IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SAFETY LAMPS APPLICABLE FOR USE IN MINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of the Firm of Wm. P.
Thompson and Co., Solicitors of Patents, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention' of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING
TO SAFETY LAMPS APPLICABLE FOR USE IN MINES." A communication from
abroad from Dr. Christian Heinzerling and Valentin Hammeran, both of
Frankfort on the Main, in the Empire of Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st March 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson and Co.,
Solicitors of Patents, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SAFETY LAMPS APPLICABLE FOR USE
IN MINES." A communication from abroad from Dr. Christian Heinzerling and
Valentin Hammeran, both of Frankfort on the Main, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention is designed for the purpose of increasing the safety and inten-
sifying the light of safety lamps, and to enable petroleum to be used in the place of
the more expensive oils usually employed.
The Invention consists principally in filtering the air through glass wool, asbestos,
slag wool, or other finely divided fibrous mineral material before it is allowed to
enter the cylindrical chamber of the lamp. By this means particles of coal dust
are eliminated, and thus one source of danger never before (as far as I am aware)
provided against in safety lamps is eliminated.
The
The lamp is divided into three parts, the lower, middle, and upper parts. The
lower part is composed of the oil box, and above that a wire gauze cylinder closed
below by the lid of the oil box, and above by a diaphragm of wire gauze.
interior of this wire gauze cylinder is filled with the mineral wool before mentioned.
Through this cylinder the burner from the oil box passes, carrying a small cylinder
or gallery for a lamp chimney.

page_text: The middle part of the lamp consists of a strong glass cylinder which is tightly
fitted to the other two parts in any convenient manner.
The third part is a wire gauze basket or chamber covered with a lid of wire
gauze; this is strengthened by brass or other stays brazed on to it, and is filled
with the mineral wool aforementioned. On the bottom of the wire gauze basket
is a small plate funnel or inverted bell axially over the burner. A strong iron-
wire frame or metal bar frame encloses the lamp, and can be opened on a hinge.
It serves as a protecting and fastening frame for the three aforesaid parts, and
can be shut with a padlock. It is preferably provided with large meshed wire
netting to more thoroughly protect the glass cylinder.
The exact shape of the three parts of the lamp proper is immaterial, the main
point being to arrange them so that the air shall have to pass through two thick-
nesses of wire gauze (and the mineral wool) before coming to the wick.
The inventors have found that if in the wire gauze chamber below and the wire
gauze basket above one or more layers of wire gauze are used, safety is increased.
That if the interstice between the wire gauze basket be filled with glass, thread, or
silicious mineral wool of any kind, covered or incrusted with alum, sulphate of
copper, or their equivalent, the threads covered with the sulphate or kindred salt,
absorb almost all the radiant heat, and at the same time the fine dust disseminated
in the air that often causes explosions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1881.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Firm of Wm. P. Thompson and Co.,
Solicitors of Patents, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SAFETY LAMPS APPLICABLE FOR USE
IN MINES." A communication from abroad by Dr. Christian Heinzerling and
Valentin Hammeran, both of Frankfort-on-the Main, in the Empire of Germany.
"6
This Invention is designed for the purpose of increasing the safety and inten-
sifying the light of safety lamps, and to enable petroleum to be used in the place of
the more expensive oils usually employed.
The Invention consists principally in filtering the air through mineral wool,
asbestos, or other finely divided fibrous mineral material before it is allowed to
enter the cylindrical chamber of the lamp. By this means particles of coal dust are
eliminated, and thus one source of danger never before (as far I am aware) provided
against in safety lamps is eliminated.
The Invention is best described by means of the accompanying Drawings, in
which Fig. 1 is an elevation of entire apparatus; Fig. 2, section through x, y, of
Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an isometrical view of the cage or case unlocked and the lamp
proper removed; Fig. 4, elevation of the lamp proper with the case removed, and
Fig, 5 longitudinal section through same; Figs. 6 and 7, transverse sections
through a, b, and e, f, of Fig. 4 respectively; Figs. 8 and 9, transverse sections
through c, d, and g, h, of Fig. 5 respectively.
The lamp is divided into three parts, the lower, middle, and upper parts. The
lower part is composed of the oil box A, and above that a wire gauze cylinder B
closed below by the lid of the oil box A, and above by a diaphragm C of wire
gauze. The interior of this wire gauze cylinder is filled with the mineral wool before
mentioned.
Through this cylinder the burner D from the oil box passes, carrying a small
cylinder or gallery E for a lamp chimney F.
The middle part of the lamp consists of a strong glass cylinder G which is
tightly fitted to the other two parts in any convenient manner.
The third part is a wire gauze basket H or chamber covered with a lid of wire
gauze. This is strengthened by brass or other stays I, I, brazed onto it, and is
filled with the mineral wool aforementioned. On the bottom of the basket H is a
small plate funnel or inverted bell J axially over the burner. A strong iron wire
frame or metal bar frame, Fig. 3, encloses the lamp and can be opened on a hinge K.
It serves as a protecting and fastening frame for the three aforesaid parts, and can
be shut with a padlock at L. It is preferably provided with large meshed wire
netting, but soldered, galvanized, or otherwise secured round it to more thoroughly
protect the glass cylinder G.
The exact shape of the three parts of the lamp proper is immaterial, the main
point being to arrange them so that the air shall have to pass through two thick-
nesses of wire gauze and the mineral wool before coming to the wick.
The inventors have found that if in the wire gauze chamber below and the
wire gauze basket above one or more layers of wire gauze are used safety is
increased. That if the interstice between the wire gauze basket be filled with
glass thread or mineral wool of any kind this retains at the same time the fine dust
that disseminated in the air often causes explosions.

page_text: Some of the advantages of this apparatus claimed by Messieurs Heinzerling and
Hammeran over the ordinary lamp are:-
First. Greater safety from explosions.
Second. More intense illumination.
Third. No heating of oil box.
Fourth. Petroleum can be used in it.
Having now described the Invention, as communicated to me by the said
Doctor Christian Heinzerling and Valentin Hammeran, I wish it to be understood
that what I believe to be new and desire to protect under Letters Patent is the
general arrangement and construction of lamp, substantially as described and set
forth, and also especially,―
First. The manufacture of safety lamps with a chamber above and below the
flame filled with mineral wood, asbestos, or other equivalent filtering material,
through one of which chambers the air feeding the flame has to pass, and through
the other the products of combustion escape.
Second. The combination in a safety lamp of a transparent cylinder surrounding
the flame closed at each end by wire gauze or other finely perforated partitions,
through one of which the burner tube passes from the oil box below, said cylinder
being preferably further shielded from the full radiant heat by a transparent
chimney, and in any case protected by an independent outside locked casing such
as that shown in Fig. 3.
Third. The combination in a safety lamp of an oil box with burner tube
passing up through an air box filled with mineral wool, or a series of wire
diaphragms or other means of dividing up the air into numerous capilliary streams
(through which air box the air feeding the flame passes, thus cutting off the passage
of heat from the burner to the oil box), in combination with a burner and chimney F
for burning mineral oils, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.