SAFETY KEROSENE LAMPS. A LOCAL INVENTION.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 413, 23 October 1889, Page 5

SAFETY KEROSENE LAMPS. A LOCAL INVENTION.

>, Auckland' October 19. TiiKUE'Vore on view at the photographic sbudio of Mr Robinson, Queen-strewt, on Saturday night, two of Messrs Sankey and Bebts's patent safety kerosene lamps, which attracted large crowds? of interested spectators. The light was of a brilliant description, and the seven burners attached to the two lamps are said to give a light equal to twelve JSTo, 5 gas burners with which tho studio is fitted up. The lamps are suspended in tho same manner a8 ordinary gasalier?, which they closely resemble, and within an ornamental case is enclosed what the inventor terms a " level." This is a \essel of about an inch in depth, and contains about three quarters of an inch of oil ; on this vessel is fitted a bird fountain, containing oil which leeds the level and maintains the oil at a fixed height as it is drawn off by the cyphons attached to each burner. By this means a uniform flow of oil is carried to each and the light maintaind at a uniform strength so long as the oil in the bird fountain last. The light can be either increased, diminished, or extin guished by means of an exterior button attached to each cyphon, the lowering of which increases the supply of oil to the burner, and the raising either diminishes or entirely suspends the supply. Ordinary kerosene burners are employed, but ib is claimed by the inventors that the usual cleaning and trimming" required by ordinary kerosene lamps is unnecessary, as the oil being always maintained at a uniform height in the burner prevents the wick from charring. The special advantages claimed for the invention aye that the risks attending the burning of kerosene by the ordinary process are entirely abolished, as the reservoir containing tho oil is in all cases removed some distance from the point of combustibn and may be romoved an indefinite distance without incieasing the cost of the light or diminishing its efficiency, and that public buildings or dwelling houses may be'iitted witli bracket or swing lights in any part and connectod with the source of supply by means of pipes in the same manner as qa 6 *. This ought to be a matter of the greatest impoitance to rural districts, where gas is not obtainable. Ib is also claimed that the patent can be successfully applied to sti ; eet lighting. By a test made on Saturday night ib was ascertained that the con&umption ot oil by the seven burners employed was about onejiinbper hour, or three pints were consumed between the hours of 7 p.m. j and 10 p.m., and if the assertion that the | light is equal to twelve No. 5 gas burners be correct the cost of the new process will compare favourably with any other illuminanb in use. Persons owning country hotels and halls are carefully watching the development of the invention, with a view to its utilisation if successful.