The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma has a display featuring the Roslyn Coal Mine.
With regard to the carbide lamp, the display says:
“Carbide lamps which were easy to light and maintain, were introduced to the mining industry around 1905 and used extensively until the mid-1930s.”
The oil wick lamp hanging from the front of the camp was invented in Scotland in 1850. According to the display:
“The body of the lamp was filled with lard oil and the wick protruded from the spout.”
According to the display:
“The bases of the dinner pail was filled with hot water to keep the food warm or cold water to act as a cooler.”
According to the display:
“Each miner puts a check with his number on it on the loaded coalcar when he comes up from the shaft. After the coal is weighed, his check is hung back on the board. This system helps to identify accident victims.”
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum displays. More from this series:
Museums 101: Mining Town Organizations (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Mining Town Services (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Mining (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Steele Assay Office (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Nevada City Assay Office (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Blacksmith Shop and Saddle Shop
Museums 101: The Blacksmith Shop at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Geology in the Hanford Reach (Photo Diary)