"Limelight" as a Light Source
An Englishman named Thomas Drummond invented the limelight in about 1826 but it wasn't until the 1860's that London theaters were using it as a follow spot and for special effects. Magic Lanterns soon adapted the devices which were able to control the volume of the gasses so as to raise and lower the light levels on two or more lanterns and dissolve from one view to another.
The term "limelight"
really has nothing to do with the color of the light but rather the source,
which is a form of limestone called calcium carbonate. Hydrogen and oxygen
gases are mixed together and the hot flame produced when burned is played
on the lime to heat it to the point it incandesces like a Coleman Lantern
mantle. Originally the gasses were stored in leather bags with a weight on
them and that is why some of the lanternists got to be called "windbags".
As time went on, metal cylinders of compressed gas became available in larger
cities and this was by far the safest way to handle the situation.
The Gas Generator for use with the Limelight.
Mr. George A. Kraus of Mogollon, New Mexico wrote to The Moving Picture World regarding his experience with using the Enterprise Optical Company's Model B Calcium Gas Machine with the limelight. His letter was published in the "Projection Department" in the July 5, 1913 edition and reprinted in the 3rd Edition of F H Richardson's Motion Picture Handbook published in 1916.
This
is a picture of the Enterprise Optical Model B gas generator for the limelight
that Mr. Kraus wrote about. He said that he had tried every American made
gas-making outfit as well as one from England and the Model B was the lightest
and most simple in operation. It could be set up and charged, ready for use
in 10 minutes.
The way it works is that "Oxone" cakes were placed in the bottom canister and water from the tank at the top allowed to drip at a regulated rate on the Oxone which caused a chemical reaction that generated oxygen. The gadget on the right was called a "saturator" and it was filled with either or gasoline and a portion of the oxygen routed through it which then became saturated with the either or gasoline and the resultant very flammable gas took the place of hydrogen.
Mr. Kraus used two saturators which enabled him to run 3 continuous shows of 3 reels each. He was able to achieve a 12 foot picture at a 41 foot throw, although F.H. Richardson recommended no more than a 10 foot picture.
Remember that electricity was not readily available in most parts of the world during the Nickelodeon era and if you wanted to travel with a movie show, the only alternative was the limelight. It is easy to see that with highly flammable nitrate film and a couple of saturators filled with either, there were lots of ways to go wrong with an itinerant movie show!
Copyright 2000 George C. Hall