The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1908-02-06


Peterson, state Tire marshal, has tits
a say:
Reports made to this office show
that 10 per cent of our $6,000,O00 an
nual fire waste and the loss of several
lives is due to carelessness with
matches. Six hundred thousand dol
lals year is TOO much to pay fui
the privilege IF using ii poor mattel,
Instead OF a good one.
Nearly all iirts caused by cai e.e5@,
use Of matches are due either t. tie
explosive qualities o. the mead G.!
the match, or To the fact mat lh2
wood in the stick continues TO glow
for an average interval u i".t.
GIT seconds after the flame IS out.
In IgnitIng the head often eNplOdts
or The suck breaks; flaming chem
lcals fly and lgnne waste paper,
SWCeplngS, lace curtains and ,Clnti!-
ing. After uslnS the match tWIll
or toss given To IL without lock
ing to see if 1t is still glowing Will
often place it where it may start d
fire. And a large proportion OF
match fires result from one of these
hot sticks being thrown upon lnfam-
riable substance. Matches lying
loose in drawers or on desks or on
the floor or walk are liable TO take
fire from rubbing or from a blow.
On the mantel piece they are often
ignited by heat from the CRATE or
stove. In each one hundred match
fires, fOrty-one are from flying match
heads or glowing sticks thrown into
rubbish, which fact says ''clean up
the place."
The name ''Parlor" is given to all
matches except the Safety" They
are made without sulphur, thereby
.voiding the Cdor given out by the
''Lucifer" match. It's head contains
phosphorus, chloride of potash, rosin,
whiting and powdered flint, held to-
gether by glue. Phosphorus ignites
at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat
produced by the friction of the par
ticles of flint in the head when it is
struck ignites the phosphorus. The
chloride gives up the 80 per cent of
oxygen it contains, with explosive
spluttering and intense heat which
fires the rosin and they together
fire the paraffin, with which the
stick is saturated, and the stick it.
self. BY substituting either salt
petre or sulphur for chloride a sill
ent and slow match is made which
does not snap and fly.
The use of the "Parlor" match, and
in fact all other matches except the
Safety" should be discontinued and
prohibited by law. This would be
no hardship to the users or to manu-
facturers because the Safety" match
es, which can be lighted only by
rubbing them on the box or special
place prepared for that purpose, are
made on the same machine and at
practically the same price as Other
matches. The exclusive use of the
Safety" match would not only les
sen the fire loss and reduce fire in
surance, premium rates about 10 pei
cent, but it would also serve to keep
door castings, windows and furniture
all around the house free from the
ugly-loOking scratch stains of the
ordinary match. And no match
should be used the wood of which is
not impregnated or saturated to pre-
vent the formation of glowing Goa
following combustion.
The legislatures now is session il
several states are considering the
advisability of prohibiting the use o.
any other but the Safety" matches
Any manufacturer can make then
without changing his machine an(
the increased cost to the consumes
would be too small for consideration.