Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

[Marine Mike]

I can find reference to smoking lamps before the Civil War and I have found a picture of one from the Spanish American War and a drawing that appears to be mid 19th century to early 20th but no date. Can anyone point me to a museum, book or online source that can show me a US Navy Civil War era smoking lamp?
I've found reference for whisk brooms for the maintenance of uniforms for Spanish American War and in some British documents for the Royal Army during the Crimean war. It leads me to believe that it could be part of a sailor or soldiers kit while in barracks or aboard ship but I'd like to have something better than it's possible. Any sources on this? I want to practice period methods in the care of my uniform during events.
Mike Stein

[sigsaye]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

I can find reference to smoking lamps before the Civil War and I have found a picture of one from the Spanish American War and a drawing that appears to be mid 19th century to early 20th but no date. Can anyone point me to a museum, book or online source that can show me a US Navy Civil War era smoking lamp?
I've found reference for whisk brooms for the maintenance of uniforms for Spanish American War and in some British documents for the Royal Army during the Crimean war. It leads me to believe that it could be part of a sailor or soldiers kit while in barracks or aboard ship but I'd like to have something better than it's possible. Any sources on this? I want to practice period methods in the care of my uniform during events.
Mike Stein

Mike, I do not believe there was a specific "Smoking Lamp". It was any lamp, either oil or even candle. "Smoking Lamp" is more of a designation than a thing. This is how it works. On the old wooden ships, (ironclads are really wooden ships with iron plating), no one including officers were allowed to carry or even posess fire starting materials. Wooden ship, covered in oil based paint, tar, varnish, grease with bunkers full of coal dust and magazines full of powder and exploding shells, none of which mix well with fire. The only person allowed to posess fire starting materials was the Gunners Mate of the Watch, while on watch. It was thought since they handeled explosives they would be the most careful with fire. Part of their job was to lite the galley stove in the morning, and lamps iin the evening, and extinguish them when it was time. There was NO SMOKING any where at any time aboard ship except when the Captain allowed the "Smoking Lamp" to be lit (the actual Naval term is "Litted" as in light ed). When the CO decided to allow the lamp, he would inform the Duty GM. The Captain would tell the GM where in the ship to lite the lamp and how long to keep it lit. It was generally always on a weather deck (any deck exposed to the weather) on the Lee side of the wind so any embers or smoke were blowen away from the ship. Some times there may be a tripod to hang the lamp, or it might be humg from a hook on a mast. Each ship was different as they had to set it all up to fit their situation. Generally smoking was only allowed during daylight, after normal working hours. This was so that if there was an accident, there was enough lite to see what you were doing to resolve any "issues". It was also usually set at a time where the on going watch could catch a smoke and then the off going watch could get one in too before the lamp was put out.

The Lamp was actually where you went to light your smoke. You stayed right there in a designated area. There were buckets of sea water there to insure your "smoking materials" were fully extinguished and to toss on any "issues" if needed. Like most smokers of the day, Sailors smoked mostly pipes. Sailors had a special way of smoking a pipe. They turned it with the bowel facing down. First it was easier to light as you put the bowel over the flame of the lamp and it went up into the tobacco. While thei smoked a bit faster than the shore way, you didn't have all that much time any way. It laso kept out any water from splashing seas or rain. I have done this at sea, in the rain, and it works well.

Like Soldiers, Sailors liked cigars too when they could get them. I have several studio pnotos of Sailors proudly displaying cigars, smoking them, holding them in their hands and a few sticking out of frock pockets. I am assumeing that ahsore they boutght a box of matches as the prohibitions did not apply and tossed them when they returned to the ship.

As for wisk brooms. I know they were commonly used by both Enlisted Sailors and Officers. I just can't find a written referance right now.. I was able to find a 1846 table of equipage for a ship with a crew of 200 that allowed 400 shoe brushes, 200 clothes scrub brushes and 800 cans of shoe blackening to be carried for crew use. I have Blue Jackets Manuals from a 1902 reprint to current and the wisk broom for brushing blues was standard issue through to 1950.

Steve Hesson

[Marine Mike]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

Steve,
I thought it was more saying then implement until I saw a picture of two sailors on the USS Olympia that was posted by the US Navy Institute. I'd post the link but I didn't trust the link I pasted as I was composing this response so will recommend you do a Google image search.
I'd been led to believe that a lamp, if used would be hung at a particular location and a slow match made available. The image leads one to believe that it was a shielded flame with an opening large enough to get your face in close proximity for either cigar or pipe. Now seeing some possible evidence of such contraption it brought up the question of how far back in time did this kind of apparatus go back as it's 35 years since the Civil War? What did the front side look like as it doesn't appear to have a door?
You mentioned the Gunners Mate but I also read that the Master at Arms was involved in the control of the smoking lamp. Was this a ship to ship variance or am I missing a detail?
Last but not least, when were brooms wire bound? What would be a correct manufacture for a Civil War era broom?
Mike Stein

[sigsaye]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

Steve,
I thought it was more saying then implement until I saw a picture of two sailors on the USS Olympia that was posted by the US Navy Institute. I'd post the link but I didn't trust the link I pasted as I was composing this response so will recommend you do a Google image search.
I'd been led to believe that a lamp, if used would be hung at a particular location and a slow match made available. The image leads one to believe that it was a shielded flame with an opening large enough to get your face in close proximity for either cigar or pipe. Now seeing some possible evidence of such contraption it brought up the question of how far back in time did this kind of apparatus go back as it's 35 years since the Civil War? What did the front side look like as it doesn't appear to have a door?
You mentioned the Gunners Mate but I also read that the Master at Arms was involved in the control of the smoking lamp. Was this a ship to ship variance or am I missing a detail?
Last but not least, when were brooms wire bound? What would be a correct manufacture for a Civil War era broom?
Mike Stein

I agree that the photo you site is a "Smoking Lamp". What I am saying is that at the time of the CW, anything was used as so many ships were being put into commission that the Navy had a very difficult time outfitting them. The special made lamp you have seen would have also made it much easier to light up. The Master At Arms was always involved in everything. He was the Law. The MAA was the only enlisted man on a ship that had full military authority over all enlisted men. Think SGT MAJ in the Army or Marines. His role was to enforce all Navyand ship regulations, policies and procedures. He enforced and carried out disicipline. The GM lit the lamp, The MAA (or Ships Corporals) insred that everyone stayed in the designated area and maintained order.

The thing is that with Naval things, you can not get too hung up on the details of one particular item, as that may have been the only one that ever exsisted, due to the Navys procurement system. Ships got what they needed from whatever local source they could. If they needed something and it was not available, they made it or adapted something to fit the needed purpose.

This also goes with uniforms. For example, you can find an original Army fatigue blouse, and be pretty sure that there were thousands just like it. So reproducing that blouse would be representitive of something common. But when you find an original Navy frock, chances are that it is the only one ever made like that one. Or may be it was one of 10 or 20.

As far as brooms go, I have never seen one, I just know they were used. What ever a period wisk broom looked like would be what was used. They would have been purchased locally.

Heres another example. Paymaster Keeler (Supply Officer) of the Monitor was directed by LT Jeffers (Captain), while anchored in Hampton Rhodes, to procure straw hats for the crew. Keeler went ashore to find 40+ hats. he could not find any. So, he bought a quantity of straw and brought it back and the crew to making their own hats. There is no discreption as to what these hats looked like when they were finished. There is no mention of sweatbands, linings or bindings around the edge. Chances are they had none of these features even though those were standard features of the time. While they most likely all fit the general style of a straw hat, you can see where they would all be a bit different enough that you could see the differance.

Now, as to the picture youmention. in 1883, the Navy mad massive changes, reorginazitions and reevaluation of how they did things. Basically, it was a re-set of the Navy. Up to that point, ships had been pretty much on their own to survive. They Navy did not bet heavily envolved in actual logistics as there were no facilities outside of the continental US, you had to fend for yourself. Prior to the CW, this was fine. Naval warfare up to then had been mostly individual ships fighting it out when they met. The CW was the first protracted conflict for the Navy. It was routinely operating large groups of ships in a relatively small operting area and reealised it needed a logistics train to keep these ships in service. In order to have an efficent functioning supply system, you must first have standardization. Prior to the re set, no two ships were ever actually alike. They may have been built in the same yard to the same plans with the same building crew and supervisor. But, there were always subtal varriations which grew as the years of service went by. This was again, due to having to get what you needed locally and modifying the ship and crew to make things "fit". After the reset (1883) the Navy standardized everything from socks to submarines. By the Span-Am war, we had bases and stations scattered around the world to support the logistic train. Interestingly enough the Captains and Admirals who were the leaders of the Naval reform that created this standardized system were ensigns and LTs during the CW and saw the need then, and how it worked for the Army.

Hopes this clears the water so to speak. When I first started researching the CW Navy, I had just come from the modern Navy and the "Authentic" Army reenacting world. it took me awhile to grasp that the actual CW Navy did not fit into the model created by the H/C/P reenacting community and that while the basics were the same as my Navy, much of the big picture of how it worked was much different from my Navy.

Steve Hesson

[Marine Mike]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

Steve,
Thanks for the excellent reply. It appears that Naval reenactors/interpretors have to be extra wary in building their impression.
Mike Stein

[sigsaye]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

Steve,
Thanks for the excellent reply. It appears that Naval reenactors/interpretors have to be extra wary in building their impression.
Mike Stein

Mark, Naval history as it applies to the material and social culture of the American Sailor is a huge puzzel. Unlike the Marines, the Navy has never really taken its history seriously. I have found quite a few things that the Navy it self has put out about its history that are bogus. But, I do this research full time now, no other job. So I'm slowley unraveling it all to make it understandable. The material culture and social culture are intertwined and driven by the circumstances of its time.

I write on several other forums and sometimes forget that I haven't explained some of the basics like who the Master-At-Arms was back then. Or even how the logistic system worked (or didn't)

Steve Hesson

[Marine Mike]

Re: Smoking lamps and whisk brooms

Steve,
We get a lot of 'there were Marines in the Civil War?', 'John Brown was arrested by Marines?' and the 'Marines stopped a riot in Washington DC?'. That and a recurring explaining to the Congress of why there should be a Corps of Marines in it's early years probably help explains the care and nurture of Marine Corps history.
Mike Stein