Object Details
Description (Brief)
This Davy lamp was made by J.W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia in the late 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy developed one of many safety lamp designs. He discovered that if the holes in the metallic gauze enveloping the flame had a depth greater than a diameter, the flame would not pass through. This prevented the combustible gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames earlier oil-wick cap lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.059272
catalog number
59272
accession number
15369
Object Name
mining lamp
lamp, safety, mining
Measurements
overall: 12 in x 4 in x 4 in; 30.48 cm x 10.16 cm x 10.16 cm
Related Publication
Dewey, Frederic P.. Bulletin of the United States National Museum No. 42: A Preliminary Descriptive Catalogue of the Systematic Collections in Economic Geology and Metallurgy in the United States National Museum
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mining
Mining Lamps
Work
Industry & Manufacturing
Natural Resources
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_872329