science in striking
2 lighs" lay in tie discovery OF the
combined capabilities Of burned linen
or tinier fint.and steel, and birthstone
tipped wood matches, or "spunks,"
rs they were called in some parts
form Of The letter { uloE-s,ed and rc
vArSe7 the narrower stalk beirr She
sGd.e; the broader, wiiu. had 4 ser
'reted outer edge, was used for striking
tie piece Of flint, and ignited the thu
der, which IN turn lighted the brim-
stnne-'ippcd match. The lighted tin.
der, when l. had served It's purpose.
was exliEguished bv & close fitting
inner cover that was pressed down ND.
on II. The flint and steel were also
rscd for lighting match pJper-thick,
porous paper that had been dipped in
2 solution Of saltpetre and afterward
dried. The match paper was held
close 10 the piece OF flint, with its
edge a. tie point OF impact with the
steel. 1t ignitel readily and burned
freely, bUt without flame Amadou.
or German tinder, and t0uchvcoI. "
being woody tissue in n certain stage
of decay, were some lines used in the
same way IS match paper. The meth
DDS of initiating fire, as has been seen,
were, up TO this point, by rude mechan-
ical experiments. 1t is only during
the last half century that science NAV
be said to have been applied 20 the
manufacture Of matches. One Of the.
earliest novelties was tie 'instautaue-
Gus lighting bOS." which contained
bottle charged with sulphuric acid
hnd fihr0us asbestos The tipped
match was lrt iuto the bottle and
caught ire in It's contact with the acid.
The revolution in match making and
the origin of the mltch-mannfacture
as large AMI important industry. NAV
be said TO date from the introduction
OF phosphorus as an ignitiug agent,
applied in various WAYS
How PLAYING CARDS ARE MADE
r n Notwithstanding tho borl t;-.- IL.