Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-19
How Matches are Made.

How Matches are Made.
A match ia q small thing. We seldom
pause to think, after it has performed its
mission and we have carelessly thrown it
away, that it has d history of its own, and
that, like some more pretentious things, its
journey from the forest to the match safe
is full of changes. This little bit of white
pine living before me came from the North,
in the Hudson bay territory, or perhaps
from the great silent forests about Lake
Superior, and has been rushed and jammed
and tossed IN lis long course through rivers,
over cataracts and rapids, and across great
lakes.
We read that near the middle of the sew
enteenth century it was discovered that
phosphorus would ignite splint of wood
dipped in sulphur, but this means of obtain
ing fire was not in common use until nearly
$50 years later. This then appears to have
been the beginning of match making. Not
that kind which some old gossips are said
to indulge in, for that must have had its
origin much farther back, but the business
of making those little ststrike- fires" found
in every store, in their familiar boxes, with
red and blue and yellow labels. The matches
of fifty years ago were very clumsy affairs
compared with the "parlor" and Safety
matches of to-day; but they were great
improvements upon the first in use. Those
small sticks dipped in melted sulphur and
sold in tin box with small bottle of
oxide of phosphorus, were regarded by our
forefathers as signs of .'ten-leagued pro-
gress." Later compound made of chlor-
ate of potash and sulphur was used ON the
splints. This ignited upon being dipped
IN sulphuric acid. In 1929 All English
chemist discovered that matches on which
had been placed chlorate of potash could be
ignited by friction. Afterward, at the sug-
gestion of Prof. Faraday, saltpetre was sub
stituted for the chlorate, and then the era
of friction matches lighted by rubbing was
fairly begun.
But the match of to-day has q story more
interesting than that of the old-fashioned
match. AS we have said, much of the tim
Der used in the manufacture comes from the
immense tracts of forests in the Hudson
bay territory. 1t is foated down the water
courses to the lakes, through which it is
towed in great long RATS. These RATS are
divided; some parts are pulled through the
canals, and some by other means are taken
to the market. When we'll through the
seasoning process, which occupies from one
to two years, the pine is cut up into blocks
twice as long as a match and about eight
inches wide by two inches thick. These
blocks were passed through machine which
cuts them into s'splints," round or square, OF
just the thickness of match, but twice its
length. The machine is capable, as we are
| told, of making about 100000 splints q
day. This number seems immense when
compared with the most that could be made
in the old wsy-by hand. These splints are
| then taken to the setting" machine, and
this rolls them into bondles about
eighteen inches in diameter, every splint
separated from its neighbor by little
spaces, so that there may be no sticking to-
gether after the clipping" In the opera
ton of Setting q ribbon of coarse stuff,
about an inch and half wide and an eighth
of an inch thick, is rolled up, the splints be-
ing laid across the ribbon between each two
courses, leaving about a quarter of an
inch between adjoining splints. From the
''setting" machine the bundles go to the
dipping" room. After the ends of TIE
splints have been pounded down to make
them even, the bundles are dipped, both
ends, into the molten sulphur, and then in
to the phosphorus solution, which is spread
in frame to dry. When dried they are
placed in q machine, which, as it unrolls the
ribbon, cuts the sticks in two across the
middle, thus making two complete matches
of each splint. The match is made. The
towering pine. which listened to the ,whispe,
of the south wind and swayed in the cold
northern blast, has been SO divided that
we can take it bit by bit and lightly
twirl it between two fingers. But what il
has lost in size it has gained in use. The
little fame it carries, and which looks SC
harmless, flashing into brief existence, has
latent power more terrible than the whirl
wind which perhaps sent the tall pine tree
crashing to the ground. But the story is
not yet closed. From the machine which
completed the matches they are taken to the
"bsxers," mostly girls and women, who
place them in little boxes. The speed with
which this is done is surprising. With one
hand they pick up an empty case and remove
the cover, while with the other they seize
| just sufficient number of matches and by
peculiar schufhing motion arrange them
evenly; then tits done! The little packages
of sleeping fire are taken to another room
where on each one is placed e stamp certify
ing the payment to the government of one
cent revenue tax. Equipped with these
passes, the boxes are placed in larger
ones, and these again in wooden cases
which are to be shipped to all parts OF
the country and over seas. All this trouble
over such little things as matches! Yet on
these fre-hpped bits of wood millions oil
people depend for warmth, cooked food and
light. They have become necessity, and
the day of flint and steel and finder seems
almost as far away in the past as are the
bow and fro-stick of the Indian.
Some idea of the number of matches used
in North America during year may be
gained from the fact that It is estimated by
competent judges that on an average sill
matches are used every day by each inhab
liant; this gives grand total of 81, 4OO, 900,
600 matches, without counting those ex
ported. Now, this would make single line
were the matches end to end, more tina
1850, 900 miles in length! It would take 8
railroad train almost eight years TO go from
one end to the other, running forty miles
an hour ell the time. How apt to our sub,
ject is that almost worn-out Latin phrase
'snaultusn IN pafp0"-much in little! Much
labor, much skill and much usefulness, all in
. little piece of wood scarcely ore-eighth OF
an inch through and about two inches long!
st. Louis Times.
Some QWickened Cosssciemces ia a Georgsa
C0sss,t Rooms. a8 M1&
A correspondent in the Nashville, -Aaeri-
can repeats the following story; which was
told him by Georgian, who Witnessed the
scene described: 80
Georgia has o stringent pistol law. The
penalty is forfeiture of the pistol and a fine
of fifty dollars, and, at the discretion of the
court, imprisonment for thirty days. A
short time after this law went into effect.