Carbide Cap Lamps/Justrite No. 44 Head Lamp Showing Special Concentrating Lens

Carbide Cap Lamps

Justrite No. 44 Head Lamp Showing Special Concentrating Lens.jpg - JUSTRITE NO. 44 HEAD LAMP - Justrite No. 44 belt generator lamp; 4 1/2 in. H x 4 1/2 in. W x 1 3/4 in. D; concave shape to fit hip, marked on brass plate on lower tank NO. 44 JUSTRITE PATENTED SEPT. 1 1914; includes nickel plated brass head lamp complete with sparker, 2 1/2 in. dia. lens, 1/2 in. thick, with hook and cap brace, fabric covered gas hose and belt (The hard to find Justrite No. 44 is the earliest of the belt generator lamps advertised to the mining community. It was first listed in the Justrite Form 204 catalog printed sometime after June 1914 but prior to Feb. 1915 and was available for a period of approximately 10 years, last offered in Justrite Catalog #4 in 1924 at a price of $6.10. The belt generator assembly was made of lead coated steel, non-corrosive and non-rusting, lock seamed and soldered. The generator consisted of two steel tanks, the upper to hold the water and the lower to hold the carbide, which were attached together by an eccentric locking device. A water feed control lever, a gas outlet hose fitting and a hinged oil-wick type water lid were located on the top tank. The tanks were finished in black enamel and had a clip for attaching to a belt that came with the generator. Over the production period for the No. 44 lamp, Justrite used three different water feeds. The earliest one had a simple wire feed, the next one had a Liberty feed and the latest used a Polygon feed. The earliest models included a web belt with a black metal buckle. The later models came with a suede leather type belt with a silver metal buckle. A fabric covered rubber gas hose connected the belt generator to the head lamp and remained unchanged for all models. The head lamp was made of nickel finished brass with a glass lens in a hinged frame fastened by a spring closure. It was patented by Augie Hansen as No. 1,109,221 granted on Sept. 1, 1914. A special concentrating lens accessory, Justrite No. 49, was also available for the No. 44 lamp. This lens which would increase the throw distance of the lamp to 300 feet is shown in one of the pics. The lamp was advertised to burn 10 hours on one charge of 8 oz., 1/4 in. carbide. Initially offered as a head lamp for drivers, motormen, miners and inspectors, Justrite last advertised the No. 44 lamp as the hunter’s headlight in Catalog No. 4 indicative of the marketing plan that Justrite used to sell its lamps to a variety of customers. It’s also of interest that Justrite wasted little time in converting the No. 44 head lamp into the “Safety First” carbide lamp for mine cars. They attached the head lamp directly to the generator, added a spring steel holder that could be adjusted to fit any car’s thickness, and sold the unit as No. 240 with a red lens for a tail light and No. 241 with a clear glass lens for a head light. See Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #15, pp 8-9)

Justrite No. 44 Head Lamp Showing Special Concentrating Lens | JUSTRITE NO. 44 HEAD LAMP - Justrite No. 44 belt generator lamp; 4 1/2 in. H x 4 1/2 in. W x 1 3/4 in. D; concave shape to fit hip, marked on brass plate on lower tank NO. 44 JUSTRITE PATENTED SEPT. 1 1914; includes nickel plated brass head lamp complete with sparker, 2 1/2 in. dia. lens, 1/2 in. thick, with hook and cap brace, fabric covered gas hose and belt (The hard to find Justrite No. 44 is the earliest of the belt generator lamps advertised to the mining community. It was first listed in the Justrite Form 204 catalog printed sometime after June 1914 but prior to Feb. 1915 and was available for a period of approximately 10 years, last offered in Justrite Catalog #4 in 1924 at a price of $6.10. The belt generator assembly was made of lead coated steel, non-corrosive and non-rusting, lock seamed and soldered. The generator consisted of two steel tanks, the upper to hold the water and the lower to hold the carbide, which were attached together by an eccentric locking device. A water feed control lever, a gas outlet hose fitting and a hinged oil-wick type water lid were located on the top tank. The tanks were finished in black enamel and had a clip for attaching to a belt that came with the generator. Over the production period for the No. 44 lamp, Justrite used three different water feeds. The earliest one had a simple wire feed, the next one had a Liberty feed and the latest used a Polygon feed. The earliest models included a web belt with a black metal buckle. The later models came with a suede leather type belt with a silver metal buckle. A fabric covered rubber gas hose connected the belt generator to the head lamp and remained unchanged for all models. The head lamp was made of nickel finished brass with a glass lens in a hinged frame fastened by a spring closure. It was patented by Augie Hansen as No. 1,109,221 granted on Sept. 1, 1914. A special concentrating lens accessory, Justrite No. 49, was also available for the No. 44 lamp. This lens which would increase the throw distance of the lamp to 300 feet is shown in one of the pics. The lamp was advertised to burn 10 hours on one charge of 8 oz., 1/4 in. carbide. Initially offered as a head lamp for drivers, motormen, miners and inspectors, Justrite last advertised the No. 44 lamp as the hunter’s headlight in Catalog No. 4 indicative of the marketing plan that Justrite used to sell its lamps to a variety of customers. It’s also of interest that Justrite wasted little time in converting the No. 44 head lamp into the “Safety First” carbide lamp for mine cars. They attached the head lamp directly to the generator, added a spring steel holder that could be adjusted to fit any car’s thickness, and sold the unit as No. 240 with a red lens for a tail light and No. 241 with a clear glass lens for a head light. See Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #15, pp 8-9)

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