Show 1 Inventor of Wooden Match fai fcc 1 I I Im Eventful n LUe I and d Mysterious st D of John 5 Hucks 5 fe fc 3 s m mII l i II ii ri Li n rin nn it nn ri rr n r ri n ii i There Ther Is la fairly accurate data regard regarding regarding ing the earlier attempts at match matchmaking matchmaking making Who the first person was that actually Invented the wooden splint match however Is a Ii matter of oC controversy Apparently like the thc tele telegraph telegraph telegraph graph this discovery was made mado simul simultaneously simultaneously in at least three thre parts puta ot of the world Hut But there Is no doubt that John lucks Hucks Stevens was the first Oret of Oftie tie the race to put Into practical use this thought wave wao Late Lato In tho the twenties or early In the thirties he ho Invented the tha composition which when applied d to the this wooden splints could rould ignite It Iti and anti his hili splint lUnt match matcha soon BOOB a superseded the cardboard or pull hull pulling ing int In match It H was his snatch match then hell manufactured only In England though used d on both sides of or the ocean O Which nicknamed the Democratic party patty In 35 Mr Mc Stevens was wall always eccentric and cared nothing whatever for the Iho financial returns from any an of his hIP dis discoveries He lie was an alt excellent chew chem chemist eh rn let 1st a IL somewhat exclusive profession lon In its those days but having once solved any point which had haUled him he lost Ion all 1111 Interest in the invention In Inquiry Inquiry at the tho patent office many years ears ago elicited from tram I the thc clerk this re reo morn mark That man must have been a perpetual ual motion crank cronk There are models of ot dozens of at things which he invented and allowed others to lo patent because ho he the business faculty We who wIse knew this the old gentleman smiled for perpetual had been among the mysteries of ot which ho he sought the solution Then wo wu so accorn accompanied the lie clerk through the central aisle until he stopped before a 1 glass case containing sonic of ot Mr Stevens Steven Inventions an Improved cotton gin Hin being the thc only one which I now recall His match was probably patented soon toon after atter became he came to the United States Stales he being the first to manufacture wooden matches In this country but at that time line patents were not num nuin numbered numbered bored and arc are to lo look up Lat Lit Later Later er or he lie snide made several Improvements of ot which three thee are ore recorded November r IG 16 1839 Their entries now No preserving matches from Crom accidental friction during manu manufacture facture No 1413 matter malter for tor friction matches No latch for retaining Ore lire So little did he lie care for tor fame tam that he frequently allowed his paid workmen who WilD merely merel carried out the suggestions sU of drawings which ha hI furnished to patent machines etc lie He was an able ableman ableman man but not a schemer Ithemer and was con constantly constantly victimized In business Like his hili friend Horace he was Willi easily duped and he lie permitted t others to nicks make fortunes which were rightfully his though he was always in comfort comfortable comfortable able circumstances Of or his personal per life lito his friends know I but little lie He was war born In tn Harwich Essex Enu England Ell gland June J ne 15 25 5 From boyhood he ho seems to have hae lived lIed within himself spending his hIe time tune In day 1111 daydreams dreams relieved by J sudden ludden spells spoIlt of energetic experiment which only ceased when he had mastered his puzzle puzzie zie or become convinced that bat he wise was following the wrong path pathIn pathIn pathIn In one of or his hits many trips abroad he ht hemet hemet met Harriet 11 it English girl trl irh whose childhood had been ln lne spent e t In I Belgium I Holland France ance sal and surn suen as ns nun nan to appeal to her fathers rs fancy fame Mr tr Stevens roused from his hi reveries long enough to fall all deeply In tn love lov 10 and HR as the liking was sas reciprocated the young fOunte people were vere soon oon after Arter married at it the English In The Hague Holland after which they tho returned to the thc th family home nt at Harwich Despite the fact tact that all the thc St Steven v n family 1011 have ha 0 beets been rovers covers th they y h lia ha fo been represented 1 In this thU quaint little seaport for Cor nearly two to Tra Tradition points to Henri Estienne scion clon of oC a noble family of ot Province e who ho early In the sixteenth nth century wt tab b ll hed A publishing firm Orm firm In Paris as tho ho founder flunder tAre race Just when the family era crossed the th rh If It this thi is it lit its source noun IOU l t its not knon but certain It U IB Is that the th of the tho later generations who 00 h ban e n not t been jeen een chemists and an inventors have been ln In iii rr tome settle sOle way a ay associated with wih he the rho fourth estate and Ind till nil ni have 1 been bD In ln with the mania for tor travel c did di not nt counteract this In tn Innate nate tendency In John st n nto to po early In JC 26 he let his hil brothers brother 1 rt h Ka Rd Edward ward wreS ery and William have the n lh lhand h hand and European rights to his hl march malch maid while he hI came ole en on to N New w York cit cl where he ho soon toon on established a factor for fr r r mau wiloh h J Jn In hi n Use uie mai In the United States Statu bad had not net been ben ma her hem I Ills His Hs sons eons talk lalk of or the sport they had In tie 10 above tho the fac fae factory a tory n place In iii which ho hio frequently lucked locked in later years jears ears when hen they IL had Fortunately workmen I always remembered lo to 0 bring the boys bOd food while In iii durance for eM their father PI utterly forgot tor got them when he returned to his laboratory and has lIas been known S Snut nut not to think to release them for tor a week nl I Ae As to the lads they the enjoyed this en enforced t forced torce retirement pausing their time In m 05 converting wooden boxes bo in which 3 t matches were Wee ere then sold into sleds O these thle were then lowered from the win window window window dow by b strings and exchanged for N goodies that admiring children at attached m ln their stead U When the became convinced that the millennium was nt at hand Mr Mi I r Steven was one of oC the thc early adherent to tu that peculiar faith and thenceforth was n a vegetarian Iris His Hs ensuing en fifteen years were vere happy ones but this peaceful period came cane tu to tuan I Ian an nn abrupt end with the death of at his hi wife In uS La 6 It I Is ie probable that his mind ins somewhat ol affected by Ms lilt Ill grief tu bt 1 il that lint time flaw as an coon toan thereafter he re cc returned turned to It his hil old roving habIts habile seem seemIng r rIng Ing lag not nol lo to realize his responsibility to toward toward toward ward tut hs motherless children but buc calmly leaving l the this younger On ont ono In this the t Lu care came cne of oC the Ile tie oldest ol t son Ion wits why was isas WIS not nt yet et of oC HBO age Occasionally In Il after years eaf h lit 1 maKE unannounced visits to 10 thu Iho children blay htay ta for Cor varying lengths oC of o time lime und and leave leie as I ly as he lie came cama Then would follow letters nt cit lur lar couched In quaint phraseology and ml written In irs flowing characters f whose delicate tracery tracer l lvery I Is very ve even een but not readily deciphered Ta by b those more familiar with the com coin commercial inertial mercial penmanship of o today While visiting vili tin a son In iii Ohio early earl In Inthe Inthe the lie eighties he opened B a trunk filled fied Ii with sith legal papers paper which he h assured hId h listener 1 ncr were pre destined to make all al the lie family wealthy after uter his death add dd p plair Ing lair IngI ct I dislike business but hut It Il Is a pleas pleasure ure to know kno that I have havo amassed wealth m for my m children Remember this thill If It I It ii never t Ver see ceo pet you again I expect to die dl In California which I like better belter beter than any a till tr F place I ever eor vIsited liv He lie lt first wont WIt to Son San Sn Francisco l about ha ba bathe the time of ot the civil war warNot e elot Not lot long long afterward he lie returned to thu D net netland l lland land of ot gold frosts from tro which he wrote but n ed gaVe save meager accounts of oC what he was wai a actually doing doln or his plans plan In 83 3 ono one on of or the thc sons stifle saw a notice of his death B BIn hei I In a Philadelphia paper lisper per and anI started with wills wih his hi family for the Quaker City for tor forthe forthe t the purpose e of oC seeing his fathers Cathers grave gravo anti and listening to the account of or his last la t 9 B I moments In New York City they stopped over to enable the grandchild grandchildren TJ TI TIcen ren cen to lo see sec places associated with his t memory While they the were erI walking d down Broadway he hie son turned toward on one lnE who had hind bee i the th inventors favor tavor favorIto W lie Ito Il granddaughter and nd said fold Si Did you ou notice the old uld gentleman who Just passed panel Dont forget that lint face I It If pa were not hot t deal dead r I would speak to te him the resemblance l II is i so striking die The grandchild looked back and was WI R er surprised to see nee Il that the tho stranger was wai want cc c also nt o Intently Intent watching having stood ti t d still UI to An In no so Friend or stranger ho It w was n of oC attention Of Ot medium height firmly knit frame and with tho the ho appearance f of oC perfect health so un l I In those thoe thO who ho have hac passed their nN al 01 he lie three s wo and ten complexion It ra ni fresh as 8 a girls yet et with wl h the delicacy Ie I of on nn ascetic n tei thawing flowing hair and arid silky lx beard fard ard white as the tho ho driven snow the tho theman m man n was Wa not riot one on who could coull be b seen een an 0 forgotten 11 h A few fes fe hours hour later the travelers S I reached Philadelphia only onh to lo be 0 met with wih the assurance that the death Math no tire the was WA a mistake mI Though the folk talk In irs InI I th tl the house from which the paper ia r had hod sid Mid he was u burled buried bule admitted that John Hucks had been ill there they the 0 maintained thirst he had hod recover recovered and left Iff th the city It There w WA was i no record of ot othIs 1 h hIs demlo at the hi morgue montu The editor not of he the paper In which hl h the article heal had I appeared was 1 unable to Identify I nu the thc I writer Th The hail had contained an nn accurate outline nt oC St Mr rr Stevens life le and am evidently had hlo Jon been n written ten by b one welt well 11 acquaInted acquaint wih th tl the Inventors r in Hie Yet detectives s never ner unraveled the mst Did Dk tx be die ll as I stated In the thc th article ant ami nn was 1 buried under a false name nm while or orm nt M d person WI kept kent silent for tor forthe the In nak kf of the contents of the trunk he lie hew hI Tai w Sn carefully Or was wa he lie 11 the a gentleman 1 who so M keenly looked lok I at nt hl his niL niLsen sen n then n a 1 the th w WR way v to hl his fathers e crave graie as A h he f supposed f d Probably no nn noun hi uric one un J will know kno this side Idl of ot the thc th hereafter hot 1 Wh re he may be few remember ber bei r the man insa who ho pave gave RI us our wooden he regarded as u the least leat Important of oC his hil many ma discoveries lilt though It U ii I the only one not nt r i Yet ret superseded by b later Ite Inventions rt BUre i Abbath In Lot Los Li Angels S fc gi In as asA C A ji |