The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-11-30

rush soaked in melted fat. In Mon
golia and India a mass of grease was
burned on the end of a splint or
stick. By thes steps it is seen that
man was beginning to apply his in
genuity, after having found that
lights could be had, and to realize
their value. In England plan was
evolved whereby cord saturated
with wax or fat was coiled about a
vertical stick, which also supported
an iron holder for the end of the
wick-like cord. Dipped candles with
a cotton wick soon put in their ap-
pearance in the United States. fol-
lowed by moulded candles. Some
recent examples of moulded candles
of stearine, paraffin and wax are
shown in the museum collections, a
number of them artistical!y decorat-
ed.
Unlike the perishable early cam
dies and torches, lamps o. many
forms have arrived for our archeolo-
gist to study, indicating that their
development dates back to the time
when our ancestors began to use oil
instead of fat or grease and wax.
The first samples shown in the mu-
scum are of stone. One from the
Aleut shell heaps appears to be an
unworked beach stone, with a slight
natural concavity, in which the oil
was placed, the wick resting along
the edge. Another is Eskimauan,
and consists of a followed beach
stone, which had a moss wick on one
edge. These were superseded by
simple lamps made of shells, or ter
ra Gotta, some of the latter having
their reservoirs covered and special
cutters for wicks. Next came the
bronze lamp, followed by iron and
brass lamps from Italy, with two or
more wicks, some of them mounted
on rods and standards, and equipped
with several instrument for trim
ming the wicks. The discovery of
petroleum gave rise to numerous in
ventions of chimneys, burners and
wicks, so that during the year 1870
the United States was probably the
hest illuminated country in the
world.
Coal gas illumination was evolved
between 1792-1S02, but it was not
until about 1884 that it was brought
to high state of efficiency by the
Welsbach mantle, and further de-
veloped by the inverted burner and
the use of pressure gas.
In the age of electrical illumina-
tion, the first light was an arc made
by Sir Humphry Davy between 1901
1908, but electric lights were not
employed in this country until much
later The open arc was supplement-
ed, in 1898, by the enclosed arc, and
later. The open arc was supplement-
trodes. The brilliant fame arc was
an invention of Bremen in 1S98-1899,
and in the meantime mercury-va-
por lamp was introduced in 1892,
followed by several other types, in
Guiding the Cooper-Hewitt light, still
in vogue
The first practical incandescent
lamp was the carbon filament lamp
brought out by Edison in 1S7S-1S79,
although a platinum filament lamp
was experimental with much earlier.
Filaments of osmium, tantalum, he
lion and other metals were intro
duced, but none of them equalled the
efficiency of tungsten, invented in
1898, and perfected in 1912. Many
other lamps were made during these
years, among them the Nernst. One
of the latest improvements, effected
by introducing nitrogen into the bulb,
is known as the Mazda gas lamp,
which is made in very large sizes,
and has become an efficient COM
petitor of the arc light.
Nearly every year has brought out
a better, and at the same time, a
cheaper, form of light. Nobody
knows when experiments in electrical
illumination will be terminated, or
when some unknown form Of light
may be brought into use. The mu-
scum chronological exhibit goes as far
as the simple carbon filament light,
but in the division of mechanical
technology, in the other building,
there are many interesting examples
of early electric lamps and lighting