Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) 14th Of January 1899 TEST OF A NEW ILLUMINANT. The members of the Ripon Corporation (England) were called together recently to witness the testing for the first time in England of what is known as the "Kitson Light," an American invention. The invenfor of the light, Mr. Arthur Kitson, M.E., of Philadelphia, son of Mr. J. Kitson, of College-road, Ripon, was present and explained the new illuminant. The basis of the discovery is lighting and heating with kerosene oil, and it is claimed that it is the most brilliant artificial light over produced. The cost is said to be one-third of incandescent lighting, and half the cost of gas. It has all the properties of the electric light in the, detection of colours and in taking photographs. One quart of kerosene oil will furnish a light of 400 to 500 candle-power during ten hours' continuous burning; and this without any complicated machinery, a lamp, tank of oil, pump, and tubing being all that s required. In addition to cheapness and brilliance, safety is a leading feature in the use of the light. Mr. A. Kitson is a graduate of King's College, London, a winner of Sir Joseph Whitworth's exhibition, and has superintended railway construction in Russia, his invention being the result of many years' study. It is said that the new light has already made headway in America, where it is in charge of the Kitson Hydro Carbon Heating and Incandescent Company.
I guess Santa would have a hard time fulfilling such a wish - but here is an illustration of the apparatus that might ease the search
Haavar - I think the article refer to an early Kitson hollow wire system and not a lamp as the one of that familiar very early Kitson pressure lamp patent from 1898. That early Kitson lamp patent have not been confirmed with a lamp manufactured in reality, and would only be considered as a sketch of an early pressure lamp. You may find a nearby lamp in my Canadian " " lamp, that is possible the lamp that eventually came out of that patent. From a Kitson Workslighting catalogue from Neil you can see one type of a Kitson hollow wire system maybe like the one mentioned in that article. Neil would also be the one who could enlightened us further of the Kitson Light. /Conny
Conny, One thing I meant to mention was, this Article was printed in Jan 1899 in Australia so you can be sure it was first published in 1898 elsewhere in the world. That ties in with your 1898 patent.
Conny. Your sketch seems to match Mattys article spot on. At the BTHL online library you can download some interesting historical documents https://ia800607.us.archive.org/1/items/TheKitsonLight/Cca48881KitsonHeatingAndLightingCo._text.pdf
