Mining Lights and Hats -- Oil-Wick Cap Lamps
Oil-Wick Cap Lamps
 Oil-Wick Cap Lamp with Drip Ring |
The oil-wick lamp first came into use in Scotland around 1850, and remained in use until the 1920’s. Before oil-wick lamps were popularized, candles were the main source of illumination in the mine. The candles were set into spiked metal candle holders, and either hammered into the framing timbers or precariously attached to a miner’s hat. The design of oil-wick cap lamps were simple and consistent, an appropriation of the teapot style of lamps available at the time.
The lamps were usually made of brass, with a hinged lid over the font and a hook on the back to mount the lamp on a miner’s cap. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, which would be pulled through the wick to the top of the spout, where the lamp would be lit. Miner’s would use the cheapest type of fuel they could get their hands on, often using lard oil cut with kerosene that gave off an extremely smoky flame, irritating the miner’s eyes and leaving his face coated with soot. The collection of oil-wick lamps shows a variety of attachments that were made to the spout. A drip ring could be added to catch any oil falling from the wick, and a reflector could be attached in and attempt to direct the light to the miner’s work surface.
 Miner's wearing Oil-Wick Lamps, Consolidated Coal Co. No. 204, Jenkins, KY July 19, 1912 |
The oil-wick cap lamp held a variety of advantages over candles—the light burned brighter, lasted longer, and was easier to carry and wear. But the oil-wick cap lamp also had several drawbacks. The flame, while brighter than a candle’s, was much smokier, and the open flame of the oil-wick lamp could ignite the flammable gasses in mines resulting in deadly explosions. The threat of explosions prompted the development on the safety lamp for use in potentially combustible mines, and the invention of the carbide lamp generally phased out the use oil-wick lamps by the 1920s.
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick lamp was made by an unknown maker during the 19th century. The oil-wick lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and remained in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting light was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. This oil-wick lamp has a long hollow handle with twine in the interior, lacking the hook that would allow lamps like this to have been worn on a miner’s cap.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8811
- accession number
- 265669
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8811
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Spiked Mining Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This open oil-wick lamp was manufactured around the early 20th century by an unknown maker. The lamp’s font would be filled with fuel, a wick inserted into the top, and the spike driven into a timber to provide convenient lighting.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8823
- accession number
- 258906
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8823
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The tag calls this a “boss lamp,” and the hook on this lamp is larger than most, and was likely used to hold the lamp rather than hook it onto a cap.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9403
- accession number
- 272148
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9403
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Mining Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. This lamp has a handle, meaning it was carried rather than worn. The screw top has a chain connected to the handle to prevent it from being lost.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9774B
- accession number
- 304880
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9774B
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Mining Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MT-310686
- accession number
- 125257
- catalog number
- MHI-MT-310686
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William Pratt of Baltimore, Maryland that received patent number 18704 on November 24, 1857. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. This lamp has a handle rather than a hook, indicating it was meant to be held rather than worn on a cap.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9735
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9735
- accession number
- 88881
- patent number
- 018704
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Miner's Cap Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This lamp is an oil-wick cap lamp. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and remained in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting light was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap, or hooked onto any other suitable location.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- AG.289440
- catalog number
- 289440
- accession number
- 059128
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William C. Winfield of Hubbard, Ohio that received patent number 115,143 on May 23, 1871. Winfield’s claim in the patent filing is a miner's lamp with “a new article of manufacture, viz., a miner's lamp, provided with a screw-cap constructed, arranged, and operating with relation to the body of the lamp.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- patent date
- 1871-05-23
- patentee
- Winfield, William C.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9737
- accession number
- 088881
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9737
- patent number
- 115143
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by Henry F. Pearce of Hyde Park, Pennsylvania that received patent number 258,803 on May 30, 1882. Pearce claimed as his invention “a cap for a miner's lamp having a lining arranged to form a space and having the annularly-located perforations, whereby none of the perforations in the lining directly communicate with the vent in the cap” to prevent the escape of the oil through the vent and the closing of the vent by the gumming of oil or sediment.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- patent date
- 1882-05-30
- patentee
- Pearce, Henry F.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9746
- accession number
- 088881
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9746
- patent number
- 258802
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by Josiah J. Weinel of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, that received patent number 188,703 on March 20, 1877. Weinel claimed as his invention “a miner's lamp with an inner spout that has a thread for securing itself in the spout, with perforations for supplying air to the burner and returning oil to the font.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- patent date
- 1877-03-20
- patentee
- Weinel, Josiah J.
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-9749
- accession number
- 088881
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-9749
- patent number
- 188705
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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