Oilwick Lamps/Harrison Patent Wick Open Lid

Oilwick Lamps

Harrison Patent Wick Open Lid.JPG - HARRISON PATENT - Very rare steel lamp, double spout with sheet metal steel bars forming shield around spout, 2 3/4 in. tall to tip of spout, 1 5/8 in. base dia., patented by William Murray Harrison as Letters Patent No. 535,135, on Mar. 5, 1895, marked on 2nd bar from bottom PATENTED MAR 5th 1895, unfired condition. [The Harrison patent wick lamp is a very rare lamp. It’s most visible unique feature is a spout shield consisting of five bars interconnected in a zig-zag pattern with two rotating brass bails attached to the top bar with knurled brass screws. Each bail can independently pivot across the top of the burner tube with one of the bails shaped as to be a snuffer for the flame. The sheet steel bars are 3/16 to 1/4 inch wide with rounded corners and are soldered to the base of the spout. The lamp itself is all steel with a double spout standing 2 3/4 inches tall to the tip of the spout with a base diameter of 1 5/8 inches. The only marking is PATENTED MAR 5th 1895 on the second bar from the bottom on the shield. William Murray Harrison filed his patent for Improvement in Flame-Controlling Devices for Miners’ and Other Lamps on Dec. 7, 1894 and was granted patent No. 535,135 on Mar. 5, 1895. The primary claim of his patent is that the rotating bails could be positioned on either side of the flame and by doing so flatten the flame and enhance the flames’ candlepower while reducing the flame’s smoking. Harrison noted in his application that “miners would typically add grease or kerosene to the nominally vegetative miners’ oil” to save money but at the expense of a smoky flame. It’s not known if his improvement actually worked as claimed but clearly the very few lamps that have survived and known in collections would indicate his patented lamp was not successful in miner acceptance. Harrison was born in the United States on May 19, 1846. The 1900 US Census has the widowed Harrison and his 5 children living on Fourth Street in Williamsport, PA. His listed occupation was a traveling oil salesman. Harrison died on Sept. 12, 1918 and is buried at Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport.]

Harrison Patent Wick Open Lid | HARRISON PATENT - Very rare steel lamp, double spout with sheet metal steel bars forming shield around spout, 2 3/4 in. tall to tip of spout, 1 5/8 in. base dia., patented by William Murray Harrison as Letters Patent No. 535,135, on Mar. 5, 1895, marked on 2nd bar from bottom PATENTED MAR 5th 1895, unfired condition. [The Harrison patent wick lamp is a very rare lamp. It’s most visible unique feature is a spout shield consisting of five bars interconnected in a zig-zag pattern with two rotating brass bails attached to the top bar with knurled brass screws. Each bail can independently pivot across the top of the burner tube with one of the bails shaped as to be a snuffer for the flame. The sheet steel bars are 3/16 to 1/4 inch wide with rounded corners and are soldered to the base of the spout. The lamp itself is all steel with a double spout standing 2 3/4 inches tall to the tip of the spout with a base diameter of 1 5/8 inches. The only marking is PATENTED MAR 5th 1895 on the second bar from the bottom on the shield. William Murray Harrison filed his patent for Improvement in Flame-Controlling Devices for Miners’ and Other Lamps on Dec. 7, 1894 and was granted patent No. 535,135 on Mar. 5, 1895. The primary claim of his patent is that the rotating bails could be positioned on either side of the flame and by doing so flatten the flame and enhance the flames’ candlepower while reducing the flame’s smoking. Harrison noted in his application that “miners would typically add grease or kerosene to the nominally vegetative miners’ oil” to save money but at the expense of a smoky flame. It’s not known if his improvement actually worked as claimed but clearly the very few lamps that have survived and known in collections would indicate his patented lamp was not successful in miner acceptance. Harrison was born in the United States on May 19, 1846. The 1900 US Census has the widowed Harrison and his 5 children living on Fourth Street in Williamsport, PA. His listed occupation was a traveling oil salesman. Harrison died on Sept. 12, 1918 and is buried at Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport.]

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