What caused the immediate failure of J.P. Knight's 1868 gas signal?
Answer
A leak in the gas line causing an explosion
Just one month after its installation, J.P. Knight's gas-lit signal suffered a catastrophic failure when a leak in the gas line caused the device to explode, demonstrating the need for a safer power source.

Related Questions
When was J.P. Knight's gas-lit signal first used in London?What milestone was achieved by James Hoge's creation in Cleveland in 1914?What critical feature did Garrett Morgan's patented signal introduce?Which inventor is credited with developing the manually operated, four-way signal incorporating the amber caution light?What caused the immediate failure of J.P. Knight's 1868 gas signal?Where was the first electric traffic signal installed?In what year did Garrett Morgan secure the patent for his traffic signal design?How was the first electric signal created by James Hoge in 1914 controlled?Which company purchased the rights to Garrett Morgan's traffic signal patent?What observation can be made about the cities where Hoge and Morgan developed their signaling solutions?What distinguished the fully automated traffic light from the earlier Hoge and Morgan devices?