25 - Jean Baptiste PALTZER (1796 - 1858) [1]
PALTZER, born in 1796, was an orfévrier in Trier. He had invented a new mechanism for regulating the flow of gas in oil lamps.
He started promoting his invention in 1843 in the Trier area in a local weekly [2].
He had a Luxembourg sales representative by the name of MERJAI COCHARD (who was a well known fabricant de tuyaux de pipes en corne et en os in Luxembourg-city).
PALTZER also published in 1843 testimonies of contented customers:
Die in meinem Gasthofe gestern Abend zur Probe aufgestellte Oelgas-Lampe aus der Fabrik des Herrn J. B. Paltzer aus Trier, hat vollkommen meinen großen Saal mit Billard beleuchtet, was man bis jetzt mit mehreren Lampen nicht im Stande gewesen.
Merzig, den 24. April 1843, Bauer, Gastwirt zum Trier’schen Hofe
Die in meinem Gasthofe gestern Abend zur Probe aufgestellte Oelgas-Lampe aus der Fabrik des Herrn J. B. Paltzer aus Trier, hat meine ineinandergehende Säle schönstens beleuchtet, was mit andern guten Lampen nicht hat können bewirkt werden.
Saarlouis, den 26. April 1843, Röhl, Gastwirt zum Rheinschen Hofe
Die in meinem Gasthofe gestern Abend zur Probe aufgestellte Oelgas-Lampe aus der Fabrik des Hrn. J. B. Paltzer aus Trier, hat vollkommen und zu allerZufriedenheit meinen grossen Saal beleuchtet.
Saarbrücken, G. Pilgram, Gastwirt zum Bären
In 1844 PALTZER took part in a Gewerbeaustellung in Berlin showing a luxurious version of his lamp:
Oelgas-Lampe, lackiert und vergoldet, und eine dergl. von poliertem Messing; beide mit einer Glasglocke.
From the Prussian patent Register it is not apparent that PALTZER had applied for a Prussian patent but on 4 March 1845 he applied in Luxembourg for a brevet d’importation [3] for a so-called
Lampe à pression élastique
In the introduction of his patent description PALTZER mentioned alternative names for the type of lamp he had perfected : lampe à piston, lampe à ressort-modérateur …
He described the essence of his invention as follows:
Besonderer Vorteil meiner Lampe besteht darin, dass nach einer jetzt neu angebrachten Vorrichtung bei minder starkem , doch schönem Lichte, in 3 Stunden nur für 4 Pfg. Oel verbraucht wird, und mittelst einer mechanischen Vorrichtung das Oel in beständiger Circulation gehalten wird, wodurch die Flamme ganz frei und weiss wie wirkliches Kohlengas erscheint.
The granting process, including the examination by Conseiller LIPKENS in La Haye, was completed rapidly and without administrative incident.
The decision to grant the patent was sent to Guillaume PESCATORE whom PALTZER had appointed as his representative in Luxembourg.
The patent was granted on 17 May 1845 for 5 years (for a fee of 20 florins) and was published in the Mémorial. In the patent certificate PALTZER is said to be a perfectionneur of a lampe à pression élastique.
In 1846 PALTZER licensed ferblantier SEYWERT in Luxembourg-city to build and sell his patented lamps in Luxembourg.
The fact that SEYWERT used the qualification of breveté par S. M. Le Roi Grand-Duc, was somewhat misleading as he had held indeed, since 1843, a Luxembourg patent, but it was related to a poêle, not to a lamp (see No 21).
SEYWERT took part in the 1852 Exposition de l’Industrie et des Arts in Luxembourg-city where he exhibited lampes et lustres (probably including PALTZER lamps) but he received recognition and praise only for the lustres. PALTZER did not take part.
PALTZER had a total of 14 children, some of them not reaching adolescence; his wife died in 1855 at the age of 52 and he died in 1858 at the age of 62.
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[2] Wochenblatt für die Bezirke Zweibrücken, Homburg und Cusel, 5 May 1843, page 3
[3] Paltzer did not possess a patent to “import” but the Government, at the time, did not question the matter and presumably took the view that a “brevet d’importation” was an invention “imported” into Luxembourg by a non resident.
(22/02/2021)
