13. Enhancing the light from a single candle
It is rare to have to fall back on candlelight as a source of illumination nowadays, especially with flashlights part of most smartphones, always at hand, it seems. Temporary losses of electrical power are about the only time candles are resorted to for lighting, and when they are the brightness from a candle can be enhanced through as simple expedient suggested by the Boy Scout Handbook in its 1950 edition. It was especially useful outdoors, when the light from a single candle could both be increased, making it visible at a greater distance in an emergency, while at once protecting the flame from being extinguished by the wind.
A glass jar or bottle, taller than the candle, can be employed as a shroud for the flame. Simply breaking the bottom of the vessel allows it to be slipped over the candle. A bottle with rounded shoulders beneath the neck worked best for the application. The bottle protected the flame from the wind, and the glass acted to enhance the glow emitted by the flame, creating both a signal lantern and a brighter light in the vicinity of the bottle. The simple trick created a more useful lamp in the home, and a more reliable source of light when outdoors, the true milieu of Scouts the world over.