Acetylene Generator
notes: label: Description
content: Acetylene is a simple hydrocarbon that was discovered in 1826 by the Irish chemist, Edmund Davy, and later named by the French chemist, Marcellin Berthellot. In time it would be widely used for heating and lighting purposes. The brass tag on one side of this acetylene gas generator reads “MADE BY / R. E. DIETZ COMPANY / NEW YORK, U.S.A.” This example probably belonged to William J. Hammer, an early American electrical engineer.
label: Description
content: Robert Edwin Dietz (1818-1897) was a New York entrepreneur who purchased a lamp and oil business in 1840; formed Dietz Brother & Co. in 1840; and formed the R. E. Dietz Co. in 1869.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Chemistry
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of IBM
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CH.320558.231
label: catalog number
content: 320558.231
label: accession number
content: 241402
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Acetylene Generator
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 15.8 cm x 10.8 cm x 22.8 cm; 6 1/4 in x 4 1/4 in x 9 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 1/8 in x 6 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in; 23.1775 cm x 16.51 cm x 11.43 cm