Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-06-04
MARCH OF THE MATCH
FROM THE TWO INCH PINE PLANK
TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

The Why tho Raw Material Is Han
died by machinery That Allows No
iIn1t Until the Perfect Match Drops
Into Its Allotted Fox.
Y 1t is an interesting fact Tint one Of
the most usrful--lndccd, one OF the
most neccssary-articles IN the world
IS SO cheap that 10 man hcsltates to
ask even stranger for it OF dreams Of
paying him except by the conventional
THANK YOU" That matches have
come to occupy this position Is due
largely to American inventive skill.
The first friction matches were made
and dipped ny hand. They sold for
about So II gross. Today all matchcA
are made and most Of them are dipped
by machinery, and one can buy from
fifty TO scvcuty-ilvc for Il cent Be
tween these two extremes stretches Il
long line Of complicated and interest
Ing machines
Inventors began very early to give
their attention to devices for making
The sticks or splints chcaply. Ono plan
after another was tried until all finally
gave way 10 The ribbon method. The
machine for this process is a sort of
lathe. in which is placed a cylinder of
pine wool the length of seven matches.
AS this cylinder. previously soaked I'm
hot water or steamed to make Il soft
and tough Is turned slowly the crcum-
ference encounters IL blade which parcs
Off continuous shnving the whole
length of tho cylinder and the thick
ness Of n single match. This shaving
as 1t pecls away from the log again
comes III contact with cutters which
divide II into seven strips each MS wide
as match Is long
When tho ribbons have been cut into
manageable lcngth-.say seven or eight
feet--and frcod from knots and crook.
ed grained portions n large number of
them from 12O to 14o-arc placed I'm n
machine like an ordinary paper cutter.
Tho mass is fed forward nutomatically.
the width Of IL match mt time. ana the
descending cutter slices through the
mass. making from 100 to 40 splints
Mt stroke.
Ihe splints are now dried and sift-
Ell In partiliOncd sleeves, the motion of
which lays the matches parallel and
prepares them for their places i'm
frames, where they are dipped by
hnnd. Some of these machines will
turn ont from 15.n00.00O to 1T.O0O,OOO
splints day. Rapid and cheap MS
this method Is. II has been superseded
IN America ny another system in which
the l,nnd work is reduced to II mini
mum. Tho raw mntcrial in this, case
Is two inch white pine plank This is
first sawed into blocks the length of q
match and thoroughly dried. The
blocks are clnmnc-l To the bed of Il
machine, and cutters groove out Il set
of splints from the surface, not, how
ever taking the whole surface and
converting ii into splints at one i'm
pnct. but cutting the matches out one
fourth of M incl apart.
The spltnts thus separated arc seized
In iron clamp plates, which form an
endless chain. These carry the splints
across Il steam heated drum. which
warns them nearly 10 the temperature
of the melted parallin into which they
are next dipped. Tho heat prevents
the pnrnfln from chilling and insurcs
proper saturation.
From the first order to march these
companies of wooden soldiers have no
permission 10 halt. They move on con-
tinuously and evenly from the parnffin
bath to the rollers which carry the
heading mixture phosphorus, chic
rate of potash md other substances
and MS the companies pass by these
rollers place red or blue cap on the
head Of each individual The line of
march continues on through a room
swept by hlast of cold. dry mir. which
hnrdcns the newly deposited chemicals
until the matches can be safely han
died.
Still the companies march until, just
before they reach the starting point
again. the individual units receive their
final order to fall out" from an auto.
matte and nncompromising punch,
which deposits them side by side In a
box placed providentially i'll just the
right place and Mt Just the right time
by another endless belt.
The cutters meanwhile have been
eating away the ridges which were
left between the places from which
the first set Of splints was cut. and SO
1t goes until the whole block has been
converted into slim little rcd or blue
capped follows. each one snappish ANA
full Of fire. Edward Williston Frentz
in Youths Companion
-------.---