"Hanging Betty" Miner's Tunnel Lamp

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Description (Brief):

This miner’s tunnel lamp was known as a hanging Betty. The hanging Betty was used in the early 19th century, and was an improvement on the hanging open lamp. A wick holder was added to channel the wick drippings back into the bowl, and an oil cover was added to confine heat, decrease smoke, and make the oil burn more efficiently. German immigrants living in Pennsylvania called this kind of lamp “besser” meaning better, which produced the nickname Betty.

Location: Currently not on view

See more items in: Work and Industry: Mining, Mining Lamps, Work, Industry & Manufacturing, Natural Resources

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Mine Safety Appliances Company

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: AG.MHI-MN-7939Accession Number: 240639Catalog Number: MHI-MN-7939

Object Name: lamp, oil, handmining lamp

Measurements: overall: 20 in x 5 in x 5 in; 50.8 cm x 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm

Metadata Usage: CC0

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-e0cf-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_872099

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