The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-01-31

Few people who use half a box
of matches a day are disposed TO
think much on the subject Of their
origin. and rest content with the
fact thew exist. Fifty years have
not vet passed since the most ele-
mentarv match in its present form
Was invented, and in Vienna the
other day they celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary Of their invention by
three A~ustrians, to whom, Of course,
that honor was assigned. In Eng
land in 1882 matches had not reach,
ed their present shape, but had only
reached the stage of "lucifers." The
modern generation has lost sight OF
all these gradual evolutions, and
they are only known to those who
have the misfortune to be the sur
yiyors of those benighted and unen-
lightened days. In the time OF Fox
and Burke, and up 10 the beginning
of 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
.killful than we moderns are al this
intricate operation About the be-
ginning of the century, however,
matters began to improve. and long
birthstone matches came into use To
supply the place of the finder.
These we're pieces of wood about
ak inches long, tipped with sulphur
and caught fire easily from the spark
of the fint. 1t would be difficult
to obtain a specimen of them nova
DAVIS. No museum seems to inter
est itself in prese wing these little
social curiositirs; and it il only
SOME flty years hence that they VIII
he looked upon as such, and sought
after in some technical exhibition
of the match trade IL WAS not,
however. until 1926 that matters he
gan to improve, when an elaborate
apparatus. called the "Eupyrlon,'
came into use. This consisted OF
an open bottle containing sulphur
ic acid, soaked in fihrous asbestos
and the matches, which were made
about two inches loAg and sold al
one shillinga box. were tipped witt
a chemical combination, of which
chlorate of potash was the princi'
pal ingredient. On putting TIE
match into the bottle AID rapidly
Withdrawing it a flame was produc'
ed. but as the acid was inconvtn lenl
and the matches liable to he spoiled
by damp, the Eupyrion. beingshowr
not TO be the %fittest, did not survive
MANY inventions more ingenious
than useful were successfully tired
the "Pyrophorous"' the pneumatic
finder box and the hydrogen lamp
of Debereimer; but it was not til
1882 that the first sign of a friction
match WAS evolved, and was called
a "lucifer" by the joking generation
Lucifers were substantially the pres
est match pulled through a piece o.
sandpaper. The remembrance o
such a continuance is calculated tf
make us think less than we do o.
that dull time. But the country
wac waking up, and the congreve
which is the match of the today
followed. Whether the congrevt
was called after the rocket OF thai
name is a doubtful point There
is a story of its inventor which
shows, if true, the value OF atten'
ton on tie part of school boys, and
might be put up in al boarding
schools. The real inventor, IT Is
said-a village school master-ex
planned il to his boys at school, and
one more intelligent talked of 1T to
his more intelligent parent, who was
a chemist and who turned it TO ma
serial advantage. Be that IS 1t may
this was the same al the match o
TO day; and it has since undergone
few Improvements, except one
changing it from a silent to a NOISY
match. The silent match, which ],
SO affected by burglars. and Is q
necessary accompaniment to liS'
Slipper, consists in the omission oi
ehiJrate of potash in the compost
ton which tips it, and which u the
cause If the cracking noise whict
is liable to awaken the intended vic
tim. The great invention was the
exf-ty match, which WAS patented
by Bryant & May in 1856.
Ii would require perhaps the az
aellect OF a b ,bbsge u wresile with
the statistics of matches. That TO-
100000 are burned every day in Eu.
rope seems much below the mark
Some firms, such g. Messrs. Dixon
at Manchester. turn out 9,tfD.UOo q
dav, and mauy in l.ond"s. 81 and
1hrr- million. TIE roirsuiuaA AnB :"
ph..-phuraus in Englsnd nld FralVa.
alone shows thatab ,ut 25J0J0.uOO,
900 a year are turned out 40 illes'
awo countries alone. la Anerica
Ebere, AS ia France, there Is L ,
ON matchts, by which gristis brought
Ia the mill, the sfami.s show AN out
put of about 40,0D0,o00ssUU.
Southern Bioodhouuds.