390 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1951 



cotton) wick, laid along the internal trough, so tilted as to allow the oil oozing 

 from the flame to flow back into the vessel. By the light, brighter than a candle, 

 work at the loom after dark or fry potatoes at night on the open fire, as David 

 Getter still does (October 1897), in his log cabin in the hill country of Spring- 

 field township. 



The "betty" lamp was to be found not only in Pennsylvania, but 

 all along the course of German emigration. Among the Germans 

 of Ohio it was probably as commonly used in the 1830-60 period as 

 in Pennsylvania. A lamp in the United States National Museum 

 collection of heating and lighting devices (No. 345938) is a typical 

 Pennsylvania example but was used in Arkansas in the early days of 

 the settlement. Other illustrations of the employment of these devices 

 in the newly settled areas of the Midwest frequently occur. 



In rural regions, not only in the South and West, but in isolated 

 parts of the East as well, it is probable that candles more often held 

 a foremost place. Made of tallow, they were sometimes dipped and 

 sometimes cast in molds. Hough (1928, p. 18), stated: 



In reality the molds represent a method of economy among our ancestors in 

 that small amounts of fat could be worked up into candles with the molds when 

 required. Generally on the plantations, where a great many candles were 

 necessary, sufficient were made for the whole year by dipping, which was far 

 more expeditious than by molds. Candle dipping was usually coincident with 

 the butchering of the winter stores of meat, at which time much fat was 

 accumulated. 



Candle dipping was accomplished on a large scale by the use of 

 revolving candle driers. These devices were especially popular in 

 Pennsylvania, but they occurred elsewhere, as among the New England 

 Shakers, where large quantities were produced at one time. They 

 consisted in each instance of a series of horizontal spokes, like a rim- 

 less wheel, which revolved on an upright spindle supported on a 

 waist-high stand. From the end of each spoke was suspended a wooden 

 disk or square. On the bottom of this were numerous small hooks to 

 which the candle wicks were tied. When the molten tallow or wax 

 was prepared by heating it on the surface of a kettle of hot water, a 

 disk was removed from the drier, the wicks were dipped in the tallow 

 and withdrawn, and the disk hung back on the drier. The process was 

 repeated with each drier. By the time the entire series had been 

 dipped once, the first wicks were sufficiently hard to be dipped again. 

 Tlius, repeated coatings of tallow were allowed to accumulate until the 

 candles reached the desired size. 



Another simpler method of dipping was used in New England. 

 Here, the wicks were suspended and dipped from long sticks or 

 "broaches." Each stick, with a dozen or more wicks, was placed across 

 a p lir of long poles supported at the ends on the backs of two chairs. 

 The wicks were then dipped successively and repeatedly as with the 

 revolving drier (Earle, 1898, pp. 35-36). It was necessary, for the 



