Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-11-09
MATCHES.
How They Were SLOWLY Evolved
Extent OF Their Manufacture.

How They Were SLOWLY Evolved
Extent OF Their Manufacture.
Pail Mall Gazette.
/ Few people who use halJ q box OF
matches a day are disposed to think
much on the subject O. their origin,
and rest content with the fact that they
exist. Fifty years have not yet passed
since the most elementary match in it's
present form WAS invented, and in
Vienna the other day they celebrated
the fiftie:h anniversary of their inven-
ton by three Au.trians, to whom, of
course, that honor is assigned. In
England, in 1881, matches had not
reached their present shape, but had
only reached the stage of 'lucifers.v
THE modern generation has lost sight
of all these gradual evolutions, and
they are only known to those who
have the misfortune to be survivors of
those benighted and unenlightened
days. In the time of Fox and Burke,
and up to the beginning at the present
century, the flint and steel and finder
stage had not been passed, though it is
probable that DIR. Johnson and others
were more skillful than we moderns
are at this intricate operation. About
the beginning of the century, however,
matters began to improve, and long
birthstone matches came into use to
supply the place of the finder. These
were pieces of wood about six inches
long, tipped with sulphur, and
caught fire easily from the spark of
the flint. II would be difficult to OBJ
tain a specimen OF them nowadays.
No museum seems to interest itself in
preserving these little social curiosities;
and it is only some fifty years hence
when they will be looked upon as such,
and sought after in some technical ex-
hibition of the match trade. 1t was
not, however, until 1925 that matters
began to improve, when an elaborate
apparatus called the "Eupyrion" came
into general use. This consisted Of an
open bottle containing sulphuric acid,
soaked in fbrous asbestos, and the
matches, which were about two inches
long and sold at one shilling box,
were tipped with chemical combina-
ton, of which chlorate of potash was
the principal ingredient. On putting
the match into the bottle and rapidly
Withdrawing it fame was produced,
but as the acid was announcement and
the matches liable to be spoiled by
damp, the Eupyrion, being shown not
to be the fittest, did not survive.
Many inventions more ingenious
than useful were excessively tried;
the "pyrophorus," the pneumatic tin
der-box, and the hydrogen lamp OF
Dorbereimer; but it was not until 1882
that the frsts sign of friction match
was evolved and was called "a lucifer"
by the joking generation. Lucifers
were substantially the present match
pulled through q piece of sand paper.
The remembrance of such contriv-
ance is calculated to make us think
less than we do of that dull time. But
the country was waking up, and the
consreve which is the match of to-
day, followed the reform bill. Whether
the congreve was called after the rocket
of that narae is doubtful point. There
is story OF its inventor which shows,
if true, the value Of attention on the
part of schoolboys, and might be put
up in all board schools. The real in
ventor, it is said---a village school mas
Unexplained it to his boys at school,
and one more intelligent talked of it
to his still more intelligent parent,
who was chemist, and who
turned il to material advantage.
Be that as it may, this was the
same as the match of to-day; and it
has since undergone few improve
ments, except one changing it from a
silent to noisy match. The silent
match, which is so affected by burglars,
and is necessary accomplishment to
list slippers, consists in the omission of
chlorate of potash in the composition
which tips it, and which is the cause of
the cracking noise which is liable to
awake the intended victim. The great
invention was the safety match, which
was patented by Bryant and May in
1856.
1t would require, perhaps, the intel
lect of Babbage to wrestle with the
statistics of matches. That 100000
are burned every day in Europe seems
below the mark. Some firms, such rs
Messrs. Dixon, at Manches er, turn out
100000 day, and many in London
1000, OC0 or 100000. The consump-
ton o. phosphorus for the purpose in
England and France shows that about
25o 000,0 100000 q year are turned out
in these two couatries alone. In
America, where, as in France, there is
tax on matches, by which grist is
thus brought to the mill, the stamps
show an outturn of about 40 100000
eco, so at present matchmaking is not
the speciality of America, though the
tax yields about 100000 year to the
revenue.
DAIRY AND STOCK NOTES. 4..