PHOSPHORUS  AND  MATCH  MANUFACTURES. 
151 
In  England  the  splints  are  square  in  form,  and  produced  as 
above ;  but  in  Germany  they  are  cylindrical,  and  are  prepared 
in  this  shape  by  placing  the  small  block  of  wood  with  the  ends  of 
its  fibres  downwards  upon  a  strong  plate  of  steel  of  larger  surface 
perforated  over  the  greater  part  of  its  surface  with  holes  of  the 
size  of  the  splint,  countersunk  at  their  entrances  to  form  cut- 
ting edges,  and  as  close  together  as  possible.  Great  pressure 
being  now  applied  to  the  upper  end  of  the  block,  it  is  forced 
through  all  the  holes,  and  reappears  on  the  lower  side  of  the 
steel  plate  in  the  form  of  a  heap  of  cylindrical  splints. 
Returning  to  the  English  splints  :  they  are  collected  as  they  are 
cut,  and  measured  into  bundles  of  six  dozen  each  by  a  man  who 
seizes  a  number  of  them  in  his  hands  from  the  loose  and  irregu- 
lar heap,  and  by  dexterous  jerking,  knocking,  and  shaking,  ar- 
ranges them  parallel  to  each  other,  then  places  them  in  a  short 
open  gutter  or  cradle,  across  which  he  has  previously  thrown  a 
piece  of  string,  and  when  the  measure  is  full  to  the  level  of  its 
edges  he  ties  up  the  bundle,  throws  it  aside,  and  proceeds  with 
another  with  equal  rapidity.  The  bundles  are  then  perfectly 
dried  by  exposure  for  several  hours  in  a  heated  oven. 
The  bundles  of  splints  are  next  coated  at  both  ends  with 
sulphur.  A  quantity  of  brimstone  is  melted  in  an  iron ,  pot, 
and  one  end  of  a  bundle  being  quite  scorched  by  contact  with  a 
red-hot  plate  is  immersed  into  the  melted  sulphur  to  the  re- 
quisite depth;  then  repeatedly  swung  in  the  air,  to  throw  off  the 
superfluous  sulphur,  and  rolled  violently  upon  its  axis  and 
beaten,  to  prevent  the  splints  adhering  together  in  one  mass  as 
the  sulphur  hardens.  The  other  end  is  then  similarly  treated. 
In  some  cases  the  ends  of  the  splints  are  saturated  with  wax 
instead  of  sulphur  in  a  similar  manner. 
A  child  now  arranges  the  splints  in  a  number  of  successive 
rows,  one  above  another,  in  a  frame,  each  splint  separate  from 
the  others,  in  the  following  manner  : — -He  takes  a  narrow, 
wooden  frame  composed  of  three  fixed  pieces,  a  narrow  bottom 
cross  piece  about  sixteen  inches  long  and  two  inches  wide,  with 
two  vertical  pegs  about  eight  inches  high,  one  at  each  end ;  and 
has  by  his  side  about  two  dozen  loose  strips  of  wood  of  similar 
length  and  width  to  the  bottom  piece,  and  with  holes  or  notches 
at  their  ends  to  receive  the  upright  pegs ;  each  of  these  strips 
