History Quiz

[Scottpat]

The carbide would go in the trays on the bottom then water would drip through that thing on the front that looks like a hot water bottle, then the gas would go up into the tank and out the pipes?

[Bill Kibbel]

I wasn't intentionally dragging this out. I'm out in Central PA for a meeting and seminar and this is my first chance to get connected.

I knew this would bring Chad out of hiding.

It looks like Joe, Chad & Les had it figured out, then Scott comes along and describes the process.

The above isn't my photo, but it's interesting because most generators drop the carbide pellets into standing water.

http://uploads/inspecthistoric/2006324222440_acetylenegen.jpg

More on Acetylene generators from 1901:

http://panam1901.bfn.org/miscbuildings/acetylene/acetylene_article.htm

[Les]

A careful check of Scott's phone records might be in order; one to PA, one to NY and one to MI!

I still keep a pint glass jar of carbide in the tool trailer for the neighborhood kids. Right next to the gunpowder. And I am sure Chad has "popped off" a few strikers just to get people's attention!

Thanks for the fun this week, now I can sleep.

[mgbinspect]

I'm still a bit lost. So, is this generating heat or electricity? Heat, I'm guessing. It just seems odd to call it a generator rather than a heater... Whoops... a gas generator for residential lighting? Imagine that! I take it, then, that there were indeed tight sealing doors over the drawers?

I propose that you do this regularly, Bill, as a thoroughlly entertaining way to broaden our historical horizons.

Will ya... Can ya... huh... huh... huh...?

[hausdok]

I feel like an idiot now.

I helped a buddy restore a 1923 Model T back in 1973 and it had a smaller version of that thing on one running board to fuel the headlamps.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

That's the most fun I've had all week. Thanx.

[Bill Kibbel]

There are some very smart folks here at TIJ. The truth is, when I discovered the first one (an in-ground model), I had absolutely no clue what it was or it’s purpose on a very rural dairy farm. I could only read the word “acetyleneâ€

[Bob White]

Very cool.

I've never seen one of these.

So, the carbide lamps we wore back in "70s (college) in Tennessee when we were caving --- were acetylene lamps?

I never thought about it. just wore the hardhat with the lamp and wandered the caves.

[Bill Kibbel]

That's correct Bob. After learning all about acetylene, I realized that the 1902 miner's cap lamp we have from my wife's great grandfather is a tiny acetylene generator. Same exact process as the image I initially posted for a building's lighting system.

The lamp has 2 chambers. One for water and the other for the calcium carbide. The adjustable valve regulates the amount of water dripping onto the carbide. The gas produced slightly pressurizes and travels up the tube to the burner tip in the center of the reflector. The striker assembly (think Zippo lighters) initially ignites the acetylene.

[mgbinspect]

Well, this raises a question in my mind. Probably once a year I'll see a row house in downtown Richmond that is pushing 100 plus years old with gas lines still in the wall to wall sconces. It never entered my mind that they may not be for natural gas?????? What are the chances I was looking at lamps that ran off of a system like you've shown us?

[Bill Kibbel]

I've never researched Richmond, but I'm reasonably certain it would have been manufactured "coal gas", which is a byproduct from the distillation of soft coal. Not far away, Baltimore, MD was the very first city to lay a coal gas distribution piping system for street lighting. The Gas Light Company of Baltimore was the first "gas company" in the US.

"Natural gas" was pretty limited in the mid 19th century to some areas of PA. The first significant pipeline was built in the late 1890's to carry gas from wells in Indiana to Chicago. After WWI, many more cities added pipelines for residential distribution, but gas lighting was already being replaced by electricity.

[mgbinspect]

Very interesting! Thanks a ton! You need to come up with another of these. This was pretty cool.

[kurt]

The gas lighting & gas light risers I see are usually in a very narrow band of time; from the very late 1890's to about 1903-1905. That was about it.

Excellent history lesson. Thank you.

(I think you're one of those "very smart folks here in TIJ".)

[mgbinspect]

(Me, too)