IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH MINERS' SAFETY LAMPS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION
WITH MINERS' SAFETY LAMPS."
Sealed the 3rd March 1868, and dated the 5th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
September 1867.
I, HENRY GARDNER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONNECTION. WITH MINERS'. SAFETY, LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The Invention is designed to supply such a fastner or lock to lamps
similar to Davy lamps for mining purposes that when once closed it cannot
again be opened without first destroying the efficacy and, utility of the illumi-
nating properties of the lamp.
And the Invention consists, first, in, the novel and peculiar formation of a
tube or duct for feeding the.lamp with oil that is separate and detachable
from the body of the lamp, but secured to the gauze cover; this tube at its
bottom end is closed in and formed. like a taper plug, the upper end being
+

page_text: left open, and the intermediate space being provided with a screw or thread,
and an opening or slot. The flange of the gauze cover and top of lamp are
provided with holes through which (when the gauze cover is screwed down
and the lamp lit) the tube is inserted, the bottom or taper end of which
is caused to plug or fill a hole formed in the bottom of the lamp, a perforated
or false bottom being supplied to the lamp for the purpose of guarding or
forming a protection to such hole. The operation of securing the gauze cover
and feeding the lamp being as follows:-The wick of the lamp being slightly
saturated with oil is first lighted, after which the gauze cover is screwed on,
which brings the hole in the flange of such cover over the screwed hole in the
top of the lamp and the taper hole in the bottom; at this time the oil tube is
inserted and screwed down so as firmly to plug up the hole in the bottom of
the lamp; the oil now is poured in the tube, entéring the body of the lamp
through the slot or opening in its side. When sufficient oil is thus poured in
the cap of the tube is replaced, thus so long as the gauze cover remains as a
protection to the light it cannot be removed, as it becomes necessary before
removing such gauze to withdraw the oil tube, the effect of which is to dis-
charge the oil from the lamp, thereby destroying the light, which dispenses
with the necessity of the protecting gauze.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GARDNER, of Ardwick, in the City of Manchester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Gardner, Her special license that I, the said Henry Gardner,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Gardner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN CONNECTION WITH MINERS' SAFETY LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Gardner, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Gardner, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
:-
The Invention is designed to supply such a fastener or lock to lamps similar
to "Davy" lamps for mining purposes that whence once lit and closed it cannot
again be opened without first destroying the efficacy and utility of the illu-
minating properties of the lamp. And the Invention consists in the application
of a tube for wick or "duct" for feeding the lamp with oil that is separate
and detachable from the body of the lamp, the tube being constructed so as.
to form a plug or other equivalent stopper that will prevent the escape of oil
when forming a portion of the lamp, and that will also when screwed to
its seating form a bolt or lock that will prevent the gauze or protecting
cover being removed so long as the lamp is employed as an illuminating
medium.
And in order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings made about full size, and
in which three arrangements of lamps are shewn as examples, and illustrative
of the mode of practically carrying out the principles of the Invention..
sents a
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of a "miner's lamp" in which the lock
and oil retainer are composed of the "duct" or oil feed tube; Fig. 2 repre-
similar view to the last, in which the oil retainer forming the gauze
cover lock is composed of the tube containing the wick; Fig. 3 is a plan
view of the same; and Fig. 4 represents the vertical section of a lamp in which
the oil retainer is composed of the outer shell or body of the lamp, and which
is constructed so as to form a portion of the gauze cover.
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the body of the lamp; b, the gauze cover protecting the
flame; c is a link or fastener securing the duct or oil feed tube d to the standard
of the gauze cover; é is the hole or valve in the bottom of the lamp, which is
covered (when the tube d is screwed down) by the bottom of the tube d so
as to prevent the escape of oil; f is a guard. or wire protecting the hole or

page_text: valve e; and d³ is an exit duct or passage for the escape of oil in case the
lamp is tilted in the opposite direction to that in which the valve e is placed.
When it is desired to use the lamp the wick is slightly saturated with oil, and
then lighted, after which the gauze cover 6 is screwed on, which brings the
link c secured to the tube d over the screwed hole in the top of the lamp, and
the taper hole or valve e in the bottom; at this time the oil feed tube d is
inserted and screwed down so as firmly to plug up or cover the hole or valve
in the bottom of the lamp; the oil now is poured in the tube, entering the body
of the lamp through the slot or opening in its side, when sufficient oil is thus
poured in the cap of the tube d is replaced, thus so long as the gauze cover b
remains as a protection to the light it cannot be removed, as it becomes neces-
sary before removing such gauze to withdraw the oil tube, the effect of which
is to discharge the oil from the lamp, thereby destroying the light, which
dispenses with the necessity of the protecting gauze.
In the second example, shewn in Fig. 2, the saturated wick in the tube d¹
is first lighted and placed or inserted in the lamp, and screwed to its seating,
at which time the lamp is fed with oil, the gauze cover being firmly locked
by means of the levers c, c', the lever c abutting against the wick oil retainer d'
prevents the removal of the gauze cover so long as the retainer d¹ continues
screwed up to its seating, the removal of the tube d and discharge of oil
being necessary when it is required to displace the gauze cover.
In the third example, shewn in Fig. 4, the oil retainer is constructed so as
to form the body of the lamp. The lamp proper is composed of two parts, the
inner one a¹ and the outer one a²; the inner one has a perfect top and
bottom, its sides being perforated, a worm or thread formed upon its outer
surface. The outer covering or shell a² forms the support or base of the gauze
cover, and is inseparable therefrom. It will readily be seen that when the
outer cover a supporting the gauze is screwed down upon the seating a³ of
the inner body of the lamp a² the lamp is entire and ready to receive the oil
which is fed therein through the hole e. Upon removing the protecting gauze.
the oil is freely discharged through the side perforations of the inner body of
the lamp a².
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim the novel, construction and arrangement of lamp as
sbewn and described in the foregoing examples, or any equivalent modification
of the same, whereby the gauze cover, becomes fixed by a lock or fastener
that retains the oil in the lamp so long as it is employed for illuminating

page_text: purposes as herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the
Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENRY GARDNER. (L.S.)