Illuminating Gas by M. J. Abadie The advent of gaslight early in the l800s was the first major advance in artificial lighting for centuries. It was a Scottish engineer, William Murdock, who developed a practical method of distilling gas from coal for the purpose of illumination. The advantages of gaslight over candlelight were recognized immediately and exploited quickly. Despite the initial costs, entrepreneurial industrialists were able to foresee the future, for even without a chimney an open gas jet flame gave a much brighter light than candles or oil lamps. Also, there was the advantage of control. By varying the inflow of gas a smooth increase or decrease of light could be effected from a central point. This discovery became the precursor of the modern central heating systems. Still, there were definite disadvantages to using gas for lighting: it was hot, gave off offensive (and often dangerous) fumes, and having an open flame indoors was a serious fire hazard. Therefore, a protective code was established mandating guards, screens, and glass chimneys. Gas stations and city gas mains were not installed until l850, so candles remained the primary source of illumination for most people. Even after city mains were bringing gas to urban dwellers' homes, the rural folk still depended on candlelight. It was only in l890, after the introduction of electric lighting, that the incandescent gas mantle was developed. This invention greatly improved the quality of gaslight — made it whiter and brighter — but it did not remove the hazards of fire. Theatrical Review The first successful adaptation of gas lighting for the stage was at the Lyceum Theatre in London, in l803, by a German, Frederick Winson. In the United States, the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia installed a gas lighting system in l8l6, supplying its own gas by installing a gas generator on the premises. In the Limelight If you thought the phrase of being “in the limelight” was a figurative one for getting attention, you didn't know about Thomas Drummond. He was a British engineer who invented limelight in l8l6, although it did not come into general use until thirty years later. Limelight is produced by directing a sharp point of oxyhydrogen flame against a cylindrical block of lime. The tiny area of lime becomes incandescent, emitting a brilliant white light that is soft and mellow. Limelight was particularly suited to theatrical use because of its intensity. A mirrored reflector allowed it to be directed onto the stage to illuminate and follow individual performers as they moved — hence the present meaning of the term, used when speaking of somebody who is getting attention.
From Past to Present by M. J. Abadie Rathborne's, founded in Dublin in l488, is the world's oldest candle manufacturer in continuous existence. Established when knights did battle in armor, towns were walled, and cloistered monasteries dotted the landscape, Rathborne's “lit the way through the dark Middle Ages of Irish and European history.” For more than 500 years Rathborne candles have been illuminating the daily events of human life. As Europe was experiencing “the shining era of Renaissance splendor, the time of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, the Rathborne family business in Winetavern Street in the heart of the ancient walled city of Dublin was flourishing and prospering.” Henry VIII ordered the closing of all Irish monasteries — a main source of candles — in l537, but Rathborne's went right on, winning the contract for lighting Dublin and becoming closely identified with the ancient Fraternity of St. George, the Guild of Tallow Chandlers, Soap Boilers, and Wax Light Makers. In l600, Rathborne's moved across the Liffey River from Wintavern Street to Stoneybatter. Time passed, with its wars, famine, pestilence, rebellion, and revolutions, but Rathborne's endured. In l9l2, while the rumblings of World War I were being felt, Henry Burnley Rathborne turned the ancient firm into a private company. Thirteen years later, the company consolidated its operations under one roof in its former warehouse on East Wall Road, where Rathborne's Candles is located this day. Finally, in l966, Rathborne's merged with Lalors, making their factory the largest supplier of church candles in the country. Using modern candlemaking techniques and equipment, Rathborne's produces millions of candles each year. Thousands of beeswax candles are still handcrafted at Rathborne's by master chandlers using the age-old technique of dipping, with wicks hanging from iron hoops. If you visit Rathborne's factory, you can see many of the old cast-iron candlemaking machines that stretch back to a past of great antiquity. |
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