The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-05-24
something Abont Matches shd Theis IN.
SAoloea


Vsntofa,
Few peopis wbo use half hos n
matches n day are supposed 10 think mntl
on the subject of their origin, and rest CON
tent with the fact that They exist Fifty
years have not yet passed sinoe the most
elementary match m liz present form was
invented and In Vienna, the other day
they celebrated the hitleth anniversary OF
their invention by three Austrians, TO
whom OF course, that honor Is assigned. In
England, In 1882, matches had not reached
their present shape, but had only reached
the stage of "lucilers." The modern gem
GRAFTON has lost sight Of all these gradual
evOlutions, and they are only known to
those who have the misfortune to be survi-
vors OF those benighted and unenlightened
days.
In the time of Fox and Burke, and up to
the beginning of the present century, the
flint and steel and finder stage had not
been passed, though it is probable that DR..
Johnson and others were more skillful than
we moderns are at the intricate operation
About the beginning ofthe present century,
however, matters began to improve, and
| long brimst one matches came into use 10
supply the use of the finder. These were
pieces OF wood about six inches long. tipped
with sulphur, and caught fire easily from
the sparks of the flint. 1t would be diff
| cult to obtain specimen of them nova
days.
| No museum seems to interest itself in
preserving these little social curiosities; and
1t is only some fifty years hence that they
will be looked upon as such and sought
alter in some technical exhibition of the
mach trade. 1t was not, however, till 1925
that matters began to improve, when an
elaborate apparatus called the "Eupyrion"
| came into use. This consisted of an open
bottle containing sulphuric acid, soaked in
| fibrous asbestos and the matches, which
we're about two inches long and sold at one
| shilling box, were tipped with chemical
combination, OF which chlorate of potash
was the principal ingredient.
On putting the match into the bottle and
rapidly withdrawing it a flame was pro-
duced, but as the acid was inconvcnient
and the matches liable to be spoiled by
damp, the Eupyrion, being shown not to
be the tittest, did not survive. Many inven-
tions more ingenius than useful were sue
cessfully tried: the "pyrophorus," the
pneumatic tinderboX, and the hydrogen
lamp of Dobereimer; but it was not till
1882 that the first sign of friction match
was evolved-and was called "a lucifer"
by that joking generation. Lucifers were
substantially the present match pulled
through piece OF sand-paper. The resem-
| blance of such continuance is calculated
to make us think less than we do of that
dull time.
But the country is waking up, and the
congreve, which is the match of to-day,
soon followed the Reform Bill. whether
the congreve was called after the rocket 6f
that name is doubtful point. There is
story of its inventor which shows. if true,
the value OF attention on the part of school
boys, and might be put Up in all board
schools. The real inventor, it is saba
village oolmaster-explained it to his
| boys at school, and one more intelligent
talked of it to his still more intelligent par
ent, who was chemist and who turned
1t to material advantage. Be that as it
may, this was the same as the match of to-
day, and it has since undergone few i'm
silent to noisy match. The silent match,
which is so affected by burglars and which
| is necessary accompaniment of list slip
pers, consists in the omission of the 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 last great invention was the
safety match, which was patented by Bry-
ant in May, 1856.
| 1t would require perhaps the intellect
of Babbage to wrestle with the Stats
tics of matches. That 100000 are
burned every day in Europe seems below
the mark. Some firms turn out 100000 a
day and in London 100000 to 5000, 0O0.
rhe consumption of phosphorus for the pur-
pose in England and France shows that
aboat 250,0 900 million year are turned out
| ri al Tn mi rip
where, as in France, there is tax on
matches, the stamps show an out-turn OF
about 40 600 million; so at present match
making is not the speciality of America,
though the tax yields about So, 500 900 q
year to the revenue.-T Exchange.