Carbide Lamp and Refill
Production date
Circa 1919
Country
USA
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Object detail
Description
Brass lamp with handle on back of top section for hooking onto helmet. Hinged lid on upper back of lamp opens up to tank where water is poured in. The bottom chamber is for the calcium carbide rock. Shaking the lamp activates the gas which comes out of the jet in the centre of the reflector. The striker is on the edge of the reflector for ignition of the gas jet which produces light. Handle on top is the release valve, which has a series of notches for adjusting gas levels. The refill would have contained further calcium carbide rock.
Classification
MINING Personal Gear miner's lamp
Production date
Circa 1919
Production place
Measurements
Carbide Lamp: L85 x W65 x H105 mm
Refill: L50 x W52 x H58 mm
Refill: L50 x W52 x H58 mm
Media/Materials description
Brass
Signature/Marks
JUSTRITE \ PAT. DEC. 17. 1901 \ PAT MAY 7 1912 \ PAT. OCT 28. 1913 \ OTHERS PENDING
DEC 3019 \ MADE \ IN \ USA \ PATENTED
DEC 3019 \ MADE \ IN \ USA \ PATENTED
DEC 3019 \ MADE \ IN \ USA \ PATENTED
DEC 3019 \ MADE \ IN \ USA \ PATENTED
History and use
Miners used this carbide lamp at the Mount Mulligan mine in the years close after the 1921 explosion that left 75 people dead. Flammable gas had rarely been encountered in the Mount Mulligan mine and there were great advantages to using the carbide lamp.
Producing a white light and heat when calcium carbide reacts with water to produce an acetylene gas flame, the lamp has an open flame, which would have been potentially hazardous in a coalmine. The bright light produced was preferred by miners because it gave much improved vision compared to the dim gauze covered safety lamp.
Uploaded to the Web 27 May 2011.
Producing a white light and heat when calcium carbide reacts with water to produce an acetylene gas flame, the lamp has an open flame, which would have been potentially hazardous in a coalmine. The bright light produced was preferred by miners because it gave much improved vision compared to the dim gauze covered safety lamp.
Uploaded to the Web 27 May 2011.
Registration number
H268