Middletown transcript., 1902-03-29
HOW FIRES WE'RE MANAGED

Many people there are who, at every
opportunity, never fail to lament the So
called 'tgood old times " If these very
same people were put to the test, it is
doubtful if they would exchange the
steam heat, gas, electricity, steam rail.
ways, trolleys, telephones and the hum
dred and one other things which are re-
garded, not as luxuries, but common,
everyday necessaries, for the primitive
methods and makeshifts OF the days Of
yore.
William Ferris, who talked SO interest
ingly few days ago about stage coach
travel and the time of the Wilmington
and Susquenanna railroad, also related
several incidents illustrative of the Gus
toms of the people in the early days of
Wilmington.
There probably never was an invention
that has proved more of boon to man.
kind and incidentally women folks as
well; as matches. To the younger people
of this generation it is almost incredible
the means TO which their forefathers
were obliged to resort to make and main
tain fire. To them it is simply a matter
| of striking match. In the days of
their progenitors there were no matches,
and the matter of fire was, as Kipling
has put it, another story.
As friction matches did not come into
general use until about the year 1885, it
was the custom to bank the freplaces at
night with ashes until not an ember or
spark of fire could be seen, just as it had
been the custom for untold centuries be-
fore. If these precautions were not
thoroughly taken, the fires were an ever
imminent danger, and on very cold and
windy nights it was customary for the
members of afamily to take turns in sit
ting up to watch the fires.
Before the advent of the ''fire sparker'
or flint box, when the earliest riser of q
family was so unfortunate as to find that
the two slightly protected embers of the
previous nights fire had burned them
selves out, or that the the densely covered
ones had been hopelessly smothered, it
was bis chilly duty to wait and watch for
the nearest chimney which should show
rising smoke and then to sally forth to
borrow Goals.
Nearly everybody knows what flint
box was, but the "fre sparler'' prob
ably is not go generously known. While
match box, with one side of steel, upon
which the spark was struck with the
flint, the 'fre sparker" was equipped
with something like the trigger of a flint
lock musket, which was pulled, and
spark struck from the flint and steel,
which ignited bit of punk. The spark
once struck, it was iudiciously blown
upon and set fire to splinters of resinous
wood and this, in turn, to carfully reared
piles OF splintered kindlings and well
seasoned logs. As may be readily imag-
ined, fire building prior to the days of
1885 was an art.
The first matches ever manufactured
in Wilmington were made by Ezekiel
Carson, an old colored man, but they
were vastly different from the matches
in use to-day.
They were of small splinters of wood,
Whitfield by Ezekiel with b.s penknife
and dipped in sulphur. These were tied
in small punches and pedd'ed and sold
by Carson at cent bunch. Unlike the
present match, they were ignited by
being struck with flint. Carson, who
lived for many years at Second and West
streets, Wilmington, died at the age of
nearly 100 years in 1885, the very time
that the friction match became generally
known.
Doubtless there are numerous people
who recall 'lamplighters" "-those rolled
slips of pink, white, red, yellow or blue
paper which the thrifty housewife pre-
pared ito save matches" These usually
vases which adorned either end
of the mantlepiece and it was fayorite
diversion of the women, when they went
a-visiting, to roll lamplighters One of
The greatest dscomforts in connection
With the lack of matches and fire, was
hat of going to bed and getting up.
Houses in those days, in many instances,
we're not so compactly and carefully built
Is now and Old Boreas had more oppor-
unity of finding his way through cracks
Ind crevices than now. Beds were pro-
rided with heavy curtains, which oftimes
we're swayed somewhat vigorously by the
winds, which had the effect
If rendering night caps, if not thing of
beauty, a JOY so long as the cold weather
continued.
The first so-called parlor matches were
in Wilmington by Edward
ratnall in 1853. He entered into part
lership with the Englishman, Courtney,
# match fame, who brought the secret of
he process from England. Owing to
ONE disagreement, Mr.. Tatnall sold out
lis interests to the Swifts.
ELLEN ORR.
A Nnaa Th.,o