Quote:
Originally Posted by Engine Serang
Being a baby-boomer I was reared with mains electricity coming in on a wire and mains sewerage going out in a pipe so gas mantles are not in my vocabulary. Are they by any chance related to the mantlepiece?
I have heard mention of a Tilly Lamp and a Hurricane Lamp and wonder if the Academic Mr V could put all these gizmos on a time line, unless he's playing darts in the Old Market tonight.
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Still have a hurricane lamp somewhere but not used in donkey's years.
Also have kerosene blow lamp which I do use from time to time. It scares hell out of the YMs and the (adult) kids as they wait for it to explode and take me with it ..........
The thing that does scare me is gas. Invisible and lethal.
Nearly burnt the Commissioner's Special Carriage to the rails in the outback on the way to Alice Springs back in the 70s. Timber and varnish burn well! Coldest overnight in Central Australia on record (-7C IIRC).
Gas space heater in the dining saloon:
- Turn on gas at tank
- Turn on gas at heater
- Light match near heater
- Nothing, bugger!
- Little blue flames over about a square metre surrounding the heater.
- Turn off gas tank and flames die.
- Rat crew cabin for extra blankets
- Booked fault on arrival in Alice Springs -oh yes we knew about it split hose but hadn't got round to fixing it!!!!
If the Commissioner had been travelling I bet it would have been fixed beforehand.