Man has toiled for thousands of years underground to unlock the treasures that mother earth has buried just beyond view. A source of light was of the utmost importance to the miner and many developments evolved through the passage of time.

From the early Roman's with their ceramic clay oil lamps to the electric cap lamp of today's miner, the need to see underground was a necessity. The need to see without creating an explosion was also an important consideration. As a collector of antique mine lighting devices it is my intention to focus primarily on the mid 19th century up through about 1940 when the electric cap lamp became the mainstay for most mining activities.

The most common mine lighting collectibles from this era are miners candlesticks, oil wick lamps, safety lamps and carbide lamps. It is my hope that this article will create an interest in these mining collectibles. Perhaps you will join with many of us in preserving our mining heritage, both in museums and in private collections.

Miners Candlesticks

Most of the western miners favored the candlestick but it was also used in many other locales such as the iron mines in Michigan. The early English miner fashioned lumps of clay to hold a tallow candle to a rock, a ledge, a cap or whatever they could fashion. These early candles smoked and ran and were not well suited to the riggers of mining. Improvements were made and stearic wax candles were born. These were well accepted by the miners. They were of a harder wax and would put out very little smoke, they would withstand high temperatures, and they did not smolder when blown out.

In and around the 1860's western miners fashioned a spike with the end bent to hold a candle. The Comstock area miners are credited for the invention of the candlestick. By 1867 these designs were improved and well accepted in the Comstock Mines of Nevada and the Gold Mines of California. The first candlestick was patented in 1872 and a few years later the hook was added to the early designs. By the 1870's local blacksmiths as well as manufacturers were turning out candlesticks by the hundreds. The candlestick was among the miner's most prized possessions and there were hundreds of styles, shapes and sizes to suit his individual tastes.

From a simple design to mechanical designs, to mining company presentation pieces, the candlestick played an important role in mining. In and around the early 1900's the carbide lamp manufacturers, wanting to wean the miners from their candlesticks, produced candlesticks that would be used to hold a carbide lamp. The miners were a stubborn bunch and traditional candlesticks were used for a number of years after the introduction of carbide lamps. The last known candlestick patent was recorded in 1917.

Oil Wick Lamps

A small wick lamp with a spout resembling a tiny teapot was invented in Scotland in about 1850. These lamps burned lard type oil. They were dangerous with their open flame but saw use for many years. The small "pot" portion of the lamp (about 2 inches tall) held the fuel. A hinged cap sealed over the top and snapped it shut. A long spout of several inches contained the wick and extended up and out from one side of the pot. On the opposite side from the spout was a hook used to attach the lamp to the miner's leather or cloth cap. These little lamps found their way to the US when miners emigrating from the British Isles brought them with them.

A wick was used to bring the fuel from the pot to the tip of the spout where it burned with a very smoky flame. The fuel was usually some type of lard, bacon grease, or tallow compound. It was common for the miner to burn whatever was cheap or on hand. In later years the miners adapted their lamps to burn "sunshine" oil which was a mixture of paraffin wax and mineral oil.

Miners found advantages in the oil wick lamp. They were cheaper and longer burning than tallow candles and the were very light weight. These tiny spout lamps were produced in many sizes by a number of manufacturers in the eastern United States and used primarily in the eastern coal mines. They did find their way west and they were used in the Mt Diablo Coal Fields in Northern California. These "teapot" lamps were phased out much like the candlestick with the advent of carbide lamps for mining use.

Safety Lamps

Many problems were encountered by miners underground. One of the most feared was the buildup of deadly gas, the bad air and resulting explosions that occurred many times at a high cost of life. It had been known for many years that an open flame such as the oil wick lamp or miners candlesticks was extremely dangerous in gaseous mines. In some of the coal mines in Europe, miners had been known to work in total darkness to avoid such risks. Something needed to be designed to provide a source of light without the hazards associated with an open flame.

In the early 1800's several men were addressing this very problem. Dr William Clanney, George Stephenson and Sir Humphrey Davey are each credited with a design component of the safety lamp. Many improvements have followed right up to the present day safety lamp still in use. While oil wick lamps and candlesticks were the miner's choices for illumination the safety lamp could provide a source of light without the dangers associated with an open flame. It was also used for the purpose of testing for fire damp mine gas. The fire boss could use his lamp and could tell the relative safety of the air atmosphere by observing the characteristics of the flame. When the levels got to be unsafe they would beat a hasty exit. Things did not always go like clockwork and there have been numerous fatal mine explosions due to methane gas. Coal Mines throughout the world are noted for their gaseous atmospheres. The underlying principle of the safety lamp is the cooling effect a wire gauze screen exerts on the flame attempting to pass through it. If there is a flammable gas in the mine atmosphere on one side of the wire screen and the lamp flame on the other side, the flame, if it passes through the gauze, will be cooled below the critical temperature and not ignite the gas. As mentioned, many improvements have been made over the years but the basic principle is much the same as it was in the 1800's. With the introduction of electric lighting in most mines, the safety lamp's use for illumination declined but they are still in use today for testing for mine gases.

Carbide Lamps

In the 1890's James Morehead and Thomas Willson developed carbide, and, when mixed with water this formed acetylene gas. Shortly thereafter the carbide lamp was born. First used in carriage lamps, it was not long before it was adapted for mine use and the first US carbide lamp patent was issued in 1900. This was issued to F E Baldwin of New York and John Simmons Co. in New York manufactured the lamp. This was to be just one of the many companies that would soon be producing carbide cap lamps. As with most lighting devices improvements were constantly being made and the various companies were all advertising theirs as the newest, most improved, best, etc.

The lamps worked something along this order. The lamp has a screw off base in which carbide (marble size) was filled approximately half full. The base was screwed back onto the lamp with a rubber gasket to make a tight seal. The top of the lamp has a reservoir, which holds a small amount of water. On the top of the lamp is a lever which controls the amount at which the water is released into the carbide chamber (bottom). The gas would rise to the top of the chamber into a small tube, which had a small burner tip. When ignited it would put out a nice 1 to 3 inch flame. A reflector much like a flashlight lens surrounded this nozzle. The carbide lamp put out many times the light of a candlestick, oil wick or safety lamp. It would burn several hours on a charge of carbide. Advertising of the day claimed up to four hours, but was usually must less. Justrite, one of the leading carbide lamp manufacturers called it : "The Lamp that Put Daylight Underground."

By the teens the carbide lamp was the primary source of underground lighting. There are many different carbide lamp manufacturers names and hundreds of different styles and models. The three most common are Justrite, Autolite and Guysdropper. Many additional accessories accompanied the carbide lamp such as carbide flasks, for carrying extra carbide, repair kits which included such things as rubber gaskets, burner tips, tip cleaners etc. By the 1930's electric battery cap lamps were gaining in popularity and by the 1940's carbide cap lamps were slowly phased out in larger mining operations. Justrite continued manufacturing carbide cap lamps into the 1960's and many are still in use among cavers throughout the country.

Collecting Mining Artifacts

For me the adventure began in the late 1960's while on a fishing trip on the South Yuba River in Northern California. Fishing several miles upstream from the gold mining town of Washington we soon discovered piles of mine tailings and soon lost interest in fishing. Our exploration quickly led to the discovery of a number of old mine tunnels, old foundations, rusted machinery and junk scattered about. It was a trip back in time to the golden age of mining in California. I returned home with a couple of old rusty pick heads and broken shovel, but I was fascinated by what I had seen. This was the beginning of my collection of mining artifacts. I had the desire to learn more about the early miners and the historical significance of what they did and how they did it. We returned to this area many times but didn't do much fishing. On one such trip I found a rusted miners candlestick which I still have in my collection. My desire to learn more about my candlestick and the history of the area put me in touch with other collectors who willingly shared their knowledge and experiences with me. The was the opening of the floodgates and my collection and friendships have grown ever since.

Unlike collecting antique firearms, there are many mining artifacts still available around the country and at reasonable prices. Antique stores, flea markets, or garage sales in a mining area would be good places to start. Prices for the more common carbide lamps can still be found for twenty to thirty dollars. Candlesticks and oil wick lamps tend to be a bit more but a nice stick or wick can still be found at a reasonable price. Much the same goes for the newer more common safety lamps. One of the better publications on mining collectibles is "The Miner's Flame Light Book" by Henry Pohs.

Several times each year Mining Artifact Collectors get together to buy, sell and trade and you would be welcome to attend one of these events.

This article was published in the International California Mining Journal in December 1999, and is reproduced here with the kind authority of the author.