AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY MATCHES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Howse, of Lime Street, in the City of
London, Accountant, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY MATCHES."
Sealed the 28th July 1868, and dated the 22nd April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Howse at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1868.
I, HENRY HOWSE, of Lime Street, in the City of London, Accountant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY MATCHES," to be as follows:-
It is a well-known fact that a very great number of serious and even
fatal accidents by fire are occasioned by persons carelessly throwing
down matches which are believed to be harmless because the flame has
been extinguished, but which in reality are highly dangerous and quite
capable of communicating fire to any light dry material in con-
sequence of the wood splint being at a red heat although not actually
in a flame.

page_text: This Invention consists in saturating the splints (previously to their
being dipped) in a solution of any chemical salt which has the property
of preventing the wood from remaining at a red heat after the flame has
been extinguished without being in any way detrimental to the
inflammable nature of the splint, and thus to prevent the possibility
of accident from the dropping of a match after the extinction of the
flame but whilst the splint is still at a red heat.
The substance which I have found to answer well in practice, and
which also has the advantage of being so inexpensive as not to add to
the cost of the matches is, alum, but it will be evident that other
well-known chemical salts having similar properties would answer. the
same purpose. The splints (before dipping) are to be immersed in a
strong solution of the alum or other substance for a sufficiently long
time to effect a complete saturation, and then having been drained and
dried are to be dipped in the ordinary manner. Matches so treated will
be found. to ignite and burn in a flame as readily as any other matches,
but the instant that the flame is blown out or otherwise extinguished the
match becomes black and perfectly harmless.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Howse in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
Howse, of Lime Street, in the City of London, Accountant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Howse, Her special licence
that I, the said Henry Howse, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Howse, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Island, the.
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY MATCHES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Howse, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, .
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Howse, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, that is to say :-
Whereas it is well known that a very great number of serious and
even fatal accidents by fire are occassioned by persons carelessly throwing
down matches which are believed to be harmless because the flame has
been extinguished, but which in reality are quite capable of commu-
nicating fire to any light dry material in consequence of the wood
splint being at a heat that will produce ignition though not actually in
a flame.
Now this Invention consists in saturating or impregnating the splints
(previously to their being dipped in a solution of any of the chemical
salts or substances herein-after described or referred to which have the
property of preventing the wood from remaining at a red or at an
igniting heat after the flame has been extinguished without being in
any way detrimental to the inflammable nature of the splint, and thus
to prevent the possibility of accident from the dropping of a match after
the extinction of the flame.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improvement in the Manufacture of Safety Matches," I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, which will be
readily understood on reference to the following explanation thereof,
that is to say:-
The substance which I have found to answer well in practice, and
which also has the advantage of being so inexpensive as not materially
to add to the cost of the matches is alum, but there are other well-

page_text: known chemical salts or substances having similar properties which
would answer the same purpose. For example, amongst the salts or
chemical substances which I have found by experiment to effect
the desired object and which are also sufficiently inexpensive to be
made commercially available for the purpose are the following:-
Sulphate of magnesia or common Epsom salts; tungstate and silicate
of soda; borate, chloride, sulphate, and phosphate of ammonia and
sulphate of zinc; and generally salts of the metals of the alkalis either
alone or mixed with other salts (not incompatible with each other)
or salts of the alkaline earths will answer the purpose of my Invention,
but I prefer to use the tungstate or silicate of soda, or the borate,
sulphate, or phosphate of soda, and with regard to the salts of the
alkaline earths I prefer those of barium and strontium, especially
when mixed with other salts of the classes that I have enumerated, also
salts of aluminium, especially the double salt, the sulphate of alumina
or potash may be used. With respect to the salts of the metals I prefer
those of the zinc class, especially sulphate of zinc and magnesia, and
those belonging to the tungsten class, and especially the soluble
tungstate and the soluble borates and sulphates, phosphate, and silicates,
but I do not recommend deliquescent salts, but prefer those which are
efflorescent.
The mode of conducting the operation is as follows:-The splints of
the matches before dipping are to be immersed or otherwise impregnated
with a strong solution of alum or any other of the substances herein-
before named, or any combination of such substances, for a sufficiently
long time to effect a complete saturation of or absorption into the
material of the splints, and afterwards the splints are to be drained and
dried, and then are to be dipped in the ordinary manner. The time
required will of course vary according to the chemical materials used,
and according to the quality of wood used, but as a general rule I find
that the splints ought to be steeped or saturated in the cold solution of
the chemical materials described for 48 hours or thereabouts. Matches
so treated will be found to ignite and burn in a flame as readily as any
other matches, but the instant that the flame is blown out or otherwise
extinguished the match becomes black and will not smoulder, but will
be perfectly harmless.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of
"An Improvement in the Manufacture of Safety Matches." together

page_text: with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that what I
claim as my Invention is, saturating or treating the splints of which
the matches are to be made with a solution of alum or any other of the
chemical substances which I have described, or mixtures of such
chemical substances in manner and for the purpose herein-before
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Howse, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
HANDY