Mapping Memory by National Museums Liverpool

Transcript for Jim Smith

They used to supply all the oils lamps. An oil lamp was very very important, to the wicks. You see, what they would do is they’d put a little small oil lamp in what they called a boat compass. Now if this boat’s compass had to be used as a life boat, then when you’re at sea everything is pitch black, there is no light, there is no moon light, it’s black. So you can imagine, when you light the wick of this little oil lamp, it’s magic. It’s like the sun coming out in a sense in that you can see the compass in its spinacle and obviously steer your vessel to safety and that’s how important that was. With all the electronics of the world, a little piece of wick and oil lamp can save your life if you’re in the middle of nowhere, pitch black.