Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1901 — Lamp Chimneys [ARTICLE]

Lamp Chimneys

Million, of Them Mn.de in Thio Country.

“The lamp chimney,” said a man acquainted with the trade, to the New York Sun, “seems a simple sort of thing, but there are not many things of more common use the world over and in the aggregate the number sold is enormous. In this country there are 12,000 men and boys employed in making lamp chimneys, and the chimneys produced number 'millions annually. The greater number are now made west of the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, where the majority of the glass works of the country are located,* many of them in the natural gas regions. The first glass works in the country was established in Boston and formerly the glass-making Industry was principally in the east Now there are not nearly so many glass factories here as there once were. One not familiar with the business might be surprised with the great variety in which lamp chimneys are made. Lamps are made in these days in very great variety by many makers and of course there are made chimneys suitable for all of them. There is one American lamp chimney maker who, counting sizes and styles, produces 600 varieties. Among the great variety of chimneys made there are some that are of common use everywhere and then there are some that are specially suited to demands in this or that part of the country and are not in demand in other parts. Lamp chimneys are not only made in far greater variety than formerly, to fit perfectly every sort of lamp, but they are also made better than ever. In fact, lamp chimneys have advanced with everything else. But enormous and increasing as the production is, the demand scarcely keeps pace with the Increase In the population, this being especially true in cities where gas

is more and more used, and here in New York, for instance, by users through slot gas machines, which have some influence on the Mie of lamp chimneys. Still the number of lamps used here is enormous. There are plenty of people burning gas, for ur stance, who have as well three or four lamps, and the number of people here who use lamps alone for the purpose of illumination is very great There are used in New York and its vicinity millions of lamp chimneys annually. There are received in this city from western manufacturers, for domestic consumption, I suppose about four ear loads of chimneys weekly, running from 1,500 to 2,000 dozen chimneys to the car. These are sold to jobbers Who distribute them through their trade to customers to greater or less distances away. Perhaps half of these chimneys, or rather more, are used in the city or within fifty miles of it To the chimneys thus brought here are to be added those produced here, the eastern chimneys being made chiefly for the local trade and for export Wo import a few lamp chimneys of the cheapest and of the best grades, the cheap chimney from Germany and the costlier from France, but these imports cut only a small figure in the total consumption, and we export lamp chimneys in great quantities. We send very few to Europe, though we do sell them some of our best chimneys. But outside of Europe we sell lamp chimneys everywhere. We come into competition in some parts of the world with the Germans, who make chimneys very cheaply, but our exports are increasing and we send chimneys, as I said, everywhere; to Mexico, the West Indies, South Africa, China, in fact to all lands to which lamps are used, all around the earth.”