Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-07

lISP GE E1DNE ESD
Isnetho For a Inns il Looked as Though
tosor 80 years q ags stated sinsreplly e e
! his Inquiries that although their fathers
had often told hem OF t1e old daysaWhen
the mandarin. hey had never seen, the
apparatus in operation and knew nothing
as to the mode of applica ton. AS lar as
their recoIle ctton went the tribe had al, =;
from the whites, and they dfscoura ged.
Mr.. CoviIe by turing the opinion that
the art was completely lost. and that
Of the
Finally, a fterS long search, Mr.. Coville
found two enera Bile Klamaths who said
they Remembered the da..s when their.
people obtained fire by drilling. and who
very kindly procured the necessary ap-.
paratus and showed him the entire pro-:
cess from beginning to end. obtaining fire
bysWhieh M: Covllle liz his the
tribesmen able to produce fire in the old-
fashioned way proved something OF a
surprise te the II Klamaths: and a.lalrgs e
passed the age of 40 years, locked lin
from miles around TO sec how fire king
had been managed among their Eances-
tors
When Mr.. Coville witnessed the mar
ner In which this aged aborigiLe produced
fire he was indeed surprts ed; 1or he saw
at once that it was altogether different e
tribes Although savage races may itrer
in the kind of apparatus used. some. like
the Eskimos, using,the pump drill, Others,
America, mploying the bos.-drill.. etc,
the method is everywhere the same in the
| respect that the one operating the drill
does not cease drilling until he has pro-
n,-sjf7 q,
the Klamaths the drilling stops before
the spark appears. Attic last meeting
Of the Biological Society Mr.. Coville. who
before leaving oregon, learned from the
duced fire III five minutes by this pro-.
cess, although few days before he had
done the same thing in three minutes at
the Agricultural Department. where con-
dtiOns We're mor;e favora BILE. 49,
TOOLS FOR MAKING FIRE.
The manner in which the klamaths
the Biological Society by Dr. coville. is,
therefore, as follows: First Of all, the
apparatus. There is a hand-drill. consist
Ing of a rounded stick. about two > and I'd "a
wood, to one end Of which is spliced the
drill point, made of sagebrush wood.
which, though not hard is Of decidedly
tough and elastic. texture; After the I;
the fire blocks, made of post CEDAR a
rather soft, punky wood. about q foot
long by half a foot in width. and some
three or four inches in thickness. The
operator trims one edge Of this block
down on both sides, SO that, viewed from
the end, it presents a V-shaped figure,
and, in addition, cuts a deep notch II. the
edge, which penetrates the ridge that he
has left in trimming the sides This
block he PLACES on the ground, stuffng
some finder. made from the bark of the
sagebrush, under the trimmed edge ana
about the notch.
This done. he is ready TO begin opera.
tons. While an assistant holds the block
firmly upon the ground he places the tip
from the notch. and. taking the instru-
ment, revolves it back and forth between
his outstretched palms. The work is very.
fattiguIng In addition to revolring me
must also bear downward upon it with
all his might, and when DR.. Coville con-
Guided his demonstration before the Bio
were not only badly blistered, but In.
many places the skin, was torn and rub
bed off IN large patches. The drill IS held
in slanting position, win the point 10 70,
at first drills quite slowly. Increases the
speed of the drill~as the point approaches
the notch until. when within an inch or
is drilling at a furious rate. making the
instrument fairly hum between his palms.
las he drills brown-colored and char
red wood dust wears away from r.'1 the
UlOCh d1ltl SOI ~ OAAi SiiI - 1AA
through the notch, falling on the finder
placed underneath. AS the drill moves
faster, the brown dust increases, piling
up untltit reaches the top of the block
and at the same time giving Oft thin,
blue column OF smoke
Now comes the strangest part OF the
operation. At the very time when one
observing the performance expects every
second to see the pile Of brown dust
burst into flame, the operator suddenly
ceases work, lays his drill aside, and for
a. few seconds contemplatess the pile Of.
brown dust before him.. Then, STOPPING
over, he blows ever so gently upon the
smoking wood dust, and in the next In
slant dust, finder, and all burst into
flame, and glowing ember, where q $se-
cond before there was no sign OF flame
other than the smoking wood dust.
This is where the klamath method OF
making fire differs from that which Oh. is
in vogue among all other savage tribes
and races. who continue drtlnng until
Local ethnologists are somewhat puzzled
over the matter. Professor Holmes is OF.
the opinion that actual fire is present In
the heap of Scharred wood dust before the
driller ceases work. but in such form,
perhaps, that it is not readily perceptible.
Admitting the fact that the pile OF dust
is heated to an intense pitch, he is unable
to see how the mere act Of blowing upon
it would serve to- make 1t break forth
into flame At all events, the klamath
mode Of king is intensely interest
ing and decidedly new thing, regard
less of whether the fire is or is not pres
emit before the operator ceases drilling.
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