Show Household Illumination Unchanged in Yrs The inventions of ot Aimee Almee Argand and John Miles In the revolutionized the art of ot household nation For more than years lamps in various forms torms had consist consisted ed of an open or partially closed reservoir reservoir res for tor oil with a wick lying at atthe atthe atthe the rim or in a protruding spout writes Howard G G. G Hubbard In American Collector They g gave ve poor light spilled oil abominably and end cast an annoying shadow on the side away from the flame All AU three of ot these fundamental faults were overcome almost at a stroke by the vertical wick anI and clos closed d reservoir of Argand and Miles MUes There were left many problems lems of refinement and as often orten happens with epochal inventions at least one new problem was created The earlier lamps with flame near the fuel could use either expensive oils oU or waste kitchen greases The latter would not work In the new lamps which utilized whale sperm fish and vegetable oils Here then was the new problem a lamp with the advantages of vertical wick and closed reservoir and the ability to burn inexpensive greases We have meager evidence that inventors in on both sides of 01 the Atlantic went to work on this problem almost almost almost al al- al- al most at once Perhaps the first to succeed was John Love of South Carolina lie He took out a United States patent in 1798 for a tallow lamp but this bare title is the sum total of our present knowledge regarding regarding re reo garding it Proof that a lamp for burning lard was Invented in this country previous to 1810 is contained In a statement made by Thomas P P. P Jones M. M D. D editor of the Journal of the Franklin Institute and previous previous pre pre- to that appointment superintendent superintendent of ot the patent office |