Toronto, Ontario (CAN) & Davenport, Iowa (USA)
Patented in 1887, the Foley & Ruse pellet match ignition system was a collaborative design between James Samuel Foley and Joseph Ruse. An unusual pyrophoric partnership, Foley was an engineer from Chicago and Ruse a musician from Canada according to research by Denis Alsford and Edward Wright. A condensed version of their 1999 research paper is included below. Variations of this device were manufactured in Ontario and Iowa. The Foley & Ruse system is very similar to the Perry & Co. pellet match system produced in England. (EB)