Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bickford fuse \Bick"ford fuse\ or fuze \fuze\, or Bickford match
\Bickford match\
   A fuse used in blasting, consisting of a long cylinder of
   explosive material inclosed in a varnished wrapping of rope
   or hose. It burns from 2 to 4 feet a minute.