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Our editor, Tim Harrison recently purchased this old (1841) lighthouse advertisement card for the “impervious Safety Oil Can” for kerosene oil. The card, which is in near mint condition, features an unusual endorsement on the reverse, which states:

ENDORSED BY THE

U.S. GOVERNMENT

And Adopted For All Light Houses

Where Oil Is Used

It then featured a letter from the Treasury Department, Office of the Light-House Board, which is dated Washington, D.C., April 14, 1881 and it says:

“Gentlemen – The Board has practically tested at some thirty light-stations, for several months, your five-gallon cans as a reservoir of mineral oil for daily services, and with such success that it has adopted it for use at all stations in the Light-House Establishment which are illuminated by mineral oil, and has authorized the Inspectors of the various light-house districts to purchase the necessary number for that purpose.

The Board desires information as to whether you have an agency on the Pacific coast, and if so, to the address of the agents.

Please send a five-gallon can (with bill) to this office, by express, that it may be placed on exhibition in the Board room; and also send a couple of dozen circulars, for transmission to officers of the service,

Very Respectfully,

Geo. Dewey

Commander, U. S. N.

Naval Secretary

If any of our readers should discover one of these cans in an antique shop let us know, we would love to have for display in the Lighthouse Depot Lighthouse Museum. Contact, Tim Harrison, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 1690, Wells, Maine 04090 or by email at Timh@Lhdigest.com This old advertising card itself will eventually be displayed in the museum.

This story appeared in the April 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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