Carbide Cap Lamps/Baldwin Bottom Water Valve LSide

Carbide Cap Lamps

Baldwin Bottom Water Valve LSide.JPG - BALDWIN BOTTOM WATER VALVE - Brass Baldwin lamp, top marked in smaller letters THE BALDWIN LAMP, PATENT DATES AUG.28, 1900 and MAY 22, 1906, OTHERS PENDING, bottom unmarked, early style with unique water control bottom valve featuring a knurled twist wheel nut on a threaded rod; Neil Tysver donation to the museum (Frederic E. Baldwin is generally considered the father of underground acetylene carbide lighting in the U.S. His Full Moon lamp shown elsewhere in the carbide hand lamp photos is considered the first mining carbide lamp. Located in New York City, Baldwin contracted with the John Simmons Co. also of New York City to market and manufacture his lamps. Lamps featuring the distinctive inverted conical hour-glass shape that distinguishes Baldwin cap lamps were produced by Simmons. These lamps feature patent dates of 1900 and 1906 stamped in raised letters on top. The Aug. 28, 1900 patent No. 656,874 by Baldwin applies to fourteen acetylene gas generation features while Baldwin's May 22, 1906 patent No. 821,580 applied to internal mechanical details. The lamp shown is a rare factory variation featuring what is thought to be Baldwin’s only and very short-lived application of a bottom water control valve. This rarity was first identified by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver, and has subsequently been confirmed by Dave Thorpe to be an actual variation in the development sequence of Baldwin’s lamps. Thorpe has dated the production of this lamp variation to the single year of 1910, noting it was that year that the domed water door and small letters on top first appeared on Baldwin lamps. This lamp does not have the diamond-S Simmons trade mark stamping on the base which was introduced in 1911. It retains the screen felt retainer which was replaced in later Baldwin lamps with a perforated brass disc retainer. Four other examples of this Baldwin lamp are currently known in private collections. It’s interesting to note that the bottom valve termination comes with both a conical plug (as shown) as well as a small disc plug. The bottom control valve had a very short time in production and was quickly replaced by Baldwin’s patented water feed system with a control valve in the water chamber. Awarded as patent No. 1,115,157 on Oct. 27, 1914, the water feed patent was filed on Mar. 30, 1910, early in the only year of this lamp’s production. Why it took 4 1/2 years to receive the patent is unknown. Baldwin’s attempt at a bottom control valve proved to be problematic with a production life likely in terms of months. Baldwin and Simmons continued to produce and market a growing number of cap and superintendent's-style lamp varieties for miners, none of which included a bottom water control valve. For whatever reason, Baldwin and Simmons parted in 1913, Baldwin to pursue the Zar lamp development noted elsewhere in the cap lamp photos and Simmons to continue to market both Baldwin and Simmons-branded lamps. The Simmons Co. manufactured its own cap and superintendent lamps marked with the distinctive raised S in a diamond trade mark. Of note is the Pioneer lamp heavily advertised by Simmons around 1917. These lamps were among the last lamps marketed by Simmons as the company merged with the Dewar Co. in the 1919-20 timeframe.)

Baldwin Bottom Water Valve LSide | BALDWIN BOTTOM WATER VALVE - Brass Baldwin lamp, top marked in smaller letters THE BALDWIN LAMP, PATENT DATES AUG.28, 1900 and MAY 22, 1906, OTHERS PENDING, bottom unmarked, early style with unique water control bottom valve featuring a knurled twist wheel nut on a threaded rod; Neil Tysver donation to the museum (Frederic E. Baldwin is generally considered the father of underground acetylene carbide lighting in the U.S. His Full Moon lamp shown elsewhere in the carbide hand lamp photos is considered the first mining carbide lamp. Located in New York City, Baldwin contracted with the John Simmons Co. also of New York City to market and manufacture his lamps. Lamps featuring the distinctive inverted conical hour-glass shape that distinguishes Baldwin cap lamps were produced by Simmons. These lamps feature patent dates of 1900 and 1906 stamped in raised letters on top. The Aug. 28, 1900 patent No. 656,874 by Baldwin applies to fourteen acetylene gas generation features while Baldwin's May 22, 1906 patent No. 821,580 applied to internal mechanical details. The lamp shown is a rare factory variation featuring what is thought to be Baldwin’s only and very short-lived application of a bottom water control valve. This rarity was first identified by my good Alaskan friend Neil Tysver, and has subsequently been confirmed by Dave Thorpe to be an actual variation in the development sequence of Baldwin’s lamps. Thorpe has dated the production of this lamp variation to the single year of 1910, noting it was that year that the domed water door and small letters on top first appeared on Baldwin lamps. This lamp does not have the diamond-S Simmons trade mark stamping on the base which was introduced in 1911. It retains the screen felt retainer which was replaced in later Baldwin lamps with a perforated brass disc retainer. Four other examples of this Baldwin lamp are currently known in private collections. It’s interesting to note that the bottom valve termination comes with both a conical plug (as shown) as well as a small disc plug. The bottom control valve had a very short time in production and was quickly replaced by Baldwin’s patented water feed system with a control valve in the water chamber. Awarded as patent No. 1,115,157 on Oct. 27, 1914, the water feed patent was filed on Mar. 30, 1910, early in the only year of this lamp’s production. Why it took 4 1/2 years to receive the patent is unknown. Baldwin’s attempt at a bottom control valve proved to be problematic with a production life likely in terms of months. Baldwin and Simmons continued to produce and market a growing number of cap and superintendent's-style lamp varieties for miners, none of which included a bottom water control valve. For whatever reason, Baldwin and Simmons parted in 1913, Baldwin to pursue the Zar lamp development noted elsewhere in the cap lamp photos and Simmons to continue to market both Baldwin and Simmons-branded lamps. The Simmons Co. manufactured its own cap and superintendent lamps marked with the distinctive raised S in a diamond trade mark. Of note is the Pioneer lamp heavily advertised by Simmons around 1917. These lamps were among the last lamps marketed by Simmons as the company merged with the Dewar Co. in the 1919-20 timeframe.)

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