Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MINING LAMP

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

STEEL, RUBBER, GLASS, BAKELITE

No. Pieces

5

Description

FIVE RECTANGULAR STEEL BATTERY UNITS WITH BLACK RUBBER CORDS AND LIGHTS. EACH BATTERY CASE IS 19.8CM X 11.5CM X 3.7CM STEEL CASING WITH THREE BATTERY CELLS SIDE BY SIDE. EACH CELL HAS RAISED RIB PATTERN ON FRONT AND BACK. TOP OF BATTERY IS RECTANGULAR CAP HELD WITH HINGE ON ONE SIDE AND HINGED CLASP ON THE OTHER SIDE. CLASP IS RECTANGULAR BOX WITH ROLLED END TAB. STEEL CAP HAS ROUNDED STEEL FIXTURE WITH BLACK RUBBER CORD COMING FROM IT. TOP OF CASING HAS "EDISON" ETCHED INTO IT. SIDE WITH HINGE HAS "EDISON MODEL P CAP LAMP MADE BY THOMAS A. EDISON INCORPORATED WEST ORANGE, N.J. U.S.A." AND SIGNED "THOMAS A. EDISON". ON SIDE WITH HINGED CLASP IS ETCHED "PERMISSIBLE ELECTRIC CAP LAMP" WITH DOUBLE BORDER CIRCLE SEAL WHICH CONTAINS "DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR" AND "BUREAU OF MINES". INSIDE CIRCLE IS EAGLE SITTING ON STRIPED SHIELD. BEHIND SHIELD ARE AN AXE AND PICK CROSSED OVER. IN EAGLE'S MOUTH IS RIBBON WITH "E PLURIBUS UNUM" ETCHED IN IT. BESIDE SHIELD IS ETCHED "SAFETY" AND "EFFICIENCY" ALONG WITH "MINERAL INDUSTRIES" BENEATH IT. BENEATH SEAL IS "APPROVAL NO 26" AND "ISSUED TO THOMAS A. EDISON INCORPORATED". UNDER THIS IS "CAUTION THE BATTERY AND HEADPIECE HOUSINGS SHALL NOT BE UNLOCKED OR OPENED BY THE LAMP USER EXCEPT IN THE LAMP HOUSE". ON BACK OF LAMP HOUSING ARE TWO SQUARE STEEL LOOPS FOR HANGING ON BELT. PLAQUE ON BACK OF HOUSING READS "EDISON" WITH SIGNATURE AND "THOMAS A. EDISON OF CANADA. LIMITED MONTREAL. P. Q. FOR USE ONLY IN CANADA AND NEWFOUNDLAND". CORD IS 116CM LONG WITH 7CM (D) HEADPIECE LAMP. DOME SHAPED BAKELITE BACK HAS STEEL CLIP MOUNTED ON IT TO ATTACH IT TO HELMET. FRONT HAS FLUTED COLLAR WITH FLAT GLASS LENS. EDGE OF COLLAR HAS RAISED PRINTING WHICH READS "EDISON CAP LAMP MADE BY THOMAS A. EDISON. INC. WEST ORANGE, N.J. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". INSIDE IS SINGLE GLASS BULB. EACH HAS MODERATE AMOUNTS OF CORROSION AND ALL ARE DIRTY.

Subjects

LIGHTING DEVICE

MINING & MINERAL HARVESTING T&E

Historical Association

COAL MINING

History

LIKELY MINING LAMPS WERE USED IN THE #8 MINE HERE IN LETHBRIDGE. NO OTHER INDIVIDUAL HISTORY IS KNOWN. UPDATE: ON 5 JUNE 2014, PATRICK MOREL-À-L'HUISSIER OF THE CANADA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM IN OTTAWA CONTACTED THE GALT WITH RESPECT TO THIS MODEL OF MINE LAMP. HIS COMMENT PER THE LAMP WAS, “. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE EDISON P CAP LAMP WAS FIRST PRODUCED IN 1939. IT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE EDISON R4 CAP LAMP FIRST PRODUCED IN 1949.” HE ADDITIONALLY PROVIDED AN ENTRY FROM THE US DEPARTMENT FOR MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MSHA) RELATED TO “CAP LAMPS”. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19950062000

Acquisition Date

1995-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail