Brilliant Search Light

Object/Artifact

-

West Virginia Mine Wars Museum

Name/Title

Brilliant Search Light

Entry/Object ID

WS.0096

Description

Partial assembly of a Brilliant Search Light, this is the head-worn apparatus which works in conjunction with a belt-worn acetylene generator connected by a rubber hose to the glass lens area.

Use

Used in coal mines with minimal acceptance, used primarily for outdoors exploration.

Collection

Coal Mining Tools

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Brilliant Search Light Manufacturing Company

Date made

circa 1900 - circa 1938

Material

Leather, Metal, Glass

Exhibition

Lobby

Research Notes

Research Type

Internet

Person

Shaun Slifer

Date

Jan 13, 2021

Notes

The Brilliant Search Light was one of the earliest portable acetylene lamps to come onto the US market. Manufactured by Rudolph C. Kruschke of Duluth, MN, he patented his lamp in 1902 (patent #711,871 on October 21, 1902) as one of the first waist-belt generator, head-burner-reflector lamps. Although advertised to the outdoors community as early as 1899, the lamp had use in the mines in the early 1900s but with very limited acceptance. The Brilliant Search Light was being advertised in the September 1903 edition of the Acetylene Journal for use in the mines. On April 14, 1914 Kruschke was awarded a letter patent (#1,093,339) for improvements to the mining headlight for his Brilliant Search Light. The company moved from Duluth, MN to Chicago around 1919 and continued to produce the lamps until the late 1930s, advertising in many periodicals as well as the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. See Clemmer, American Miner's Carbide Lamps, p 68. (from halslamppost.com)

Research Type

Internet

Date

Jan 13, 2021

Notes

Lamp Rarity: 4 (https://caves.org/member/mfraley/rarety.htm)