Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-06
The Story of Fire

| ITO APPRECIATE the true value Of fire 20 the
! world, r. Is necessary 10 imagine existence
without fire, and light and heat. its accompany
! Ing features. well a. the industries arts, and
sciences dependent thereon We would at once drop
back to the stone age in daily occupations and
social lfe our houses would be unlit at night our
food uncooked our communication with the rest Of
the world would be broken. and only By foot OF on
the back Of domestcated animals could we journey
abroad. Not only this. but would be unable 70
renew existing stock OF TOOLS apparatus supplies,
and everything made fashioned by the assistance
1 Of heat and thus would be carried back 20 the
early days Of the world by the loss Of fire alone.
! No one really knows Just how primitive came
to discover fire. and utilize ~ but at some far dis
tant period. he certainly found that fire existed In
nature derived the volcano. lightning or fric-
! ton. though he TO have made use Of It for
/ long time. He may have 20 know that IL
could be transported transferred through having
seen red hot volcanic rock ignite dry grass leaves
| or wood possibly by having seen the lightning
! strike and fire 60 a He may even have
secured light It were from OF these sources
and carefully preserved II for years by keeping soo-
thing constantly burning. II became invaluable to
him. since It cooked his food and kept him warm. as
well gave him light At night But Il was at least
long time before he realized that he could himself
create or make fire by rubbing two dry sticks to-
gether Once discovered this process alone was used
for centuries, before found that by knocking
flint and pyrites together sparks capable OF gniting
finder might be struck Somewhat later. in the iron
age. flint and steel substituted common method
employed in fire making until late in the seventeenth
century. little later there chemical inventions
which eventually gave way to matches.
The use Of fire also marks the beginning OF art-
fclal illumination developed successfully through the
bonfire. torch, lamps and candles. 20 the and
electric lights OF today To fire we'll, the begin
nings OF metalurgy, ceramics and other arts which
have attained high degree Of perfection In this cen
tury, owe their origin.
The specimens exhibited at the Panama exposition
by the United states National Museum show the Inn
plements used in making fire by the friction of wood.
percussion Of minerals, compression Of air. focusing
the suns rays and through chemistry, and terminate
with the electric lighter The series itself s preceded
by three drawngs the first illustrating volcanic action,
the hot lava setting fire forest the second shows
forest fire ignited by the lightning; while the third
illustrates the primitive campfire and the method
Of conveying fire from camp 20 another. the
first two being presumptive natural from
which may have obtained fire before he knew
manner for kindling II himself
The progressive steps OF mans acquaintance with
fire are three, The knowledge OF fire, the means OF
utilizing IT, and the means Of preserving It. The last
step which is OF the most important in the history
OF mans development Is fully illustrated by the
OF different apparatus and materials Many improve
followed the first steps in mans progress
and each method has been subject to various mod-
feations by different peoples What probably the
first method that OF rubbing two sticks together with
the hands improved by reciprocating motion ef
tects the twrlng Of one stick held vertically between
the palms ana resting on SECOND lying
the ground, then by the addition OF bow and
socket followed by the weighted stick in the pump
drill, and finally the machine with cog wheels and
crank employed in soudan The Indians OF the two
Americas Amos, somals Kaftirs Veddahs and Aus
tralians generally exponents OF the simple two
stick method. The four-piece apparatus used by
the Eskimo, Hndoos, Dyaks and some Athapascan
tribes and the weighted drill employed by the
Iroquois and the chukchis.
The second method Is that OF sewing and the APP
paratus comprised n thin strip of bamboo which
drawn edgewise a section Of the same wood In
which responding groove had been cut across the
grain the sparks created falling through the groove
upon inflammable substance lying beneath the
large section. This also accomplished by drawing
a thong of rattan across stick in which longi-
tudina sot had been cut PARKWAY through the sparks
gnitinE finder placed In the slot These methods
were used by the Mslays and Burmese. a. well ~
other
Fire also made by blowing, that IL. q thin
piece OF wood forced along narrow slot cut
engthwse in a larger piece until tho friction ignlted
the finder This system evolved by the Polypes-
ans, the Australians and the Pappana.
Another. and more advanced system, OF striking
fire by percussion, first employed through the
OF flint and iron pyres. stone containing iron
by the Eskimo and northern Indiana and later super
seeded by flint STEEL custom which became quite