Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-02-11

a saieF HISTORY OF T-s lUClFER
MATCH.


orsvNth or ths fad HRtry.
Il wonder does any one know the his
tory Of the lucifer, said Mr.. ii. c. Zap
part. at the Southern Hotel, says the ST.
Louis Republican. IL tell you why I
ask ] Was once standing here just
whore / am now aud l met an Eng
iishman. The EnKIishmsn had whole
hearted swear at things in general. You
are frozen ia ths summer, he said, and
YOU are heated in the winter till one
might believe you were being toasted
brown in a mistake for g muffin for
breakfast. and you can not buy wax
vesta
For the comfort Of such gentlemen as
l have just mentioned, l will give you
the history Of the match.
First OF all, what do you think is its
vHlusf In the United States the value Of
single match would be the S60th part Of
q cent, and in Europe, about half the
price. Think of it, $50 matches. tho
wood chopped and all other things done,
and the lot neatly packed into little
box for one cent, aud yet there are large
AOAtuhN1 AAAnC QhN Va &AeACbrNs
has been enabled TO meet the terribly
heavy liability involved in the war with
Germany through making the match in-
dustry q monopoly.
The world went without the match for
thousands Of years, but you would find
1t difficult to find monument 10 the gem
Ius Of the inventor, aud probably the
majority of men do not even know his
name.
~Tbe first phosphorus match was made
by one John Frederic Komerer in Lud-
wiGsburg, Germany. He had been inn
prsoned for some political offense in the
psnitentiary at Hohenasperg. The gov
ernor OF the prison treated the convicts
with humanity, and allowed Komerer,
who was chemist by profession, TO make
rcientinc experiments.
"In the cell Of n gloomy dungeon tho
arst lucifer was struck, 10 the great de-
tight Of the unhappy prisoner. It came
as a ray Of hope to . man shut out from
the rest Of the world and from all that
made life dear. A year later Komsrcr
was released. At that time no patent
law existed, and the eE-prisoner, being =
man without capital, had to fight three
companies in Vienna. His opponents
had means. while he had none. But =
still harder blow was In store for him.
THE German government had notion
that matches were dangerous because
some children playing with them caused
a conhagration. and In tit of incompre-
henSible stupidity passed law forbid
ding the manufacture of all kinds OF
matches THIS was Komerer ruined
Other countries took the matter up. and
N 1912 the law of Germany was repealed.
"In le4S millionaire matchmaker ex-
isted in Yienna. His millions increased
as the years went by, and he retired after
go years work worth $4,000. 600
"Up to 1862 the Vienna manufacturers
controlled the match business Of the
whole globe. They worked in the most
impracticable way without machinery
There was hxed idea that machin-
cry was useless and that the work should
be done by hand. One particular event
caused the downfall Of the Vienna mon
Opoly This was the invention oi t.e
safety match.
"The principal material in which the
iGniting composition 10 dipped is phos.
phorus, One hundred years ago it was
nothing more than chemical curiosity,
produced in very small quantities, and
an ounce Of il was sold for one ounce of
gold. Now pound can be bought for
90 cents. The extraordinary igniting
powers Of phosphorus can not be equalled
by one OF the chemical substances now in
use, but it is q most poisonous article,
and many suicides were committed with
an emulsion OF the heads Of the matches
Of which it formeda part. Itcsused also
terribly deadly disease among the poor
operators in the factories.
Professor Shrater made discovery Of
something which reduced the deadly eIe-
ment of the phosphorus. He offered his
discovery to the leading Vienna manu-
facturers, but the offer was rejected. By
some way the discovery found its way
TO Sweden, and there a new industry
sprang up, which gave employment TO
thousands Of hands and realized millions
of dollars. The reputation Of the Swed.
ish match has been established. Ii is
the best aud cheapest in exis ence, and
is neither poisonous nor infiammable.
Sweden produces no other than safety
matches, and they are exported to all
parts of the world.
"In Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
and Holland phosphorus match fac.
tories are under state control to prevent
as much as possible the spread OF
the disease to which have referred.
The girls must wear special dresses, the
factories must possess special lavatories
and dining rooms, and medical man
must examine the surroundings and
send q report once . week 70 the fac.
tory inspectors. The manufacturers
must pay for the medical treatment
cit is strange that the safety match has
not found favor in the United States, the
most progressive country in the world.
Only few ara used in eastern cities, aud
these are mostly imported from Sweden.
Yet in the interest Of the operators in the
factories, as well az in the interest Of the
public, it In desirable that they should
take the place Of the evil smelling poi
soinous, and dangerous phoepboTu.
matches, and they can be msnufa ctured
Just as cheaply.
The number Of factories IN the States
Of the Union Is very small as compared
with Europe, as the f.. owing statistics
y al show Germany. with population
Of 20 OO0. 900. has 40 factories: Sweden