Dazzling Welsbach

Here is a picture of my little daughter and I appreciating the candlepower from this welsbach Eddystone burner!

Although with regard to open flame gas lighting, that like wick lantens had been around for a while and were Standard....I am interested in the wonderful discoveries of Bunsen and Carl Auer Von Welsbach which made all of our pressure lighting , Vaour mantle lamps and Gas lighting possible. One of the things which interests me is the extent to which Gas -Mantle lighting was promoted as obselete technology from the fifties onwards...thus resulting in the extinguishing of most interior gaslights .....and from the Sixties to now....the lovely Street Lamps...
I tend to feel that the first world war...and political and electro-lobby pressure were so responsible for this sad decommisioning of our lighting heritage.There are a few points which have came to me lately which I would like to share.
Carl Auers Discovery was a european...and German lighting system
Mr Edisons Bulbs were American and Mr Swans English.Now in the Twenty years between 1895 and 1915 Auers upright burner spread globally....squeezing electric out of the way....From 1905 0nwards Herr Mannesmanns patent for the inverted or hanging gas light came to dominance...and again spread rapidly through europe and the world....At this time however in America and England the electro -lobbys were growing inpolitical and economic power....Now came the great war....Timed with the beginning of the war Carl Auer perfected the Incandescent electric Osram bulb...and Dr Killing patented his "Mundus Brenner" or as that is known in english "pepperpot nozzle"(with many holes , like a petromax nozzle) to a hotter flame , more light and a more sparing use of Gas.
The War disrupted the supplies of gas and of good quality gas-mantles...these two factors contributed in the "push to electrify"...There were also subtler effects of the war..."Germanic" technologies may have been supressed as "All American or Anglo-Saxon technologies were advanced...I mean that in England , Dr Killings nozzle may have been slower spreading...maybe until the late twenties...The clustered superheater for a number of gas mantles may have been an English discovery at begin of the Twenties...but Graetz and co develoed some similar around that time and again , in the post war world less respect for German patent rights was observed, than wisdom and hindsight would have done.
I propose then that from 1920 onwards in the U.S. Gas Interior lighting was promoted as obselete....Whereas here in Europe that was not quite so portrayed until the fifties to Sixties....
I wouldhave rather that most households had retained atleast a part of there Gas - Lighting...for the gentle cosiness and welfare...and the heating Given...And that allof our towns and cities had retained at least a part of their gas-lighting The value of the good feing of the Gas -light would have contributed to our lives...I grew up in Scotland with this awful yellow-orange deadlight which had been forced upon the innocent burghers anywhere where peole would not protest too much about it ...and even in places where they did...the "enlightened"politicians shaped our world...our money , our resources with and into their poor vision.
Still...I give thanks that I now have some Gaslighting...though I feel so sad at the threat to the stands of Gaslights in the remaining Gaslit German cities...That is apt to me that cities in Germany continue to be gaslit....and inteed that gaslighting technology continues to be improved...In honour of freiherr von welsbach...and God's good "rare earths"(Thor,Cer<Yttria) Which he shaped to make our lovely "lightsocks"
I feel sure , that with some activation and interest, that Gas lighting can continue with us and indeed can help in our energy crisis as people develo more truthful ways to live.
One thing which I grabbed recently from the LED threat to gaslights is that one of their arguments against gas...namely that gaslamps produce radioactive rubbish...totally neglects to mention that the starters and ballasts roduce also radiactive rubbish!...and are of course now much more widespread.
The Berlin and Dusseldorf Streetlights are a world treasure ...long may they shine...I should have liked to have walked around Berlin in the early thirties....When the High -Pressure gaslight system...and the good standard of low pressure Gas and electric light had made the citiy The best lit in the world...The black and white photos I have seen are very few ...and I have yet to see any coolour pictures of berlin's "Pressgasbeleuchtung". In London there was less use of high pressure Gaslight and I have seen no pictures of the Lamps working. I dont know if the Amis used pressgas at all...
Anyway to happy Lighting and fine futures!!!! l

hee that's true, though if you were demonstrated a thoroughly well put together Gas Lighting system...you might well have some installed for the good feeling...
As regards the Webb destructor lamp,that is excellent...and Suggs patents from the time of open flame were unrivalled, and cutting edge!
Though my topic concerned lighting with mantles...also...on our Island we are too quick to jump to take credit...I have had to restrict that habit in myself.....Credit where that is due...is more giving...and I would rather observe a better balance of give and take now!
Thank you though for your valid points...limelight, and the oxy/hydrogen blowpipe were british inventions...For my part I lived in the Scottish highlands for years with a Tilley for company and Spring water to drink....I feel better without the Electric field flux surrounding me....a radiological eye view of a lighting ring is rather interesting,especially at 50hz
Regards, Rer