Posted 8 years ago
rl240z
(2 items)
I believe this is an old Coast Guard lighthouse lamp. Its only I.D. is the "4th Order" placard; no mfg or anything else. It has a tubular wick, but no adjusting mechanism. Any ideas what it is, where it might be from, how it works???
This might be a smoking lamp left on deck for pipes and cigarettes.
Found this knowledgeable sounding description on the website of an antique store: U.S. Light House Establishment 4th Order Lamp with Rotating-Burner Wick Raiser c.1890. Original low-reservoir type oil lamp for use within a 4th order Fresnel lens is marked with the original brass Light-House Establishment cartouche labeled “4th ORDER”. Lamp was manufactured in the Third District Lamp Shop on Staten Island . This is a Funck’s Improved 4th Order type lamp. In 1888 Joseph Funck was able to dramatically improve the lamps used in 4th order lenses in America. He redesigned the old Hains 4th order lamp and produced this “Improved 4th Order Lamp”, which had capillary feed and a new flame spreader and a number of air-flow adjustments. The oil-reservoir is located immediately below the burner, to the crest of which is the oil drawn by capillary action. Soon 5th and 6th Order lamps were developed along the same design. This is an extremely rare, beautiful piece. This is one of the few U.S. Light-House Establishment 4th order lamps that I have ever been able to find.