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Prior to the
invention of Lucifers, or friction matches, fires were started using flint
and steel, a burning glass (on sunny days), or rubbing sticks.
These methods are quick and reliable in the hands of someone
proficient in their use (and anyone who relied on these methods would
indeed become proficient), however, they were not always convenient or
practical. For example it is
virtually impossible to light a candle or oil lamp directly using these
methods. Early Instantaneous Lights The earliest
“matches” utilized compounds or mixtures of chemicals which would
spontaneously combust in the atmosphere or when mixed.
As can be imagined, without proper storage and handling these
matches were quite dangerous to use. One of the
earliest devices was known as a “Phosphorus Bottle” or “Pocket
Luminary.” The device
consisted of a small bottle with an air tight lid which contained white
phosphorus. When a fire was
desired, a wooden splint was inserted into the bottle and a small amount
of white phosphorus was scraped onto the splint.
When withdrawn and exposed to air, the phosphorus would ignite. Concentrated
sulfuric acid is a powerful oxidizer.
In 1805 Chancel utilized this oxidizer to create a “match”
which could be better controlled than white phosphorus scraped out of a
bottle. The ends of cedar-wood
splints were coated with a mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar.
The sulfuric acid was contained in a glass bottle on a wick of
asbestos. To start a fire, the
coated end of the splint was placed in the bottle with the sulfuric acid.
On being withdrawn from the box the “match” would burst into
flame. These were known as
“Instantaneous Light Boxes” and were later marketed under the name “Empyrions.”
These were anything but reliable and one contemporary account
states “Instead of a brilliant flame, the match smouldered (sic) and
spurted acid about to the detriment of clothes and a peaceful
disposition.” In 1828 Samuel
Jones patented the “Prometheans” which utilized the same principal as
the “Instantaneous Light Boxes.” The
device consisted of a small cardboard tube containing a mixture of
potassium chlorate and sugar and a sealed glass bead containing
concentrated sulfuric acid. When
the tube was crushed, the glass bead would break releasing sulfuric acid
to mix with the potassium chlorate and sugar, and the device would ignite.
These devices were also marketed as “Vesuvians.” Sulfuric acid
matches were referred to in general as “Chemical Matches” or as
“Oxymuriated Matches” In 1827 an
English chemist/druggist named John Walker, began selling a form of
friction match, sometimes known as “Friction Lights.”
The matches were made by dipping wooden splints in sulfur, and then
dipping the tip in a paste made from potassium chlorate, sugar and
antimony trisulfide. To ignite
the match, the tip was drawn through a fold of fine sandpaper.
The match was not reliable; often times not igniting, and at other
times a glob of molten material would fly off to land on carpeting or
clothing. These matches were
banned in In 1830 Samuel
Jones was selling a version of the “Friction Lights” in London
under the name of “Lucifers” a
term which became a popular generic name for matches.
Jones was the first to sell matches in small rectangular cardboard
boxes. Because the sulfur
based matches gave off large quantities of noxious fumes the following
warning was printed on the side of Jones’ matchboxes: “If possible,
avoid inhaling gas that escapes from the combustion of the black
composition. Persons whose
lungs are delicate should by no means use the lucifers.” Matches using
potassium chlorate, sugar and antimony trisulfide were soon to be replaced
by more reliable matches utilizing a phosphorus-oxidizer mixture.
Between 1830 and 1834 white phosphorus
based matches were developed independently by multiple individuals
in multiple countries. J.F
Kammerer in The white
phosphorus based matches often were manufactured with a sulfur tip which
was then coated with a phosphorus-oxidizer composition.
These matches were not entirely safe, and would sometimes
spontaneously combust. In the Besides having a tendency to spontaneously combust, white phosphorus had toxic effects on workers exposed daily to the element. Phossy jaw, formally phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, is an often fatal occupational hazard for those in the match industry. Chronic exposure to white phosphorus vapor caused an accumulation of phosphorus in the jaw bones and teeth and could also cause brain damage. Afflicted Workers would suffer painful toothaches and swelling of the gums. Over time, abscesses would develop in the jaw bone, which was both painful and disfiguring to the patient, and repellent to others, since drainage from the dying bone tissue was exceedingly foul-smelling. The jawbones would gradually rot away and would actually glow a greenish-white color in the dark. Death from organ failure would soon follow. Because of the harmful effects of exposure to white phosphorus, a safer form of phosphorus was sought. In 1844, Anton Schrötter produced red phosphorus, which was not toxic and lacked the tendency to spontaneously combust, by heating white phosphorus. Various attempts were now made to utilize red phosphorus in production of a safer match. The first successful safety match was produced 1855. So did Mountain Men use Lucifer matches? They did have them, the fur trade inventories of the Rocky Mountain Outfit of Fontenelle Fitzpatrick and Co, 1836, show that at least in this year 16 dozen were sent to rendezvous. Because these would have been the white phosphorus Lucifers, they would have been unreliable, unstable and unsafe. They were probably a novelty item rather than intended for actual use under field conditions. For more information about the history of matches see the following reference: M.F. Crass, A History of the Match Industry, J. Chem. Educ., 18, part 1 116-120, part 2 277-282, part 3 316-319, part 4 380-384, part 5 428-431, 1941
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