General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal lantern frame painted black; red glass lens; some fittings appear to be brass; woven fabric wick.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

22.5 cm

Width

N/A

Height

51.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

22.5 cm

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Marine Transportation

Category

Communications

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Metal

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Hamilton

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Metal Industries Ltd. was established in the mid 1930s in Hamilton, Ontario. The 1930 Canadian Trade Index does not list the company but by 1936 the company is listed with an address at 112 York St (now York Blvd) in Hamilton. However, from 1946-1961 the business is not found in the Canadian Trade Index, whether it was out of business or not listed remains uncertain. By 1962 the company is listed as having moved to 99 Ashley St. in Hamilton. In 1996, the company changed its name to Mills Lighthouse, a division of Metal Industries Ltd. and the company’s address is listed as a post office box. The 1998 Canadian Trade Index marks the final appearance of Mills Lighthouse, a division of Metal Industries Ltd. in the Canadian Trade Index and it is safe to assume that the company is no longer in business. [Ref. 1]

Function

Used for visual communication at sea.

Technical

A number of maritime nations set rules governing the communication between ships using light signals in the mid-1800s; these rules largely came about because of the introduction of the steam engine to maritime travel. Various nations created their own regulations about the meaning of the placement and the colour of lamps. The first international standards were set in 1864 by the British Board of Trade working with their French counterparts; these regulations were soon adopted by 30 other maritime nations. In 1867, Thomas Gray, Assistant Secretary to The British Marine Department of Trade published a pamphlet titled Rules of the Road wherein he provides rhymes to help sailors remember the signal rules related to the 1864 regulations. Modern rules for ship’s safety signals were first adopted in 1929 by the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and by 1972 had been changed to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). According to SOLAS and COLREGS, a red all-round mast-head lamp could have been used for a number of different signals including “Vessel not under command” and “Vessel aground”. The Fresnel lens was invented in France in 1822 by Augustin Fresnel. It was more efficient at collecting & distributing light rays and produced a beam five times more powerful than the reflector system used previously. [Ref. 1]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

"METAL INDUSTRIES LTD./ HAMILTON CANADA/ SIGNAL/ PATT. 198" stamped into brass plate fixed to lantern. "CORNING" cast in raised print on lens.

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Metal lantern frame painted black; red glass lens; some fittings appear to be brass; woven fabric wick.

Decoration

N/A