The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-18
MATCHMAKING IN ENGLAND.
How the Work Is Done In big Fac
tory.
From the Manufacturer.

FROM the mdHuLacLufeT.
The British Trade Journal describes the
process of manufacturing matches at s.
J. Moreland & Sons large factories at
Gloucester, England. The timber from
which the splints are made Is in the form
of twenty-foot logs Of white wood, i'm.
ported from Russia. In dealing with the
timber, which must be properly selected
and prepared, the first step is to saw the
logs into lengths of two or three feet
which are then conveyed to the match de-
partment or to the box-making room. The
matches are made from a strip of veneer
or a sheet of wood the thickness of she
match. This veneer Is produced from the
round log placed in a peeling machine
which is an ingeniously contrived arrange
ment somewhat on the principle of a
lathe, but the wood is turned off into one
endless strip, the width of the log. A
number of strips thus cut are placed one
upon the other, and passed through a
cutting machine, which acts on the gull
lotine principle and chops the strips into
thousands OF splints each the exact length
and shape required for a single match.
One machine Is capable of produ cling
about 100000 splints per hour. They fall
from the blade in a torrent each being
clearly divided from the other and free
from Irregularities In shape. They are then
thoroughly dried In a special form OF APP
paratus by means of which enormous
quantities can be treated In the course
Of a few hours. This machine can, n
necessary, be kept constantly at work,
and Is a decided Improvement upon the
ordinary methods adopted for spllnt dry
ing. When thoroughly dried the splints
still In an indiscriminate heap. no two
being in the same position, must be ar
ranged side by sde--a difficult problem
which, however. Is solved by a range Of
machines which shake them about In such
a way that ultimately they drop into COM
pact rows. each splint parallel with all
the others. While this Is being done they
are freed from all dust or small loose paES
ticles Of wood.
From these machines the splnts are TAX
en- 70 be placed IN frames. Each frame
measures about three feet square, and Is
fitted with a number Of bars, crossing one
another. between which the splints are
held, each spiint occupying "A separate
place This Is also done by mechanism
which enables about 1900 eplints to be
deftiy fitted into a frame IN less than a
minute.
The frames thus filled with spllnts are
wheeled away on trolleys 20 the parafIin-
ing room, where the end which Is to re-
ceive the head Is first heated and then
dipped into paraffin. Then they are taken
TO the composition stones Of which there
Ia a long row. each covered with bright
pink. seml-liquid preparation. At each
stone stands a workman. who lifts the
frames one after the other and dips the
ends OF the spllnts into the chemical COM
position. taking care that they are all well
supplied with fun round and firm head
The frames are then again placed upon
trolleys and taken TO the drying rooms
each OF which is capable OF drying about
1000 gross per day. The matches, when
quite free from moisture, are now ready to
be filled into the various shapes and sizes
OF boxes In which they reach the COM
sumner.