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chimney The burning wick illuminated the mantle to a white heat. The lamp produced a very good light, but tended to “blaze up” and create a layer of soot on the mantle and a smoky chimney as the temperature in the room increased. By turning the wick down slightly, you could rectify the problem. Although it was much brighter, the Alladin lamp was considered to be less safe than the humble oil lamp.

A step above both those lamps was the Coleman lantern. This was a two- mantle affair fuelled by naphtha gasoline. You funneled the fuel into the base of the lamp, and then pumped air into the base to supply the pressure that injected the fuel to the lighted mantles. The lantern burned quite brightly with a constant, loud, hissing noise. Like the Aladdin