I have a miners lamp which is stamped on its oil reservoir with the initials "ACC". It has no other makings on it that I can find. The lamp (illustrated above and details below) is 9"tall and 3"wide at the top and about 4.5"at the base.

Can anyone supply me with any further information about this lamps its origins, age and history.
 

Submitted By : Carol Perkins.

REPLY No.1

Based on the initial picture provided this lamp appears to be a Bainbridge Type Safety Lamp. Bainbridge's lamp design, developed in England at the end of the nineteenth century, produced an especially bright light thanks to its tapered glass cylinder.  This type of lamp was later use in many continental mines. If the lamp illustrated hasn't got a locking mechanism on its base it's probably of Belgian origin. To be sure of this identification we would need to see some further images of the lamp in more detail.

 

 

Bainbridge Lamp - Belgium example c. 1880. Total Height: 23cm.

Submitted By : David Shaw & Emyr George.
Date: November 2005.
 

 

RESPONSE No.1

This lamp was found in a flea market in Kansas City, USA. Below are some more images of it. I hope these helps.

 

Submitted By : Carol Perkins.
Date: November 2005.

REPLY No.2

 

I'm afraid that this lamp is a modern reproduction of a Bainbridge (underfed with conical glass and gauze) type miner's safety lamp. Although broadly similar in appearance to some continental European lamps of the l880s this particular lamp has some odd features such as its brass fuel vessel and a strange top. Taken together these  facts suggest that it is a more modern reproduction. When visiting Bochum Mining Museum in Germany earlier this year there were very similar lamps on sale for €59.

 

 

A modern reproduction Bainbridge Lamp - Total Height: 28 cm (11 inches).

 

Such reproductions are also sold by Montan Images - Mining Artefacts & Books of Marianna, Pennsylvania, USA for US$ 115. See their web site for further details at www.montan-images.com/lamps_2.htm .

 

Submitted By : David Barrie.
Date: November 2005.