Miscellaneous Lamps/Copper Queen Candle Sconce Side

Miscellaneous Lamps

Copper Queen Candle Sconce Side.JPG - COPPER QUEEN CANDLE SCONCE - Rare Copper Queen candle sconce, cast iron, 4 3/4 in wide at back, 5 1/4 in. front to back and 5 in. high, candle socket slotted to fit standard 3/4 in. mining candle, manufactured by Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co., extensive corrosion, ex-Ed Hunter collection (The Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company was rightfully concerned that fires in the wood square-set timbering from unattended candles was a significant hazard to the miners and could shut the mine down for months. Mine fires were frequently traced to a candle source but not the candle the miner was using. The likely source was the auxiliary lighted candle at some chute, shaft station, turn or bad place in the run from the ore pile to the chute that caused mine fires. Although the miner takes his candle and candlestick home with him at the end of a shift, often these auxiliary lights were not put out. As noted in the 1916 publication Details of Practical Mining as compiled by the editorial staff of the Engineering and Mining Journal, the best method for holding these auxiliary candle lights is a sconce, an old Cornish device. The sconce is simply a candle holder, fastened to the side of an upright timber. It should have a socket to hold the candle, preferably split so the miner can remove the old candle wax; it should have a back to protect the timber from the flame; and it should have a bottom plate with a raised lip to catch the drippings and preclude the candle from falling to the floor as it burns down. The sconce shown here was used at the Copper Queen Mines in Bisbee, Arizona. It was manufactured in the shops of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company and is made of cast iron, made heavy to resist rough usage. The extensive corrosion is a testament to the humid and wet underground environment. The socket is cast split and the hole for hanging on the nail is made like a key hole with the large part down so the sconce could not easily be knocked off the timber. This particular sconce came from the collection of the late mining historian Ed Hunter of Victor, Colorado. It was on display at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum for several years and later at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs.)

Copper Queen Candle Sconce Side | COPPER QUEEN CANDLE SCONCE - Rare Copper Queen candle sconce, cast iron, 4 3/4 in wide at back, 5 1/4 in. front to back and 5 in. high, candle socket slotted to fit standard 3/4 in. mining candle, manufactured by Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co., extensive corrosion, ex-Ed Hunter collection (The Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company was rightfully concerned that fires in the wood square-set timbering from unattended candles was a significant hazard to the miners and could shut the mine down for months. Mine fires were frequently traced to a candle source but not the candle the miner was using. The likely source was the auxiliary lighted candle at some chute, shaft station, turn or bad place in the run from the ore pile to the chute that caused mine fires. Although the miner takes his candle and candlestick home with him at the end of a shift, often these auxiliary lights were not put out. As noted in the 1916 publication Details of Practical Mining as compiled by the editorial staff of the Engineering and Mining Journal, the best method for holding these auxiliary candle lights is a sconce, an old Cornish device. The sconce is simply a candle holder, fastened to the side of an upright timber. It should have a socket to hold the candle, preferably split so the miner can remove the old candle wax; it should have a back to protect the timber from the flame; and it should have a bottom plate with a raised lip to catch the drippings and preclude the candle from falling to the floor as it burns down. The sconce shown here was used at the Copper Queen Mines in Bisbee, Arizona. It was manufactured in the shops of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company and is made of cast iron, made heavy to resist rough usage. The extensive corrosion is a testament to the humid and wet underground environment. The socket is cast split and the hole for hanging on the nail is made like a key hole with the large part down so the sconce could not easily be knocked off the timber. This particular sconce came from the collection of the late mining historian Ed Hunter of Victor, Colorado. It was on display at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum for several years and later at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs.)

Original Image

Total images: 88 | Last update: 11/19/17 12:51 PM | Help