The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-17
Striking a Light.
How 1t Was Done Before the Days of Friction
Matches

How ii Was Done Before the Days Of Friction
Matches.
People who light their pipes, cigars or
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 tribu-
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
finder, produced by the combustion of
rags, and flint and steel and matches
which had been dipped into birthstone.
When fire was wanted the flint and steel
and finder were produced, and the tin
der being ignited 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 fire thus pro-
duced, the whole process occupying
from five to fifteen minutes, according
to 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-
ton of fresh wood, and with the aid of
the then universal bellows, usually pro-
duced blazing fire in from fifteen min
utes to half an 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 abb
sence of dry kindling in the house, some
member of the family must take the
shovel, and ofientimes, through snow,
knee deep, trudge to the nearest neigh
boris, latter fire.
And sometimes, indeed, the nearest
neighbor's 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 two brands. the bellows set yigor-
ouslv at work. and the fire thus set
blazing. In lighting q candle, live
coal was taken up with pair of tongs
and blown upon with the mouth until a
blaze was produced. Pipes were lighted
by placing u i've coal on top of the to-
bacco, and cigars by holding the burn
ing coal to the end and putting with all
ones might.
The first improvement on this in New
England was the substitution of 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
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. snd every well-regu-
lated family was provided with its bot
tie of phosphorus, while the flint and
steel and undertook were laid aside to
be used only in ease of emergency. This
invention was known by the name of
aoco-foco matches. y
Directly, however, there was another
invention, that left the phosphorus bot
tie as much in the shade, as the other
had the flint and steel. This was the
application of q preparation OF phos-
pherIs and birthstone to the tips of
matches, which only required to be