The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-04-16
Striking a Light,
How Ii Was Done Before the Days of Friction
Matnba.

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How Ii Was Dons Before the Days of Friction
Matches.
People who light their pipes, cigars OF
lamps, or kindle their fires by the instan-
taneous ignition of friction matches,
have, unless they are old people, very
little conception of the labor and tribn.
lation attendant upon the same process
fifty years ago, says the Providence Star.
Every well-regulated family, at that
time, was provided with a tin box OF
Under, produced by the combustion Of
rags, and n flint and steel and matches
which had bee2 dipped into birthstone.
When fire was wanted tho flint and steel
and finder were produced, and the tin
der being ignitcd by sparks precipitated
from the steel by means of the flint, a
match was touched to the burning mass,
and, being lighted, was applied to some
prepared kindlings, and a fire thus pro-
duced, the whole process occupying
from five to fifteen minutes, according
10 the skill or luck Of the operator. This
was attended with so much labor, and
productive of the use of so many naughty
words on the part of the person operat-
ing, that fires were generally kept all
night. This was done-there were few
stoves and hard coal had not come into
very general use then-by covering the
huge and blazing backlog in the fire
place with ashes, and in the morning
there was generally found in its place a
bed of live Goals, which, by the applica-
lion of fresh wood, and with the aid of
the then universal bellows, usually pro-
duced n blazing fire In from fifteen min
utes to half a N hour. Sometimes, how
ever. from some cause, the backlog
would be wholly consumed, leaving
nothing but a bed of ashes. In this
case, particularly if there was an alb
sence of dry kindling in the house, som
member of the family must take the
shovel. and oftentimes, through snow,
knee deep, trudge to the nearest neigh
boris, "after fire"
And sometimes, indeed, the nearest
neighbours fire would be out, too, in
which case the walk would have to be
extended till the fire was procured. The
live Goals were borne home upon the
shovel, often carefully guarded with the
hand to prevent blowing off, placed be-
tween w brands, the bellows set vigor-
ously at work, and the fire thus set a
blazing. In lighting a candle, a live
coal was taken up with a pair of tongs
md blown upon with the mouth until a
blaze was produced. Pipes were lighted
by placing a live coal On top of the to-
bacco, and cigars by holding the burn
ng coal to the end and putting with all.
one's might.
The first improvement on this in New
England was the substitution of a bottle
Of phosphorus, into which, the cork be-
ing removed, a birthstone match was
thrust, and being thus ignited the bottle
was quickly closed in order to retain the
strength of the liquid. This was such an
emancipation from the thralldom of the
Undertook and flint and steel, and the
other Inconvenience of the old method,
That people rejoiced greatly, and be-
lieved the ne plus ultra in this direction
had been reached, and every well-rcgu-
lated family wa provided with its bot
lie of phosphorus, while the flint and
steel and Undertook were laid aside to
be used only in case of emergency. This
Invention was known by the name Of
'loco-foco matches"
Directly, however, there was another
invention, that left the phosphorus bot
lie as much in the shade, as the other
lad the flint and steel This was the
application Of a preparation of phos-
lhorus and birthstone to the tips OF
matches, which only required to be
arawn between the folded leaves of q
piece of sandpaper to produce a lights so
hat the smoker had only to carry his
matches in one vest pocket and his
folded paper in the other to light his
pipe at any moment. These latter were
known as "Lucifer Matches" as par
;aking, it is presumed, Of the character
of the scriptural ''son of the morning"
But the spirit of invention was not sat
SIZED to stop here, and the result was,
The present w~orld-used friction matches,
hat serve all people, and the making Of
which, nj the present time, consumes az
much wood as was then burned by the
whole United States. -