logo image Hollow wire lighting

The Albert Lea Gas Light Co. was in business

for several years in Albert Lea, Minnesota,

until the assets were bought by the Brite Lite Co. of that city in 1914.

This hollow wire tank, in Steve Cullins's collection,

is also marked with the Albert Lea Gas Light Co's Brite Lite brand name.


American Gas Machine made this Salesman's Kit

to demonstrate their hollow wire lighting system.

The gas tank is approximately one gallon capacity.

The light is mounted on an extendable post.

This kit is in Dan Gommel Jr's collection.

AGM advertised these in their catalogues in 1912 and 1917.


This unmarked hollow wire light was manufactured

by the Daniels Gasoline Lighting Co, Paris, Illinois,

based on similarities of the burner to a patent awarded to C.M. Daniels

and the T-shaped valve on the hollow wire tank below.


This Daniels 2 gallon hollow wire tank

The "T-shaped" valves on this tank are the same

as on the hollow wire lamp above.

Gary Daniels, grandson of Charles Daniels, is the owner of this tank.


This is a Supreme Lighting Systems hollow wire lamp, sans shade,

manufactured by the Doud Lighting Co. of Chicago, IL.

This lamp includes a rolled portion of  the hollow copper wire

used to deliver the gas to the lamp.

Hollow wire is flexible copper tubing, 1/8" in outside diameter.

This lamp is in Fil Graff's collection.


This hollow wire lamp was made by

the Gloria Light Co., Chicago, Illinois.

It is complete and was restored

by Craig Seabrook, whose collection it is in.


The Gloria Light Co. made several sizes of hollow wire tanks

for their lighting systems.

This tank held several gallons of fuel.

The brass barrel on the foot pump is

19 5/8" long x 1 1/2" in diameter.

This tank and pump is in Loren Abernathy's collection.


This Gloria hollow wire chandelier

was found in Australia by Albert White and restored by him.

The Gloria Light Co. of Australasia outlasted the Gloria Light Co. of Chicago, Illinois, USA,

according to Neil McRae.

This Model 40 was rated at 1000cp and was a combination of two Model 20 lights.


Ronnie Hardison was able to run his No. 42 Knight Light chandelier

using a Coleman CQ fount with a pressure gauge (right) as a fuel source.

We believe that Knight Light products were manufactured by the Gloria Light Co.,

another Chicago company.

A patent date stamped on the cowls is March 15th, 1912.


Another Knight Light hollow wire light sans shade.

This light is in Jerry Engbring's collection.


This hollow wire tank was made by or badged for

the Knight Light Co., Chicago, Illinois.

The capacity of this tank, in the collection of Fil Graff,

is approximately 5 gallons.


The Little Wonder Light Co., Terre Haute, Indiana,

listed this No. 20 light in Catalog Number 24 which dates to c1924.

It was advertised as "the most popular light for business places,

schools, churches, shops and halls."

and took a 15" shade and listed for $10.00,

or as No. 20-F had a 14" art shade which listed for $15.00.


Aktiebolaget Lux, Stockholm, Sweden, made this Lux DHF hollow wire light,

at least as early as 1908 based on catalogs in Christer Carlsson's collection, who also owns this light.

The hollow wire connected to the light at the angular fitting above left of the smoke bell.

Fuel rose up the large tube to the ball on the burner (right)

before returning to the base of the burner in the small tube as an air-fuel vapor.

The light lacks the flame spreader and mantle that were held in place by the wing bolt to the right.


The Nagel Chase Manufacturing Co. of Chicago

made this Model 130 lamp around 1912-1920.

It is a dual mantle 400 cp model.

This lamp is in Bob Frank's collection;

he wants to get this lamp running again.


This Wizard Lighting System hollow wire tank,

made by the Nagel Chase Mfg. Co.,

is in Bruce Strauss's collection.

The cylinder is 24 1/2" tall x 10" in diameter

making it an 8 gallon tank.


Nagel Chase also made kerosene fueled lights,

Model 145 (left) and Model 147 (right),

which appeared in 1913-1919 catalogs

and were rated as 500cp then 300cp in later catalogs.

The globes are Nagel Chase also.

These lights are in Albert White's collection and were found in Australia;

they may have been partially constructed using parts by the Wizard Lighting Co., Sydney (see below).


This Model 175 Nagel Chase hollow wire light (left) sans shade

is in Neil McRae's collection.

Neil dates this from 1912 to the mid '20's

and notes that the same burner (right) was used for gasoline or kerosene

but with the latter requiring a supplementary generator heater tube

as seen here that curves around the air intake.


The Nagel Chase hollow wire tank on the left

could have been stored in a box,

such as the one for a Gloria hollow wire tank on the right.

These Australian items are in Albert White's collection.


Another hollow wire lamp in Fil Graff's collection,

this one was manufactured by National Stamping & Electric Co., Chicago.

This lamp is also missing the shade.


This Peerless tank held approximately 2.5 gallons of gasoline, half of the tank's volume.

This tank held enough gasoline to fuel a lighting system in a large home or small business for several days.

The foot pump forced air into the tank and pressurized the gasoline

which flowed out through the hollow wire to the ceiling lights.

This part of the system was often kept in the basement or a utility area.

The hollow wire would have been hooked up to the valve on the left.


A Reliable Lighting System arc light

manufactured by the Rice Knight Manufacturing Co. Ltd.,

Toronto, Canada.

This hollow wire light is missing the shade and heat deflector.

We have not seen anything else made or about this company.


The Standard Gillett Light Co. existed

 in Chicago, Illinois, from 1906 to 1911.

The address on this hollow wire tank, 930 N. Halsted,

tells us that this tank was manufactured between 1906 and 1908.

This 5 gallon capacity tank (1/2 gasoline & 1/2 pressurized air)

is in Jon Schedler's collection.


This hollow wire light is identified as Wizard Lighting Co., Sydney, Australia.

This Australian light has an aluminum ventilator

and may have been capable of producing 400 cp.

It was made before 1923 and was available as a ceiling light, #57; wall light, #58;

and as a hurricane lantern, #59.

This light is in Albert White's collection.

 

American Gas Machine lanterns - early models updated July 24, '09
Main updated Nov. 5, '09
AGM lanterns - models beginning with the mid-1930's updated Dec. 11, '08
American Gas Machine lamps updated Nov. 24, '08
AGM, King Seeley, & Thermos lanterns - later models updated Sept. 26, '09
Coleman lamps before mid-1920's updated Feb. 28, '09
Coleman lanterns pre-1931 updated Oct. 21, '09
Coleman lamps after mid 1920's updated Sept. 26, '09
Coleman lanterns 1931 - 1945 updated Oct. 23, '09
Coleman hollow wire lighting updated Nov. 12, '08
Coleman lanterns 1946 - 1960 updated Sep. 1, '09
Coleman stoves pre-1945 updated Dec. 11, '08
 Coleman lanterns 1961 - 1980 updated Oct. 31, '09
Coleman stoves post-1945 updated Oct. 5, '09
 Coleman lanterns 1981 - present updated Oct. 21, '09
Custom lighting updated Nov. 5, '09
Heater etc. manufacturers A - K updated Mar. 4, '09
Hollow wire lighting updated Sept. 22, '09
Heater etc. manufacturers L - Z updated Nov. 29, '07
International lamp manufacturers A - F updated Nov. 5, '09
International lantern manufacturers A - E updated Nov. 5, '09
International lamp manufacturers G - Z updated May 19, '08
 International lantern manufacturers F - M updated Oct. 27, '09
Irons updated Dec. 16, '08
 International lantern manufacturers N - S updated Oct. 25, '09
Links updated Oct. 22, '09
 International lantern manufacturers T - Z updated Oct. 2, '09
Pumps updated Nov. 18, '08
Propane lantern & stove manufacturers A - B updated Feb. 22, '08
 Stove manufacturers A - D updated Nov. 4, '09
Propane lantern & stove manufacturers C updated Sept. 15, '09
Stove manufacturers E - O updated Sept. 7, '09
Propane lantern & stove manufacturers D - M updated Sept. 15, '09
Stove manufacturers P - Z updated Sept. 12, '09
Propane lantern & stove manufacturers N - Z updated Sept. 15, '09
Swedish lamps updated Nov. 5, '09
Tilley lanterns updated July 14, '08
Tilley household lamps pre-1945 updated May 12, '09
US lantern manufacturers A - G updated Sept. 28, '09
Tilley household lamps post-1945 updated June 6, '08
US lantern manufacturers H - M updated Sept. 28, '09
Tilley industrial lamps & lanterns updated Apr. 25, '09
US lantern manufacturers N - P updated Sept. 19, '09
US lamp manufacturers A - B updated Aug. 14, '09
US lantern manufacturers Q - Z updated June 2, '09
US lamp manufacturers C - M updated Feb. 25, '09
Wrench & other lamp tool manufacturers A - M updated Dec. 16, '08
US lamp manufacturers N - R updated Sept. 19, '09
Wrench & other lamp tool manufacturers N - Z updated Dec. 16, '08
US lamp manufacturers S - Z updated Apr. 7, '09

 

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© 2000-2009 Terry Marsh
 tgmarsh@noctrl.edu