  We describe the construction and calibration of a multi-channel liquid time
projection chamber filled with Tetramethylsilane (TMS). Its charge readout
system consists of 8 wires each in the $X$ and $Y$ directions. The chamber is
also equipped with a Cherenkov light readout system consisting of a 5-inch
photomultiplier tube (PMT) coupled to the liquid volume through a viewport. The
energy scale of the detector is calibrated using positron-electron pairs
produced by 4.4 MeV gamma rays emitted from an AmBe source, using an external
trigger on the positron annihilation gammas. The external trigger is then
reconfigured to tag cosmic ray muons passing through the active TMS volume,
which are used to measure the stopping power in TMS and the electron lifetime
in the detector. We find a most-probable energy loss from minimum ionising
particles (MIPs) of $\Delta_p/ds$ = (0.60$\pm$0.01) MeV/cm. We also derive an
electron lifetime of 43$^{+680}_{-21}~\mu$s by measuring the most-probable
energy loss as a function of drift time. For both fast electron and muon
signals, the PMT detects prompt Cherenkov light, demonstrating the possibility
of random triggering. The room-temperature organic target medium, together with
the self-triggering capabilities and long electron lifetimes reported in this
work, make this an attractive technology to further explore for rare event
detectors or other applications in the area of radiation measurements.
