The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-01-10
MANUFACTURE OF MATCHES.
Rapid Progress Made since tho Days Of
j Flint and steel.


Few people who use half box of matche,
. day are disposed to think much on the
subject of their origin. and rest content with
the fact that they exist. Fifty years have
not yet pressed since the most elementary
match in its present form was invented. and
In Vienna, the other day, they celebrated
the fiftieth anniversary of their invention by
three Anstrians 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
lucifers." The modern generation has
lost sight of all these gradual evolutlons,
and they are only known 10 those who have
the misfortune to be survivors of those be-
nighted and unenlighted days. In the time
/ of Fox and Burke, aud up to tho 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 skilful 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. 1t would be diff cult to obtain a spec
linen of them nowadays. No museum
seems to interest itself in preserving these
little social curiosities and it is only some
fifty years hence that they will be looked
upon as such, and sought after in some
technical exhibition of the match trade
1t was not, however, till le25 that matters
began to improve, when an elaborate appar.
atus called the "Eupyrion came into use.
This consisted of an open bottle containing
sulphuric acid. soaked in fibrous asbestos,
and the matches, which were about two
inches long and sold at one shilling box,
were tipped with chemical combination,
of which chlorate of potash was the princi-
pal ingredient On putting the match into
the bottle and rapidly Withdrawing it q
fame was produced, but as the acid was in
convenient and the matches liable to be
spoiled by damp, the Eupyrion, being
shown not to be the fittest, did not survive.
Many inventions moro ingenious than useful
were successfully tried the "pyrophus, y
the pneumatic Undertook aud the hydrogen
lamp of Dobereimer, but it was not till 1882
that the first sign of q friction match was
evolved, and was called a "lucifer" by the
joking generation. Lueifers were substan.
italy the present match of to-day pulled
through a piece of sand-paper. The re.
membrance of such contrIyancs is calculated
to make Us think less than we do of that
dull time. But the country was waking up
and the congreve, Which is the match Of to-
day, soon followed the Reform bill
Whether the congreve was called after tn,
rocket of that name is a doubtful point
There is a story of its inventor which shows
if true, the value of attention on the part o.
schoolboys, and might be put up in al
board schools The red inventor, it is sait
"a village oolmaster-explained it to hi
boys Mt school, and one more intelligen
talked of ii to his still more intelligent pa
rent, who was-a chemist aud who turned i
TO material advantage. Be that as it may
this was tue same as the match of to. day
and it has since undergone few improve
ments, except one changing it from slen
to noisy match. The silent match, which
is SO effected by burglars, and is necessar.
accompaniment to list slippers, consists il
the omission of chlorate of potash in tn,
composition which tips it, and which is the
cause of the cracking noise which is liable
TO awake the intended victim. The las
great invention was the safety match, which
was patented by Bryant q May, in 1856. :
Pal Nal Gazette.