General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

7

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Unknown

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

13.1 cm

Width

9.5 cm

Height

17.4 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Non-motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Cycles & cycling

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Badger

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Wisconsin

City

Kenosha

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

circa 1907-1914 to 1930's?

Canada

A type of bicycle lamp was popular in Canada from about 1897 until the coming of the battery operated lamp in the 1930's. An economical method of producing calcium carbide was discovered by Canadian Thomas Willson in 1897 (Ref. 5) The donor received the lamp as a souvenir from the widow of Mr. Eric Sprenger after the latter passed away in 2000. Mr. Pullen and Mr. Sprenger used to be co-workers at the Dominion Engineering plant in Montreal and were friends. Mr. Sprenger told Mr. Pullen that he had received the lamp from his father in 1923 when he was about 14 years of age. His father was a civil engineer working in railway construction north of Montreal. The lamp had apparently been used previously because it seems to date back to 1907. The lamp came in a wooden box, probably made by Mr. Sprenger's father, containing accessories (see Notes). Mr. Sprenger was a founding member of the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America. He restored CSTM's Seagrave fire truck 1980.0218 and was known as Mr. Seagrave because of his knowledge of the company and its fire trucks (see Supp. Info.)

Function

A lighting device used, when affixed to a bicycle, to provide illumination to the rider as well as warning signal to others. This one also has other handles permitting the lamp to be used as a hand lamp.

Technical

Before the development of the acetylene lamp, cyclists used oil lamps. In 1897, after Thomas Willson discovered a new way to produce calcium carbide, one company, the Badger Brass Mfg. Co. offered on the market the first acetylene gas bicycle lamp called the Solar. When immersed in water, calcium carbide produces acetylene gas, which when lit, produces a bright light. This new lamp was brighter than its predecessor, the oil lamp. Badger Brass Co. was established in 1897 and was sold to C.M. Hall in 1917. Hall continued to produce lamps under their own name until 1926. From 1915 the carbide generator was joined to the lamp body by a bayonet fitting rather than a screw fitting, therefore this lamp was made before 1915.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

The brass base of the burner is not original.

Finish

Unknown

Decoration

N/A