Improvements in Miners' Lamps and Apparatus for Electrically Lighting the same.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
Improvements in Miners' Lamps and Apparatus for Electrically
Lighting the same.
I, SAMUEL HARRISON, of 73, Wallgate, Wigan, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturing Electrician and Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement whereby miners' 'lamps can
be lighted quickly by means of electricity without the opening of the lanip. It
is applicable both on the ground and below ground.
I form the wick of the lamp as an electrical conductor, it being composed of
cotton interwoven with several strands of fine copper wire or with a single copper
foil. In the strip in the centre the lamp tube or tubes are formed of insulating
material, and the lamp wick is insulated from all parts of the lamp in an oil
tight manner.
If the lamp be of glass the connection is made during its manufacture by
fusing into the glass a small platinum wire, this is afterwards connected with
the lamp wick. The bottom of the lamp is insulated with a suitable disc of any
insulating material to prevent sparking from the conductor or contacts to the
lamp bottom. One insulating material which I find very useful for forming a
plug in the lamp through which the conduction is brought is ambroine. The
lamp is lit by an electric spark either from a high tension dynamo or the
secondary winding of an induction coil which is controlled by an automatic
switch in the following manner :-
The automatic switch for connecting the current of the dynamo or primary
or secondary battery to the primary winding of the induction coil is so arranged
that the contact is made when the lamp is pressed down into the socket.
By this means the waste of current when the generator or source of electricity
is not being used for the lighting of the lamps is avoided, also as only a spring
contact is exposed the coil and batteries can be kept in a thoroughly gas proof
case or box and securely locked so as to avoid their being tampered with whilst
in the mine. The box is carried down to the mine and the lamp attendant can
then light the lamps by simply pressing the lamp down until the contact piece
on the lamp comes into contact with the terminals in the socket.
As the lamp
is pressed down, the switch comes into action and the complete circuit is made
by a side contact with a terminal on the lamp having an exposed point near the
wick. When the apparatus is used on the surface for lighting the lamps in the
morning or at any other time when the lamps are being served out to the miners,
he contact can be made by the same lever which locks the lamp, and the locking
rrangement can be connected with the automatic switch, so that by locking,
he automatic switch is momentarily put in action.
The plan of automatic switch which I prefer is as follows:-
There is a base to the lamp of insulating material, wood, ebonite or the like.
In this is a recess with a slot to allow the locking staple of the lamn to fit and

page_text: act as a guide for making electrical contact for completing the secondary circuit.
Springs of either rubber or metal and of any convenient form are used to keep
the ebonite disc in such a position as to release the contacts from the terminal
of the primary or the secondary battery and the terminal winding of the induc-
tion coil, when the base is not pressed down. The conductors of the primary
circuit are secured to the ebonite disc and connected to the contacts below. The
disc is so arranged that the weight of the lamp coming upon it forces the springs
down, and the ends of its contacts come with frictional contact into the terminals
of the battery and the primary winding of the induction coil and by so doing
close the primary circuit and place the lamp itself in circuit with the secondary
winding coil and thus the lamp is electrically lit. When the lamp is removed
from the diso the springs are released and come back to their normal position
and thus the contacts on the disc are raised from the terminals below and the
circuits are opened.
Dated this 24th day of March 1898
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Miners' Lamps and Apparatus for Electrically
Lighting the same.
I, SAMUEL HARRISON, of 73, Wallgate, Wigan, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturing Electrician and Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement whereby miners' lamps can
be lighted quickly by means of electricity without the opening of the lamp. It
is applicable both on the ground and below ground.
The wick of the lamp is of cotton interwoven with several strands of fine copper
wire to act as the return conductor of the electric current, and the conductor
leading to the wick, which can be of any suitable conducting metal, is thoroughly
insulated from all parts of the lamp. The bottom of the lamp is also insulated
by means of a disc of any insulating material to prevent sparking from the con-
ductor or contacts to the lamp bottom. The lamp is lighted by an electrical
spark either from a high tension dynamo or from the secondary winding of an
induction coil which will be controlled by an automatic switch. This switch
connects the primary current of the primary or secondary batteries to the primary
winding of the induction coil, thereby avoiding the waste of current when the
coil is not being used for the lighting of the lamp, it also admits of the induction
coil and batteries or accumulators being kept in a thoroughly gas proof case
or box which can be securely locked to avoid tampering with whilst in the mine.
The automatic switch is so arranged that the contact is made when the lamp
is placed in a socket formed in the aforementioned gas tight box.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a vertical section, some parts being in elevation of a lamp and its
connections;
Figure 2 a plan of box with lamp removed;
Figure 3 an enlarged view of a portion of the lamp;
Figure 4 plan of same and
Figure 5 elevation and cross section of the lamp wick."

page_text: In these, A is the lamp and B the gas proof box containing the accumulators C
and induction coil D. E is a base of ebonite or any other insulating material
in which is a recess E¹, having a slot e to admit the ordinary locking staple S of
the lamp which usually stands out as shown and to act as a guide, through the
locking staple and its guard T entering it for making contacts for completing
the secondary circuit. Fare springs of metal of any form that will keep an
ebonite disc G in a raised position as shown, and clear of the terminals G₁ G².
These springs serve as contacts for completing the primary circuit when the
disc G is pressed down by the weight of the lamp. H is the terminal of the
secondary circuit attached to the disc G, and I a contact piece under the bottom
of the lamp. J the conductor leading to bridge M which is in close proximity
with the conducting wires W of wick J¹ of the lamp and insulated from the
lamp by a tube K and disc L which prevents sparking to the lamp bottom; M
the bridge piece on the end of conductor J; N regulating tube of insulating
material, O spring contact piece which rises with lamp and allows the primary
circuit to be switched out before secondary circuit is broken; P leather joint.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The parts being in the position shown in Figure 1 the lamp is placed in the
recess E in the top of the box B taking with it the spring contact O, and the
weight of the lamp bearing on the disc G presses down the springs F thereby
making contact with the terminals G¹ and G2 of the primary circuit and the
terminal H of the induction coil and by so doing closing the primary circuit and
placing the lamp itself in circuit with the secondary winding of the induction
coil, and thus the lamp is electrically lit; the current passing along the con-
ductor J and bridge piece M forms a spark with the conducting wires W of the
wick, passes down the wick, through the body of the lamp, along the spring
contact and back to the induction coil. When the lamp is removed the
springs are released and resume their normal position, thus raising the con-
tacts from the terminals G1 and G2 and switching out the primary circuit but,
owing to the spring contact O rising with the lamp, the secondary circuit is not
broken until after the primary circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :--
1. In an electric lamp lighting device in which the lamp with its terminals
is pressed down on to the secondary terminals so that the two sets of terminals
come in contact, an arrangement whereby the primary circuit can only be com-
pleted or broken while the lamp is in contact with the secondary
circuit substantially as described.
2. The improvement in miners' lamps which consists in forming them with a
conducting lamp wick a non-conducting regulating tube and a conducting
terminal contiguous to the lamp wick formed of an adjustable strip of metal
whereby the wear and tear caused by the sparking shall not come upon the
permanent parts of the lamp.
3. The general arrangement and construction of miners' lamps and apparatus
for electrically lighting the same substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.