Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-02-19

Kind - An Interesting Process De-
seribed.
There are only seven match manufac-
turers In the State, and but twenty-five
in the United States. Within the past
three months the manufacturers have
formed an association. and are practi-
cally united. There are three factories
in New York city, one mt Frankfort, one
NJ Utica and two at Syracuse. The de-
tail of matchmaking Is an interesting
one. The Utica firm employ sixty
hands, and in the busy season turn out
400 gross of matches every twenty-four
hours. The ilrst process is the saving
of the blocks Good clear pine is Sc
lected, of An average thickness. The
blocks when sawed are sent down an
inclined plane, being fed" by an opera
tor into machine that cuts them
cleanly into the shape required. The
working of this machine is interesting.
The cutter is OF finely-tempered steel,
and every movement tells. II cuts out
sixty-four matches at each stroke. and
makes $50 strokes n minute, or 1890
matches minute. The matches are of
double length. The machine drops the
matches into trough which mechani-
cally feeds them up an inclined plane,
from which they are removed by boy
and taken to the coiling room. The
machines which cut up the blocks vary
in certain details, some of them cutting
square match-known as the old
fashioned telegraph match" From
this room the matches are taken to the
coiling department.
The process of "coiling" is also me-
chanical one, and the mechanism is re-
markable for ingenuity. The matches
when straightened are put into hop
per and "fed out" by the machine pass
ing at regular intervals between a thick
belt and thin one. From small roll
the matches are picked up separately
and cooled" with perfect exactness
until the roll is as large as n good-sized
cheese. Each match is held securely in
place. When coiled the mass is ready
for " dipping" There are ten coiling
machines now in operation in this fac
tory. Each machine is capable of coil
ing fifty gross per day. The coils are
evened, heated and then dipped in a
boiling vat of sulphur. The process of
dipping requires experience. After be-
ing dipped in sulphur they are further
headed by being dipped in a preparation
phosphorus, glue, etc.-the exact ma
ture of the compound being n secret
of the objections to matches has been
the fact that they mar the wall and de-
face wall paper when "struck." This
objection has at last been removed.
After a series of experiments extending
through years, the Utica firm have at
length discovered n process which not
only leaves the head of the match per-
fectly white. but also makes it impossi-
bic for anyone to mar the wall paper,
ora delicate surface while in the act of
striking. AS may be supposed. the call
for this match is very great; the firm has
been unable to meet the demand. When
the writer visited the factory, men were
employed in dipping the white or
tiger match. The great coils, when
didped, were dried for n few minutes
and then passed on TO the cutting ma
chimes. Up to this point the matches
have been of double length, being dipped
on both ends. They are now cut in two
with great exactness and rapidity and
passed through TO the filling room. Here
twenty-five girls are employed in sorting
and filling. They work with rapidity
of movement that is wonderful. Prac-
tice enables them to take up just the
number OF matches required TO fill n
box. One OF the girls employed has
".
handling 432 900 matches.
The Utica firm make the boxes re-
quired, buying the straw board and
other paper needed and cutting and
working il up. The straw board Ii cut,
scored Tor creased) in one department
and then passed into the box-making
Department. Here fifteen girls are en-
ployed in making boxes. In another
room may be seen one of the latest tri-
umphs Of mechanical art in the shape of
a box-making machine. The machine
seen in operation yesterday drops l0i
boxes n minute, and the machine that
makes the covers also turns out the
same lumber per minute. The paten
tees expect to receive their patent some
time during the present month. As
socn as the patent Is issued we shall al
Jude to the machine Mt greater length.
The covers of the large boxes are now
made by machine that cuts off the
corners Of the straw board and puts on
the glue required. The board then
passes to a machine that perfects the
form. The Utica factory Is at present
making six varieties of matches. The
Parlor match is made round and square.
The red-headed match is made square
form. 1t Is sold largely in Vermont.
The round white, or "tiger" match,
circulates everywhere. The blue headed
match sells largely in Pennsylvania and
the South; the head large and z laringly
blue-a regular chrome on a large scale,
which the darkies of the South take de-
light in. II is square in form and quite
bulky. The black headed match Is
rounded in form and Is in demand in all
sections of the country. The largest
match manuiaetory in the country Is
located Mt Wilmington. Delaware -
Utica Observer.