Miner's Safety Lamp

Description:

This flame safety lamp was manufactured in the mid-1800's by the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The lamp is called a safety lamp because it can be used safely in the presence of flammable gas. In 1815, inventor Sir Humphry Davy discovered that surrounding the flame with a fine wire gauze would cool the flame to such an extent that it could not ignite the gas surrounding the lamp. In 1813 William Clanny’s safety lamp innovation was the use of glass to surround the flame, and later safety lamps often feature both wire gauze and a glass globe at the lamps bottom.

See more items in: Work and Industry: Mining, Mining Lamps, Work, Industry & Manufacturing, Grant Wheat Collection

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Related Publication: Pohs, Henry A.. Early Underground Lamps

Credit Line: Mary R. Wheat

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: AG.MHI-MN-8125Accession Number: 239148Catalog Number: MHI-MN-8125

Object Name: lamp, safety, mining

Measurements: overall: 10 1/2 in; 26.67 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-cbe8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_872678

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