(from the article `safety lamp`) Electric hand and cap lamps were introduced in mines in the early 1900s and by the middle of the 20th century were used almost exclusively in mines. ... ...in the base of a lamp and then released through a jet in the centre of a bright metal reflector. A flint sparker made these so-called carbide ... ... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/c/18