Tech Directions - February 2008 - (Page 10)

Celebrate Black History Month! From the Technology’s Past poster series— technology’s past Dennis Karwatka d.karwat@morehead-st.edu William C. Coleman and His Gasoline Lantern Motion pictures set in 19th-century American West often show brightly lit interiors. However, in reality that was not a typical situation. Oil lamps often illuminated the houses, businesses, and restaurants of the era. The light output of each lamp roughly equaled that of a modern 4 W incandescent nightlight. Those early interiors became significantly brighter after William C. Coleman began marketing his improved gasoline lantern in 1914. Coleman was born near Albany, NY, in 1870 but his parents moved his family to Kansas when he was a year old. The farming family included Coleman and his two sisters. He graduated from Kansas State Teachers College in 1893 and taught high school for two years. He later sold typewriters and his travels took him to outlying communities. Gasoline lanterns distributed by the Irby-Gilliland Company in Memphis, TN, illuminated some businesses in those towns. Coleman liked the lanterns and signed a contract in 1900 to sell them for about $15 each. He started his new career in Kingfisher, OK, but had trouble with sales. A competitor in the area had earlier sold low-quality gravity-fed gasoline lanterns that soon stopped working. Nobody would buy Coleman’s, so he developed a unique marketing strategy. He decided he would sell a lighting service rather than a product. For $1 a week, businesses would receive a Dennis Karwatka is professor emeritus, Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology, Morehead (KY) State University. lantern, fuel, and servicing. They would not own the lantern, and if the service proved unsatisfactory, no charge would be made. It took only four days for Coleman to receive orders for 100 lanterns, which he would have to purchase for $10 each. He borrowed money from W. C. Coleman in an early 1920s publicity photograph relatives and launched his successful business. Within a year, Coleman had contracts in over 20 cities. A $1,000 loan from his brother-in-law grew to a worth of over $300,000. Coleman had some competition from electrical lamps, but many regions of the country did not yet have electrical service. And those early incandescent lamps were not nearly as bright as modern lamps. Their illumination was kept low both to match the light levels of oil lamps and to avoid overdriving the power plants. Coleman’s Irby-Gilliland gasoline lanterns produced light that was about 20 times brighter. But they had problems with clogging from carbon deposits, and they were not very sturdy. Coleman bought the company’s inventory and patents, and began to work on ways to improve the lanterns. Inspire your students with posters of African Americans who have had a major impact on the course of American history. These posters will help educate your students as well as perk up dull classroom walls. Each poster provides brief biographical information and a timeline of key life events—all designed around a stunning image of these notable black Americans. SALE! Only $9.95 each! Order today! To order: Online: www.techdirections.com/ posterstech.html FAX: 734.975.2787 Phone: 800.530.9673 ext. 200 Mail: Tech Directions Books & Media, PO Box 8623, Ann Arbor, MI 48107 10 techdirections ◆ FEBRUARY 2008 Photos courtesy of The Coleman Company, Inc. http://www.techdirections.com/posterstech.html http://www.techdirections.com/posterstech.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech Directions - February 2008

Tech Directions - February 2008 Technically Speaking Contents Direct from Washington The News Report Technology’s Past Technology Today Mastering Computers How Engineers Engineer—Lessons from My First Big Engineering Project Tips on Creating Complex Geometry Using Solid Modeling Software Press to Test—Shop-Built BJT Checker Is Easy Cable Television Technician International Technology Education Association Conference—Teaching TIDE with Pride Professional Development Opportunities Product Central Free for the Asking More than Fun

Tech Directions - February 2008

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