Arizona silver belt., 1888-01-21
LANTERNS AND LAMPS.
From the Anclents' Torches to sire Durn-
 CTS of Modern Days.

From the AncientS' Torches to tiIe Burn
 CTS of Modern Days.
 Lanterns arc an ancient institution You remember that Diogenes used one il his eccentric efforts to discover something he did not believe in. The lanterns of tho Greeks and Romans contained an oil lamp Its sides were made of thin layers of horn, waxed parchment, linen or bladder. Glass lanterns were used in England as early as 7O5. They were expensive. however, and 1000 years later the tin lantern was chiefly in use among the poor people. The Chinese excel in the manufacture O lanterns. They have used them for ages. Some of their mandarins have them built at a cost of thousands of dollars each. The word built is not out of place here, for these lanterns arc twenty to thirty feet high and contain hundreds of candles. Their sides are often of rich colored silk. On Jan. 15 of each year they celebrate the ''feast of the lanterns. :, Why? Oh, it's a way they have-they are heathens, you know.
 No; candles are not the most primitive form of ligi eIn Homer's time torches wcro3nsea, sa1 in the palaces of the wealthy. lights, early in use, were rushes dipsss grease, pitch or wax. Lamp comes from a Greek word-lam- pas. The candles of Scripture are sup posed to have been lamps in which olive oil was burned. The earliest lamps were shallow vessels of terra cotta, either round or oblong in shape. There was a small opening in the topin which the oil was poured; at the side was a handle, and opposite, a nozzle through which the wick protruded. This form of lamp is often represented in pictures. Many of them were ornamented with representa- tions of war scenes and chariot races Bronze lamps and golden lamps have been discovered of such beauty as to en- fitle them to rank among the choicest specimens of ancient arts. In the acrop- olis at Athens, according to historian, was a golden lamp, large enough so that when filled it would burn night and day for year. Above it was bronze palm tree to carry off its fumes and act as a reflector. That was the kind of lamp to have.
 Speaking of primitive lamps, some are still to be found in the country districts. ''While in West Virginia recently, said a travelling man, T saw one that was primitive enough. 4 saucer was filled with grease, and over the edge of it hung a lighted wick. It spluttered some, but made enough Eight to render the darkness visible, and its heat was suffi- cient to light the pipes of the family. It was more used for that purpose than any other, it appeared to me, though it was the only light in the house. There are many people in the mountain regions whose only lights are tallow dips.
 A form of the ancient Greek lamp is still in use among the Canadian French. In the remote districts of the land the cTuisic, similar lamp, is sometimes found. Olive oil, ground nut oil, poppy oil or other vegetable oils are used in various districts of the world. In the tropical regions cocoanut oil is used in lamps. The trade of candle making, usu- ally combined with that of soap boiling, was once an important one. Franklin worked at it until he ran away. The chandler made wicfsS, moided and dipped his candles until driven out of business by the general adoption of whale oil as an illuminant early in the present cen tury.
 Improved lamps were introduced about a century ago. A Frenchman named Argand, in 17S4, invented a burner with two concentric tubes, the inner one open for current to pass through and the outer one containing the wick. He had a metal chimney to make it draw and carry of the srVoke. Somebody soon found out that glass chimney was bet ter for that purpose. Argand's lamp, variously modified and improved, is the parent of all the best modern lamps.
 Various substitutes for whale oil were tried during the present century, but none came into general use until coal oil was introduced. It was first made from camel coal, and that is the way it got its name. The general development of the petroleum region in Pennsylvania, which began in 1859-6O, soon destroyed the manufacture of coal oil, just as it was getting to be profitable industry. Many Improvements in lamps followed this dis covery. But petroleum Is not a new thing neither is natural gas. Oil was found in a spring on Zacyuthus or Zant, one of the Ionian islands, 2,000 years ago, and was burned in lamps in Sicily at an early age. It was known to the In- dlans and to the western pioneers of | America, but somebody had to discover how to get it in quantities and use it be- fore the knowledge became of value to l the world.-Pittsburg Dispatch.