41 6 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the room, delivered in trays near the cutting-machine, and thence sent 

 to the packing-room. In wax-matches, or vestas, the composition is 

 attached to a fcAV cotton-threads immersed in a mixture of paraffin 

 and stearin. One or two himdred of these wicks are rolled around a 

 cylinder and separated by a comb. They pass through a bath of 

 melted wax and are afterward drawn through holes in a metal frame, 

 which renders the tapers smooth, cylindrical, and of the proper size 

 and shape. A mechanical knife cuts, at one time, all the wicks accord- 

 inf to the determined length, from one to one and a quarter inch, 

 after which the paste is applied to their ends with great rapidity. 



In the manufacture of matches much trouble has been occasioned 

 by the use of phosphorus, as its fumes attack the teeth of the work- 

 men, and sfive rise to a disease known as caries of the iaw-bones. 

 In some of the small and poorly-managed factories the men and chil- 

 dren are never free from the fumes ; their clothes and breath are lu- 

 minous in the dark, and in the daytime "white fumes may be seen 

 escaping from them whenever they are seated by the fire. The phos- 

 phorus first attacks a decayed tooth, causing pain which constantly 

 becomes greater. The gums are sore, the face swollen, and the teeth 

 finally drop out. The suffering is excruciating, the patient finds little 

 relief for months or years, and, in a severe case, there is loss of one 

 or both jaw-bones, hindering mastication and ending in death. So 

 alarming did this disease become in Germany at one time that it at- 

 tracted the attention of the Government. No antidote has yet been 

 discovered ; but it can be prevented to a great extent by ventilation 

 and cleanliness. We have inquired of several of the leading American 

 manufacturers in regard to the subject, and all say that their work- 

 men are not troubled in this manner. No examination of their teeth is 

 enforced, the men being merely warned as to the consequences before 

 they begin their work. 



Partly as a remedy for this evil, the red or amorphous i^hosphorus 

 was substituted for the ordinary variety. This possesses neither odor 

 nor taste, is not poisonous, and can be handled with safety. The dan- 

 ger arising from the use of matches was magnified, bacause they could 

 sometimes be seen in the dark, were liable to ignite on a warm shelf, 

 and were poisonous to such an extent that children had been killed by 

 using them as playthings. From red phosphorus resulted the safety- 

 match. Many attempts were made to form a paste with red phos- 

 phorus and chlorate of potash without success, and finally the paste 

 and phospliorus were separated. The heads now consist of a pasty 

 mass composed mainly of sulphuret of antimony and chlorate of pot- 

 ash. The red phosphorus, mixed with very fine sand or other sub- 

 stance, is glued to the box in which the matches are contained. It is 

 impossible to light such matches by friction upon any common rough 

 surface, though they at once burst into flame when rubbed upon the 

 phosphorus composition on the box. They can sometimes be lighted 



