El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-09
By
Frederic
]. HaSkin

Inc process of making matches tn
der modern conditions is full of inter-
est Many persons think that the
match splints are the byproduct of sash
and door factories. but as a matter
Of fact the best timber extant Is r.
quired for match sticks. The logs which
are to be worked up into matches are
first soaked or steamed to make them
less brittle. They are then run
through a veneer peeling machine The
result is long strip of wood as wide
as match is long and as thin as the
match is thick. These long strips are
piled up so to so in a pile and are
thrust through a machine not unlike a
French guillOtine. After the strips are
cut up. the millions of little spIints are
|, carried into a drying room where they
are dried by hot air.
Work All Done by Machinery.
After this process. the splfnts are
gathered by a machine and placed in
! thousands of minute pigeon holes, each
on end When the pigeon hole case is
full, the frame is locked so as 10 bind
each match in its own place 1t then
is carried to another part of the ma
chine where the free ends of the match
es are dipped. first in sulphur and then
/ in phosphorus
The boxes also are made by machin-
! cry, and arrive in time to have the
matches placed in them. One of these
machines will dip from 10 TO IL million.
matches a day The sulphur used in
the making of matches is provided in
| order that the combustion started nv
/ the phosphorus shall continue long
enough to set the wood on fire.
Many Ingenious Manufacturers.
There are many forms Of matches.
Some peculiar ideas are worked out. In
one case, they are produced in the
shape of a reel of tape. At each place
where the matches are covered, there
is a supply of phosphorus and a strik-
ing substance Another match maker
uses a little bottle filed with com
/ bustible pellets. BY inverting the bot
tie he is able to get one of these pellets
out at time and a striking apparatus
gives him the fire he desires.
Another peculiar match is put I'D in
little packages resembling accordion
, pleated goods. The package is held
together by the use of a rubber band,
one strip being torn off at a time The
accordion pleating prevents the strik-
ing surface from danger of exposure.
Still another novel idea consists of a
round roll of sand paper. into which a
match is placed. When a man needs a
light, he holds the roll between two
fingers and presses on the match with
his thumb. This serves to strike the
match, which is of the safety variety.
First Match Made I'm London.
The making of matches is COM
paratively new industry. In the spring
/ time of history, men produced fire by
rubbing sticks together, which was fol-
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finder. In 1850 Godfrey Hanckwitz. of
London, learning of the discovery of
phosphorus and of its nature, wrapped
some Of it in little roll of brown
paper and rubbed it until it took fire.
Then he held ii to a stick covered with
! sulphur. This was the worlds first
match.
Later, sticks were dipped in sulphur
and then in a composition of chlorate
of potash. sulphur, colophony, gum of
sugar and cinnabar. These sticks were
put up in little box, and were sent out
with small bottle of sulphuric acid.
When the user desired a light. he
dipped one of the sticks into the acid.
and it was Immediately ignited These
were called chemical matches. The con
sumner had TO pay s3.75 box for them.
Pacific Coast Match still in Use.
From that time on matches gradu-
ally were improved until the Lucirer
match made its appearance Before
economical methods of making boxes
were discovered. 1t was the custom to
have matches made from small blocks
of wood The lower end Of the block
was not cut apart, and thus the whole
bunch of matches was held together.
For many years this form of match
was sold all over the United States.
Even To this day one finds the block
match in wide use along the Pacific
coast.
The cheapness of matches is due not
less TO the perfection of box making
machinery than to the introduction Of
great machines for the production of
matches themselves. These boxes are
usually made from the same wood that
enters into the making of the match.
and 10000 boxes a day are turned out
by a single machine Their cost is
but the merest fraction of a cent each.
Some enterprising cigaret makers
have placed the match on the end of
the cigaret itself While this new
cigaret is enjoyed as a novelty in many
places. 1t has never become popular
with smokers. The little pocket light
ers carried by some smokers do noc
meet with very large sale. Since the
penny-in-the-slOt machine has served
to place matches on sale almost everv-
where. there Is but little demand for
other kinds of lighting agents than
the match.
Tomorrow-The Mothers Congress
show The Princess and the Pea SAINT >,
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