Edward Miller & CO Mantle Lamp Department
Prior to 1909 Edward Miller & Co. had modified existing lamp tooling to accept side draft incandescent mantle burners that used the standard number 3 threads. These lamp founts were sold to companies that imported German side draft incandescent mantle burners, mated them with Miller's founts and sold the lamps within North America. The best known of these companies was United Factories of Kansas City, Missouri who sold specially labeled Fellboelin burners on Miller manufactured founts under the "Wonder Lamp" brand name.
In 1909 the Edward Miller & Company Mantle Lamp Department was created as a separate division of Miller to focus on the manufacture and sales of kerosene incandescent mantle lamps. The first mantle lamps they manufactured were the Sundart, CONTRACO and the Lumo. Sundart and CONTRACO used lamp bodies that were adapted from Miller Lumo round wick lamps and were unique to the Sundart and CONTRACO product lines. The Lumo lamps used a lamp body that was shared by all the other mantle lamps that the Miller Mantle Lamp Department made for other companies. The Sundart was labeled as an E. Miller & CO lamp and was sold by Miller. The Lumo lamps were made for the John S. Noel Co. of Grand Rapids Michigan. Follow-on lamps were almost identical to the Lumo with differences primarily related to the flame spreader and burner mounting.
The Miller Mantle Lamp Department manufactured lamps under the Bright-As-Day (Sears), DayLite, The Thomas Mfg. Co, Lumo, Rider Triple Air, Sunlight (Montgomery Wards), Sundart, CONTRACO brands and possibly more. They also manufactured lamp bases for use with German mantle lamps prior to the beginning of WWI in 1914.
Daylite - Bright as Day - Lumo - Sunlight
Since these lamps used existing tooling wherever possible the lamps presented a relatively inexpensive way for a company to enter into the mantle lamp business.
Left Lumo Lamp: The foot and stem of this lamp was used on all but two of the Miller manufactured mantle lamps. |
Two different versions of the Lumo centre draft table lamp manufactured by Edward Miller & Co.
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Right Lumo Lamp: The foot, stem and lower half of the kerosene bowl, along with a reworked top half were used on the Sundart and CONTRACO mantle lamps.
The Sundart lamps were manufactured and sold by the Miller Mantle Lamp Department as a Miller lamp.
The CONTRACO lamps were Sold by the Connecticut Trading Company. |
Sundart Lamp
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CONTRACO ad from 1909 Farm Journal
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The miller family of burners shared the same external burner basket. The Sunlight Burner basket only has 7 rows of holes. The Daylite burner basket has the same shape but has a larger diameter at the base where it attaches to the lamp bowl.
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The Miller family shares the same wick adjuster assembly. The Sundart, CONTRACO and Lumo burners do not have a nut against the outside of the basket on the wick adjuster shaft. The nut is present on all the other Miller family burners.
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The Miller family of burners shared many parts that are covered in a patent filed on March 28, 1917 by Frank Theodore Williams (pdf), granted on July 32, 1917.
"While I have shown my improved burner in its preferred form, it should be understood I contemplate that various changes and modifications may be made in the proportions and details thereof without departing from the sprit or scope of the invention." |
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Wick holders used with the Miller family of mantle lamps. The wick holder on the left is for the Daylite lamp. The wick holder on the right is for all the other Miller family of mantle lamps.
Note: The Aladdin model 6 mounted wick can be used on all the Miller family of mantle lamps. |
Drawing of wick used in Miller mantle lamps taken from patent filing
Patent for wicks used in Miller mantle lamps. Filed by inventer Joseph Geppert June 3, 1922, granted January 26, 1926.(pdf file)
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A common gallery shared among most of the Miller family of mantle lamps. These galleries used the then common cap mantle. The gallery used on the Sunlight lamp is the same except it does not have the row of holes that ring the gallery cone.
Note: Miller family of mantle lamps that use a thimble type flame spreader can use Aladdin model 6 flame spreader and gallery to burn newer mantles. |
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The same filler cap was used on all the Miller family of mantle lamps
Note the centre hole. This was used to allow air into the bowl to equalize air pressure then the kerosene level dropped as the lamp was burning. Without the hole the lamp would self extinguish as a vacuum built up inside the bowl. |
When a fount lamp was offered Miller's standard round wick lamp fount was adapted for use with the mantle burner. The exception was the Sundart and probably CONTRACO.
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When an oil pot lamp was offered Miller's standard round wick oil pot was adapted for use with a mantle burner.
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Wall mounting bracket sold by Miller for use with the Miller Mantle Lamp Department manufactured fount lamps. The Sundart fount lamp used a larger diameter ring on the holder.
The Sears Bright as Day lamp was a possible exception. Sears may have used a different wall mounting bracket sourced from another company. |
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Bright-As-Day (Sears) | DayLite | The Thomas Mfg. Co | Lumo | Rider Triple Air | Sunlight (Montgomery Wards) | Sundart | CONTRACO
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