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Download Download NOTES ON FIRE-PRODUCING MACHINES. BY J. BOMILLY ALLEN, F.S.A. SCOT. It is intended in the following paper to describe and classify the machines used by man, at various periods of his history, for producing fire. Classification f Fire-machines.—o The method f kindlino s g fire afresh, as at present known, may be divided into four classes, namely, (1) Mechanical; (2) Optical; (3) Chemical; (4) Electrical. mechanicae Th l method agaiy subdividee sma n b d int) Frictions](a o , (6) Percussive, (c) Compressive. Process of Fire-kindling.—Whatever be the means employed, the pro- cess of fire-kindling is always a triple one, consisting of the following operations:—(1) Creating a spark of fire artificially; (2) Catching the spark thus obtaine tindern di ) Bettin(3 ; g fir somo t e e easily inflammable substance wit smoulderine hth g tinder. In the case of the lucifer match these three actions are combined into one; and hence its superiority over the older and moro lengthy methods. Tinder.—As the use of tinder is involved in nearly all of the fire- kindling processe wordw fe n o sa s y whics welsa a o e t lb h y folloma t wi subjece th t before proceeding further. Tindesubstancy an s ri e whicn ho applicatioe th spara f nf o firk o e smoulders t doet burs bu ,t int no s ou to fliune. 230 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 12, 1880. Burnt linen rags were formerly used for the purpose in this country. followine Th g substances, however equallo d , y well, viz., Amadou r Gero - man tinder. Touchpaper or porous paper which has been dipped in a solutio f saltpetreno afterwardd an , s dried. Touchwoo r woodo d y tissue in a certain stage of decay,—shreds of frayed wood,—fragments of pith, fibres of cotton, dry moss, &c, Amongst the flora of the Swiss Lake-dwellings found at Eobenhausen e commoth s wa n tinder fungus (Polyporus igniarius).1 The Iroquois Indians of North America use a species of fungus which grows on the maple, or when this cannot be obtained a fungus of inferior quality birch.e founth n do 2 " The Australians obtain fire by rubbing two bits of wood. In damp weather great car takes ei preveno nt e firth et going out thir fo ;s reason they often carr a ycon f Barikeia,o e which burns slowly like Amadou,"3 • Mechanical Methods f producingo Fire.—The mechanical methodr sfo producing fire are based upon the fact that whenever motion is apparently destroyed by friction or otherwise, it is in reality simply transformed into hea r energo t n anotheyi r shape. This transformatio worf o n k into heat takes place when two substances are either rubbed or struck against each other, or when an elastic body such as air is suddenly compressed. Hence the division of the mechanical methods of producing fire into the three classes before mentioned, namely, (1) Frictional, (2) Percussive, (3) Compressive. Frictional Methods.—The frictional method of producing fire consists rubbinn i o substancegtw s together until sufficient hea generates i t o dt cause a spark. The substance universally used for the purpose is dry soft wood suc deas ha r cedaro l . e operatioTh f rubbinno pieceo gtw f wooso d togethe r fire-makinfo r s gi performed in several different ways, either by a reciprocating up and down 1 Flint Chips . 162p , . 2 Wilson's "Prehistoric Man," vol. i. p. 132. 3 Lubbock's " Prehistoric Man," vol. i. p. 194. NOTE FIRE-PRODUCINN SO 1 G23 MACHINES. movement or by a rotary motion. The various forms of apparatus used amongst savage describede b s wilw no l . Sticlt d Groovean Machine.— e simplesth One f o t fire machines involv- d dowan np u movemen inn ga whas i tr TyloD t r term "e stick-aridth s - groove. t "consist I parts 1o tw lonf a , so g flat piec a blunf woo eo d dan t pointed sticke formeTh .s placee groun i r th kepd n do d an t firm whilst the latter is held with both hands in a slanting position and rubbed violently backwards and forwards in a groove which it soon forms for itself in the lower piece, a downward pressure being kept up the whole time. The actio s likni e workmaa tha f o t n sharpenin a gchisea n o l stone. The heat thus developed soon chars the lower wood and creates sparks, whic e caughhar e usuatinden i tth n li rwayr DarwiD . n says that the very light wood of the Hibiscus iiliaceus was alone used for this purpos n Tahitii e . A. native would produce fire w witfe a h .in i t seconds e himselh ; f foun t i verd y hard t lengtworka t bu h, succeeded. This stic groovd kan e proces bees sha n repeatedly describe Soute th n hdi Sea Islands, namely in Tahiti, New Zealand, the Sandwich, Tonga, Samoa, Eadacd an neved k ha groups re h foun t bu t ;di distinctl y mentionet dou of this region of the world.2 Looked on from a purely mechanical point of view, the " stick and groove " is simply, a reciprocating or up and down motion in a straight line, like that of a jack-plane or hand saw, and it does not appear that any improved form was introduced subsequently as in the case of the fire- machines involvin grotara y movement. It is said that fire can be produced by sawing one piece of wood across another. The Eev. Dr M'Lauchlansays that his father saw "tin-egin" or need-fire produced in this way in the Highlands of Scotland. A Low- German boo f 1593-speakko e "nodfiire'th f o s " that theyf saweo t ou d wood.3 : Fire Drills.—Fire-machines worked by a rotary motion are called " fire- 1 Tylor's " Early Histor Mankind,f yo . 237"p . - Ibid., p. 237 ; Darwin in Narr., vol. iii. p. 438. " Tylor's " Early Histor Mankind,f yo . 258"p . 2 23 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 12, 1880. drills," because corresponding to each variety is an identical apparatus used for boring holes. Whether the drill was first invented for making fire and afterwards applied to boring processes, or vice versa, can never be deter- mined. However e firth ,e drilearliese th probabls i l f o t e machineyon s n whici h rotary motio s employednwa , an s graduadit l improvemend le t up to the simpler forms of turning lathes, from which the modern lathe was finally developed. Hand Twirling.—The simplest kin firf do e dril thas i l t whic s rotatehi d by means of simple hand twirling. The machine consists of two parts—a round blunt pointed twirling stick eigh r nino t e inches a flalong d t an , piec f woodeo . lattee Th places groune ri th held n do d an d firm wit feee r kneeshth o t . twirline Th g stic s theki n held upright betwee handse palme th nth f so , wit s blunit h t lowe d restin en rsligha n gi t hollow ine fla.th t piecf o e wood beneath. A rapid rotary motion backwards and forwards is then imparted to the twirling stick with the palms, often shifting the hands d theupan n moving them down upoo increast t ,ss i n a o verticae th e l pressure, as much as possible. If the wood is dry sparks can be n workinma produce e gon alona y couplb dn i ef minutes o ef i t bu ; e wooth s eithei d r dam r otherwiso p ee difficular n o kindlt me t o tw e required to work together, one beginning to twirl at the upper end e stickoth f , whe s companionhi n s have nearly reache bottome dth d an , so on until fire comes. The process of hand twirling for producing fire s thi e most widel e knowth y l spreaal n f methodso ds founi d dan , in every quarter of the globe. Captain Cook thus describes the use e firoth ef drill amongs e nativeth t n Australiai s : " They produce fire with great facility and spread it in a wonderful manner. To pro- duce it they take two pieces of dry soft wood : one is a stick about • inche9 r o s8 long e otheth , r piec s flati e stic th :k they shape into an obtuse point at one end, and pressing it upon the other, turn it nimbl y holdinb y t gi betwee n both theia chocolat o rd handse w e s a , mill, often shifting their hands up, and then moving them down upon it, to increase the pressure as much as possible. By this method NOTES ON FIRE-PBODUCTNG MACHINES. 233 the t fir lesyn ge i e s thaminuteso tw n d fro e smallesan ,m th t spark they increas t witei h great spee dexterity."d dan 1 r PauM l Kane thus describe procese sth s employe Chinooke th y db n so the Columbia River : "The fire is obtained by means of a flat piece of dry cedar, in which a hollow is cut with, a channel for the ignited charcoal to run over. This piece the Indian sits on to hold it steady, while he rapidly twirls roun same sticda th f ek o woo d betwee s handsnhi , wite hth point pressed int e holloe flath oth t verf a piecewo n yI shor.
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