The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-27

the works in patches OF 1000 or 5000 at a
time. each batch being arranged in a
square frame called a "batteau."
A splint ladened batteau is placed in
machine. which, automatically separates
the splits, so that each of the 100 has a
little space around IT. and is thus isolated
from its neighbors. When the splits are
arranged in this manner the form In which
they are held is called press and 1t
is capped on one side, leaving the other
with the splint head exposed.
The presses are carried to the dipping
room, which is filled with the poisonous
vapOrs of phosphorus and sulphur The
men who labor in this place are so accus-
toned TO the irritating, tissue-eating va
pors that they work as unconcerneuly as
though the air was pure and wholesome.
The visitors, however, is seldom able to
remain in the room more than minute
or two at a time for the fumes cause un-
comfortable coughing, and choking and
gasping add to the discomfort In one
corner OF the room stands a vat In which
melted sulphur is held.
The workman taking the press In both
hands, dips the splints in the compound
two or three times. Withdrawing the press
with a jerky motion, which shakes off the
surplus sulphur. The splints are prepared
for the sulphur bath by being heated.
The phosphorus compound is made into
paste and spread evenly over iron plates,
which have the same areas as the presses
AFTER the SDlintS have been dipped IN the
sulphur the press is laid open side down
upon the paste-covered iron plates, and
the. sDlints are gently forced into the
sticky mixture.
When withdrawn from the paste each
spint has a little knob of phosphorus on
II, and has become match. A drying
operation, which gives the phosphorus tips
a glossy consistency, follows, and then
the presses are taken to a machine which
takes the matches from the press and
places them uniformly, and with heads all
pointing in the same direction, in another
form.
From this form the matches are placed
in boxes, either by machinery, or by the
hnnare M Uf
form is laid on the machine and is COW
cred with glass, so that the girl can fol-
low the descent of the matches, which fall
down of their own weight.
At the bottom of the form is an open
ing just the size of the inside of the box.
Back of and opposite to this opening Is
a plunger of the same size, which shoves
forward and through the opening just
enough matches to fill the box which is
held to the opening
Three girls work at each box filling ma
chine; one fills the boxes, the other two
close them. They fill on an average 20OCO
boxes in eleven hours, and each makes
about 20 cents a day. In filling boxes by
hand the girls become so expert that they
can take up the exact number Of matches
required each time.
With the exception that neither sui
phur nor phosphorus is used for tipping
matches, the process in Sweden is about
the same as ii is in France. The Swedish
matches are safety matches that can
only be lighted when scratched on a pre-
pared surface, and. the tipping compound
is a paste of chlorate Of potash.
The igniting surface, which is placed on
both sides of the match box is a paste,
of which sulphide of anthony and red
phosphorus are the principle ingredients.
This paste is laid on the side of the boxes
by machine, which passed the boxes be-
tween two rollers that are charged with
the paste. AS the procession of boxes
moves between the rollers they spread the
paste evenly on the sides, and then the
boxes are laid away until the paste is dry.
A long, cool, dry room is required in the
manufacture of wax matches. The splints
are made of cotton thread, covered with
stearine or paraffin. The wax match is a
miniature candle, and its little wick is
made of from ten to twenty threads, de-
pending on the thickness of the match.
This cotton wick is wound on large balls,
held on reels at one end of a long room.
The paraffin is melted in a water bath
and portions Of 1t are dipped out and plac-
ed in small pans, through which the thread
is conducted. The waX-coated thread
passes from the first pan of paraffin
through a steel die, which scrapes off the
excess of wax and prepares it for the sec
From this pan the twice-coated thread
passes through a steel die, in which the
hole is slightly larger than the first, and
the third and last pan has die which
gives the waXed thread the proper diam
eter Then the paraffin-covered wick is
taken to a large drum at the far end OF
the room, on which 1t is slowly wound.
As the wick hangs in the air in going
from the last pan to the winding drum the
parattin coolS and is quite solid when il
reaches the drum. If the wick is not coat
ed sufficiently the drum is taken to the end
of the room in which the reels stand and
another coating Of wax is put on. The wick
is cut to match lengths in a cutting ma
chine, and then the wax splints are dipped
in the lighting compound.
Matches which will burn in spite of rair
and wind are called "fusees." The splints
are dyed blue by boiling them for several
minutes in a composition and then they
are dipped The burning compositions is
a mixture of potash and ground sawdust
and this thick paste is put on the splints
in three dipping operations, which give the
match head a pear shape. The ignitine
compound can only be fired by rubbing il
on a prepared surface similar to that used
for safety matches.
In fact, the fusee is but a safety match
with q knob of ground saWdust and pot
ash. The infiammable tip ignites this com
position, which sizzles and sparkles for q
number of seconds, no matter how much
it is exposed to the wind. These matches
are packed in boxes by hand, for the shape
of the head makes it difficult for machin-
cry to do this work All of the wooden
splints of safety and ineXtinguishable
matches are paraffined so that the wood
is rendered more inf1ammable,
The French government pensions its
match-makers after thirty years of ser.
vice. The pensions for men average about
$40 a year and for women $50. And it also
pays the surgeons who operate upon the
victims of necrosis, caused by the white
phosphorus used.