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Why were calcium carbide lamps used by miners and in lighthouse beacons?

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A labeled diagram of the periodic table entry for calcium, showing its atomic number 20, symbol Ca, atomic weight 40.078, electron configuration, and classification as an alkaline-earth metal. Icons indicate calcium is a solid with a face-centered cubic crystal structure and strongly basic oxides at room temperature. — calcium The chemical element calcium is the most abundant metallic element in the human body.

Calcium carbide lamps were used by miners and in lighthouse beacons because they provided a reliable source of illumination in locations where electric power was unavailable.1

These lamps function by combining water and calcium carbide to generate acetylene gas. When this gas is burned with the correct amount of air, it produces an extremely bright, pure white light. Because the process can be performed on a small scale, it was highly practical for portable equipment like miners' lamps as well as for stationary applications such as buoys and road signals.123

While effective for lighting, these lamps had limitations; for instance, they could be easily extinguished by wind or water, which posed challenges in certain environments.2