12 BULLETIN 141, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



of which the light could be raised or lowered. (PI. 65, fig. 1, Cat. No. 

 150884, Surrey, England; Edward Lovett; 35 in. (89 cm.) high.) 

 Another specimen dating in the seventeenth century consists of an 

 oak pole rising from a block of the same material. The splint 

 holder has a rather large ball counterpoise at the end of one arm. 

 (PI. 6&, fig. 3, Cat. No. 150410, Surrey, England; Edward Lovett; 

 33.7 inches (86 cm.) high.) An example from Scotland, W'here it 

 is called "Peer man," is of cast iron. It has a heavy counterpoise. 

 The specimen, being of cast iron, is not as old as the other examples. 

 (PI. 65, fig. 6. Edward Lovett.) As candles in the British Isles 

 were preceded by fir splints and fatted rushes, some of the lighter 

 holders were used with the latter illuminant. When tallow candles 

 with rush wicks came into use the " clip," as the holder is called, 

 was fitted with a candle socket at the end of the counterpoise. 

 History here repeats itself as in the Finnish splint holders described, 

 but at a later period apparently. Specimens are shown on Plate 65, 

 Figure 4 (Cat. No. 150382, from Surrey, England, collected by 

 Edward Lovett, and Figure 8 (Cat. No. 1T8799 from Antrim, Ire- 

 land), by the same collector (8 inches (20.3 cm.) high and 9.7 inches 

 (24.5 cm.) high). An excellent specimen of splint and candle clip 

 with adjustable rack comes from North Germany. It is of wrought 

 iron. The lower end of the notched iron bears the socket and 

 clip. The support is a rod of iron with a loop at the upper end 

 and a stirrup for engaging the ratchet at the lower end. (PI. 

 65, fig. 2, Cat. No. 289195, Germany; Mrs. Kose Gouvernor Hoes; 

 24.2 inches (61.5 cm.) long.) 



A specimen which might be regarded as a curiosity of the Patent 

 Office was a pine knot burner, devised and patented by J. Price, 

 December 18, 1839. The time honored candle dish is seen as a basis 

 of this invention, the columnar burner represents the candle and the 

 slide was a device of long ago. The holder for pine knot wood is 

 perforated with heart design. The specimen is of normal size and 

 made of brass and tin. (PI. 64, fig. 1, Cat. No. 251738, United 

 States; U. S. Patent Office; 12.2 inches (31 cm.) high.) 



Loosety called torch, a number of open-air lighting devices are in 

 the Museum collection. Among these are basket torches which have 

 ancient use and which survived in the whaling industry as late as 

 1880. These baskets were of strap iron strongly riveted. One old 

 specimen is square and shows signs of much use. It was probably 

 suspended overboard by a bail from the rigging and fed with the 

 cracklings left after rendering the whale oil. It thus gave light to 

 the Homeric slaughterings of the mighty whales. (PI. 7a, fig. 1, 

 Cat. No. 75358.) Other basket torches had long handles and could 

 be placed to advantage for illuminating the work on an old-time 



