530 HISTORY OF COH ASSET. 



tin lanterns punctured with nail holes might carry a feeble 

 candle out of doors. 



About the year 1850 a peculiar oil called burning fluid 

 began to be used in lamps without a chimney. This mix- 

 ture of camphine and alcohol or of naphtha would readily 

 creep up on wicks through two little tubes, and would 

 blaze away with two modest little flames. It made so 

 small an amount of heat that you could touch the burn- 

 ing wick with your finger, and then could carry on the 

 tip of the finger a film of blazing oil to light another 

 lamp. When the wick burned low it was pricked up by 

 the end of a knitting needle. 



But petroleum or kerosene by the year 1850 had been 

 manufactured for lamps in England, and nine years later 

 the wonderful petroleum well at Oil Creek, Pa., made 

 kerosene a universal household convenience. For many 

 years petroleum had been sold as a liniment, but from 

 the year i860 it took its place as a general luminant. 

 Kerosene lamps were soon introduced into the churches 

 and the town hall, with an occasional one out of doors in 

 public places. 



In the homes of the town kerosene is still the main 

 reliance ; but for public places like streets, town buildings, 

 churches, etc., the modern miracle electricity has been 

 introduced. A company of men was formed July 28, 

 1890,* for the purpose of furnishing electric lighting for 

 the towns of Cohasset and Scituate. It was a business 

 enterprise in which a number of our summer residents 

 took almost the entire stock. 



The enterprise was a feasible one only upon condition 

 that the town would establish street lamps upon the prin- 

 cipal thoroughfares of the town. By giving this large 

 patronage the Cohasset Electric Company was guaranteed 

 at least a safe, if not profitable investment. It was voted 

 at the town meeting of 1890 "that the streets of the town, 



* Incorporated August 12, 1890. 



