The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-02-04
THE MINER.
Ansell's Fire-Damp Indicator.

In 1874, the coal and iron stone mines o
Great Britain numbered 1920, and the
computed number Of male persons employed
was 307 SAP. It appears that of these; one
life ID 354 was lost BY accident during the
year, and that for every 109, 718 tors o.
coal recovered and brought to the surface
one human life was sacrificed. Beside the
fatal accidents, there is a fearful arrsy Of
Commissions, fractures, naimings, ampata-
tons, &C., SO that the record OF mining &C
cdeuts reads more like the description Of a
hattie field than the ordinary report Of in
dustrious and peaceful pursuits.
This heavy mortality shows that the
means at present employed to indicate the
presence Of ire-damp are inadequate
Much evil, however, results from the rack
lessness and ignorance Of the wOrktAen.
The 'Davy lamp" il constantly being ram
pered with the "Geordl e" is not held in
much favor and the Dumas" lamp does
not yield sufficient light TO enable the miner
70 see bis work. The Davy lamp serves,
however, to indicate the presence OF the
ire-damp. Mr. g f. Ansell Of the RQyaI
Mint now offers to miners and mine Own
ers a simple and beautiful 6re-damp mGica
tor, by means Of which the presence 81
the smallest percentage Of hre-damp o.
choke-damP is Immediately detected. W.
give y description il bis own words:
The apparatus is of lhree kinds The
first consists Of a difiu>iometer, "a elegrrlr
slarum, aud small galvanic battery, the
whole beirg arranged under small stand
OF sufficient portability for the miner to car
~ with him into the heading where he il al
work, aud upon a sudden irruption of lire
damp. the sarum is rung instautaneoasly
it, action may lie explained b the following
manner:
The ditusiometer consists of a bent
tube in the form Of a letter U, having Al
one end cup or chamber, the surface OF
which is enclosed ~ a piece Of porous tile
This tube is partially filled with mercury.
When the tire-damp surrounds It, diffusion
Of the gas takes place through the porous
tile, COMPRISING the volume Of air within
the cup, and thereby forcing the mercury
doWnwards, which rises in a corresponding
manner IN the opposite side Of he tuhe !;
this Is made 70 form contact with one afthc
terminal poles OF the battery, and the
aarum is given. By proper adjustment il
can be set TO ind cate within five seconds
after the Eruption q gas. TIE sevuui
form Of instrument is FIR indicating gradual
accumulation it consists of an inflated 10
l. l.1 "a Ev.I
Diffusion takes place through the surface Of
the BALI causing It t. expand. This. force
is applied ~ a mechanical arrangement 70
complete the circuit of battery, and by
means Of a tele- raphic wire t will ipdicat'
at the mouth Of the pit where the air OF
that particular part Of the mine is ext lOsive
These instruments could be placed in diff
ferent parts Of the mine, and by simple
system Of telegraphy perfe knowledge o.
the state Of the air would be bad b9 those
above ground and 10 the case Of g7adua
accumulation taking place in the might dur
ing the absence of the miners, the affected
part Of the mine would be indicates at The
mouth Of the pit The third arrangement
is for Indicating the presence of 6r',-dsmI
and measuring its quantity. 1t is an adap
tation Of the aDerIod barometer, and is eX
tremely portable, being little larger thar
an ordinary watch. The instrument Is grad
usted to the ordinary bsrometrical scale
aud cen be used 40 a barometer. WheI
not required as fire damp indicator ;
small valve is attached, which. being open
admits the atmosphere, and the instrnmen
acts as bare meter but, \ hen closed, tb,
admission OF gas must be thi Ougb pOrou
tile, which c4uses compress on as bef,r,
explained } and the indication is given b.
the band upon the dial. The indications 81
unvsryirg. 100 per cent Of fire-da!np be
ing indicated hy $50 inches Of the baron
etTca scale, and 10 per cent. by 0 81
inches. II will also determ ne the smO IN
Of carbonc acid or cboke-damp, the han
moving in the opposite direction to that 70
h'q-dsmp,"
Ii order to render the description full
intelighle, We append description Ofth
eonstTuctICa of the sneriOd barometer.