The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-10-11
NUMBER As.
the MINER.



In IS44. the coal aud iron stone mines
Of Great Britain numbered Z. .220. and the
computed number Of male persons em-
ployed was 3I7. .5l2 II appears that "A
these one life in :l'4 was lest by accident
during the year, and that for every lO9,
7lS tons of coal recovered and brought TO
the surface one human life Was sacrificed
Besides the fatal accidents. there Is a fear
ful array Of cuntusInns. fractures, MAIN
ings, amputatIons. Ac. 50 that the record
of mining accidents reads more like the
description of a battle field than the 0rdi-
nary report III industrious and peaceful
pursuits.
This heavy mortality shows that the
means at present employed a. indicate the
presence W tre-damD are Inadequate
Much evil, however, results from the
recklessness and ignorance II the work
men. The ''Davy lamp Is constantly be
ing tampered with the ''Georlie" Is not
held il much favor and the Dumas
lamp does not yield sufficient light to en-
able the miner to see his work. The Davy
lamp serves, however t. Indicate the
presence Of tre-damp. Mr.. q. f. Ansell,
Of the Royal Mint, nov offers to miners
and mine-owners a simple and beautiful
tire-damp Indicator, by means Of which
the presence Of the smallest percentage Of
fire-damp or choke-damp Is Immediately
detected. We give description in his
own words
The apparatus il of three kinds The
first consists II a diffusiOmeter. an electric
alarum. and small galvanIc battery, the
whole being arranged under a small stand
Of sufficient portability for the miner to
carry with him into the heading where he
is AT work, and upon a sudden irruPtion
Of fire lamp the alarm il rvIng instantane-
ously It's action may be explained in the
following manner The dIffusiometer con
sists of bent tube in the form q letter
L, having at on, end cap cr chamber.
the surface a which l. enclosed by piece
Of porous tile This tube a. partially hlled
with mercury When the fre-damp sur
rounds 1t, diffusion ri the gas takes place
through the Porus Iile. COMPRISING the
volume of air within the cup. aud thereby
forcing the mercury downwards. which
rises in corresponding manner in the
opposite side NJ the tube. this IL made to
form contact with one Of the terminal
poles Of the battery. and the alarm Is CIV
en-. BY proper adjustment II can ~ set
to indicate within tive seconds after the
irrup-ion Of gas The second form If in
strument is for indicating gradual accumu-
lation; 1t consists Of an inflated India rub
ber ball, which Is fixed IN frame. Ditfu-
sion takes place through the surface ~ the
ball, causing it tO eqpand. This force il APP
Piled by mechanical arrangement to com
plete the circuit of a battery, and by means
Of a telegraphic wire It viii indicate at the
mouth Of the pit where the air ~ that par
ticular part of the mine Is explosive. These
instruments could be placed IN different
parts of the mine and by simple system
Of telegraphy perfect knowledge Of the
state If the air would bc had hy those above
ground and III the case ~ gradual accu.
mutation taking place IN the night during
the absence of the miners. the affected part
Of the mine would be indicated at the mouth
of the pit. The third arrangement is fol
indicating the presence "f fre-damp and
measuring its quantity. u u An adaptation
Ut the aneriod barometer. and H. extremely
portable. being little larger than an ordina
~ watch. The instrument - graduated L
the ordinary barometrlcai scale. and can bt
used as barometer. When not required a:
A fire-,lamp Indicator a small valve il at
tached, which, being open. admits the at
mosphere. and the instrument acts AS a bar
ometer; but, when closed. the admission o
gas must be through a porous tile. which
causes compression (as before eXplained)
and the indication il gwen ny the hand up
on the dial The indications are mvarying
| 100 per cent. of tre damp being indicated
| by l-6SO inches II the harnmetrical scale
and 10 per cent. by O-lSO inches. II vii
also determine the amount ~ carbuni,
acid or choke damp. the hand moving il
the opposite direction to- that for fire
damp
In order 70 render the description fulll
intelligible, we append description 0
the construction ~ the aneroid barome
\ ter