Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-15
MAKING FIRE.
HOW DIFFERENT UNCIvILIzED
RACES ACCOMPLISH II,
Flame Produced by Friction OF
Two Pieces Of Wood-Na-
turc Probably Sug-
gcstcd the Idea.

Washington Star, the methods which
different uucivilized races have OF max
ing fire, Walter Hough, of the National
Museum Mt the capital, saidi The Brah-
mans of lndia obtain fire for cooking and
Tor religious ceremonies by the friction
of two pieces of wood, one about five
inches in diameter, with u small, conical
hole or socket i'll the upper part, into
which the other, shaped like pin, is in
troduccl and whirlcd backward and for
ward by bow.
The Amos of Japan use flint and steel
for striking a light, this method having
| supplantcd the generation of fire by
sticks Thc shOe-shapcd steel is attached
by piece of sincw 10 the cork of II
small wooden bottle containing the soft
charcoal used as IL finder. The flint is IL
small piece of fcrruginous slick With
this set is piece of the root of plant
that retains fire for long time. To
strike Il light the Aino takes out the
| cork with the STEEL attached and slirs up
the finder with the sharp point He
then holds up the flint in his hand over
the bottle and strikes II spark down into
it. lie then transfers the coal to his
pipe, or kindling or lire stick, with the
point of the steel. These articles are
kept in Il pouch generally woven Of
PUSHES. y pouch in the museum is made
bf fish skin.
The japanese timber box has two COM
partmcnts, one with Il damper for the
finder, the other for the flint and steel.
Such box is Il familiar object in II Japan
ssc kitchen. The steel is mounted in
hood. The matches are shavings tipped
IL both ends with sulphur, which readily
l5nted from the spark. Smokers in
Japan carry small strikc-a-lights, the flint,
ltecl and finder of burnt cotton being
contained in Il cloth pouch. The Chinese
lso carry similar strikc-a-lights. In
rhibet they are made very large and are
lncly decorated The Koorls of Bhotau,
Eastern Turkey, carry pipe pouch con
!aining besides flint steel and finder Il
pipe pricker and apair ofpincers 70 trans
Ter the lighted finder to the pipe.
Tie method Of obtaining fire practiccd
among sava9cs Of the Nile region and the
heart of Africa consists simply in rubbing
together tao hard sticks ut right angles
10 one another till spark is emitted.
Underneath the sticks is placed either IL
ltonc or something upon which little
! pile OF cnbcrs has been laid. The fric-
lion of the upper piece of wood wears Il
hole Ill the lower and soon spark is
Taught by the ashes and is famed into "A
lame with some dry grass.
The Zunis make fire with drill re-
Folviag between the palms OF the hand,
fastening the operation by sprinkling Il
little line sand in the concavity or de-
preston i'll which the drill works. The
l.nis make the sacred fire that burns
always IN their est ulas by friction of wood
New fire is made ut the beginning of
their new year with great ceremony.
The Apache Indian is probably the
most shillful Of the primitive fire makers
in the world. y set of Apache lirc-mali-
Ing tools was given to the museum by
Captain John c. Bourllc, U. S. 4. The
hearth is piece of Yucca stem, with one
side dressed, and having holes with II
nasrow SLOT cut into them from the side.
Captain Bourkc says he has seen an Apache
Indian with his iirc-stick make fire III not
quite eight seconds by the watch The
Indian asserted that under most favorable
circumstances he could make fire in Il
number Of motion which, on the watch,
occupied exactly two seconds. The en-
pcriments, Captain Bourl:c observed, ran
Ill the way from eight to forty-scvcn
seconds. Sand is generally used, as by
lhc Iunis, but this is not essential to sue
cess. Mr.. fIough says he thinks major
ty Of the Indian tribes can make fire in
less than Il minute.
the method of making fire practiccd
by the Samoans illustrates what Mr..
Tough calls the blowing process. Two
Hicks of wood are used, one pointed and
one with Il groove. The pointed stick is
elaspcd IN both hands and projected for
ward from the body, it always being held
nj IN angie OF for;y;ivc degrees from the
groovcd stick: The man kncels and
forces the drill forward, at first slowly.
with Il range OF six or seven inches, till
The wood is being ground off and made
10 go into little heap at the end of the
groove. Then he gradually accccrates
and moves with shorter range until,
when he pushes the stick with great
Tclocity, the brown dust ignites.
Malays, some hill tribes of India and
Burmese tribes. Two pieces of bamboo
are used. a sharp-cdged piece like u
knife is rubbed across convex piece.
After saving for while the bamboo is
pierced and the heated particles fall be-
low and ignite. The Chittagong hill
tribes of India use sand to increase the
friction. Nature, it is said, suggests
the saving way of getting fire. Many
fires are started in the Jungle by bamboos
rubbing together in high wind storm.
Nordenskiod has given an interesting
description of the fire drill of the Chuk-
CHS and the way it is used. 1t consists
o! a dry wooden pin, which, by com
mon bow drill, is made to rub agains. Il
block of dry, half blackcned wood. The
upper part of this pin runs in drill
block of wood or bone. In the light
stock holes are made to give support to
the pin, and, perhaps, to facilitate the
formation of the half -carbonized wood
meal which the drillinor looScns frnn tbn