Carbide Hand Lamps/Simmons Pioneer Flip Handle RSide

Carbide Hand Lamps

Simmons Pioneer Flip Handle RSide.jpg - PIONEER FLIP HANDLE - Nickel plated brass Pioneer lamp by John Simmons Co., top marked S in diamond trade mark, PAT.DEC 17, 1901, BALDWIN PAT. MAR 11, 1913, OTHERS PENDING, with NP brass radial-ribbed reflector and Pioneer wind shield on burner tip, special edition with three position Han-de-Han-del flip up handle (Three lamps were made with the Han-de-Han-del: ITP, Sun-Ray, and Pioneer. Finding one is very difficult but I’ve been fortunate and adding the Pioneer completes having all three in my collection. The history of the Pioneer lamp starts with Frederic E. Baldwin, 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. Shortly thereafter, lamps featuring the distinctive inverted conical hour-glass shape that distinguishes Baldwin cap lamps were produced by Simmons. During the next few years the Baldwin/Simmons lamps would enjoy enormous popularity in both the metal mines and the coal mines. The company even boasted in 1913 that 80% of the carbide lamps in use are Baldwin lamps. Baldwin and Simmons continued to produce and market a growing number of cap and superintendent's-style lamp varieties for miners. 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-style lamps marked with the distinctive raised S in a diamond trade mark. Of note is the Pioneer lamp that was advertised by Simmons around 1917. The patent dates marked on these lamps are for patent No.688,926 awarded to A. L. Buffington on Dec. 17, 1901 for an acetylene bicycle lamp with burner and reflector on the same axis and design patent No.13,542 awarded to Baldwin on Mar. 11, 1913 for an acetylene generating lamp. There is no evidence that any of these lamps were actually stamped with the Pioneer name but the lamp boxes and instructions were clearly marked with the Pioneer name. These lamps were among the last lamps marketed by Simmons as the company merged with the Dewar Mfg. Co. in the 1919 timeframe. Dewar who had already been manufacturing some of the Simmons lamps took possession of the remaining Pioneer stock and advertised these lamps along with their own brands. Both the ITP and Sun-Ray lamps are Dewar products. Dewar added their own designs for the Han-de-Han-del attachment as well as the NP radial-ribbed reflector to this Pioneer lamp. The water dropper sleeve and burner tip wind shield, both patented by John M. Brock, are features of this lamp. Brock was one of the original founders of the Dewar Manufacturing Co. around 1914. The dropper sleeve patent was filed by John Brock on Oct. 8, 1919 and awarded as N0. 1,493,802 on May 13, 1924. Likewise, Brock filed the burner wind shield patent on Oct. 2, 1915 and was awarded patent No. 1,269,047 on June 11, 1918. See Pohs, Miner's Flame Light Book, pp 394-411 and Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 42-53)

Simmons Pioneer Flip Handle RSide | PIONEER FLIP HANDLE - Nickel plated brass Pioneer lamp by John Simmons Co., top marked S in diamond trade mark, PAT.DEC 17, 1901, BALDWIN PAT. MAR 11, 1913, OTHERS PENDING, with NP brass radial-ribbed reflector and Pioneer wind shield on burner tip, special edition with three position Han-de-Han-del flip up handle (Three lamps were made with the Han-de-Han-del: ITP, Sun-Ray, and Pioneer. Finding one is very difficult but I’ve been fortunate and adding the Pioneer completes having all three in my collection. The history of the Pioneer lamp starts with Frederic E. Baldwin, 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. Shortly thereafter, lamps featuring the distinctive inverted conical hour-glass shape that distinguishes Baldwin cap lamps were produced by Simmons. During the next few years the Baldwin/Simmons lamps would enjoy enormous popularity in both the metal mines and the coal mines. The company even boasted in 1913 that 80% of the carbide lamps in use are Baldwin lamps. Baldwin and Simmons continued to produce and market a growing number of cap and superintendent's-style lamp varieties for miners. 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-style lamps marked with the distinctive raised S in a diamond trade mark. Of note is the Pioneer lamp that was advertised by Simmons around 1917. The patent dates marked on these lamps are for patent No.688,926 awarded to A. L. Buffington on Dec. 17, 1901 for an acetylene bicycle lamp with burner and reflector on the same axis and design patent No.13,542 awarded to Baldwin on Mar. 11, 1913 for an acetylene generating lamp. There is no evidence that any of these lamps were actually stamped with the Pioneer name but the lamp boxes and instructions were clearly marked with the Pioneer name. These lamps were among the last lamps marketed by Simmons as the company merged with the Dewar Mfg. Co. in the 1919 timeframe. Dewar who had already been manufacturing some of the Simmons lamps took possession of the remaining Pioneer stock and advertised these lamps along with their own brands. Both the ITP and Sun-Ray lamps are Dewar products. Dewar added their own designs for the Han-de-Han-del attachment as well as the NP radial-ribbed reflector to this Pioneer lamp. The water dropper sleeve and burner tip wind shield, both patented by John M. Brock, are features of this lamp. Brock was one of the original founders of the Dewar Manufacturing Co. around 1914. The dropper sleeve patent was filed by John Brock on Oct. 8, 1919 and awarded as N0. 1,493,802 on May 13, 1924. Likewise, Brock filed the burner wind shield patent on Oct. 2, 1915 and was awarded patent No. 1,269,047 on June 11, 1918. See Pohs, Miner's Flame Light Book, pp 394-411 and Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 42-53)

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