I was at an auction a couple of years back where there was an old acetylene generator for welding.  I was the only person there that knew what it was for.  Too rough to buy.

I've heard they are still in use in the wilderness in Canada.  They're large and ungainly pieces of equipment, a small electricity generator and welder would be way more convenient.  I'm guessing that potassium chlorate was used to generate the oxygen needed.

My mom's folks saved all sorts of stuff dating back to the 30's.  There was so much I don't know where they stored all of it, plus it moved all over the country from Illinois to Missouri to Oregon and so on.  There were linens that had never been used that were rotten.