1904-1907 Schultz Mfg. Co. Cold Blast

This lantern was on my list of ‘badly-wanted’ for a long time. While researching I kept seeing advertising for the Schultz Mfg. Co. and in my hardware magainzes, Schultz is listed as lantern manufacturers. However, none of the ads showed an illustration. That lack of knowing is what drives my want to discover. I was finally able to ID this lantern using patent illustrations from a later Ernest Schultz patent. When this lantern came up for sale, I had to get it.

Unfortunately for Ernest, his new company was formed at the worst time for lanterns, heavy competition and rising material cost meant lanterns weren’t really profitable. Shame, Ernest Schultz was an incredible lantern designer, being behind the designs of 3 lantern companies and inspiring the designs of many more companies. By 1907 Ernest was out of the lantern making business. Instead focusing on making Globes, and burners, along with lamps and various other items.

This lantern is pretty rough, showing it’s age with pitting and a few areas that I had to re-solder. However it’s still a fantastic lantern. The globe is marked “Samson Best Elastic”. Samson was the trade name that the wholesaler company ‘H.S. Howland Sons & Co.’ used. This globe would have been made likely by E.T. Wright & Co. as the font and shape of the letters is the exact same as the Comet lantern globe. Like many of my other oddball globes, even if not correct, it’s the lantern I found it in, so I’ll keep it in the same lantern. The crown is marked with “PATENT APPL. FOR”, however I’m not sure Ernest Schultz ever got that patent.

This lantern certainly has many similarities to the Banner lanterns, clearly designed by the same designer. The tubes are exact matches to Ontario Lantern and Lamp Co. However, this lantern differs enough that I could figure out it was not an OL&L. The globe guards are attached to tubes, much like early tubular lanterns. The skirt is quasi-formed kinda like Kemp lanterns. The Chimney is of its own design however.

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