IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Simons, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Tallow Chandler, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."
Sealed the 16th March 1858, and dated the 12th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Simons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th October 1852.
1, EDWARD SIMONS, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of a lamp for railway carriages which
differs from the ordinary roof lamp in having an argand or circular
wick; the lower part of the glass projects into the interior of the
lamp, and is furnished with an opening at its top which opens *imme-
diately under the wick holder. By this method of construction a good
light is obtained, and there is no risk of oil falling from the lamp.
Secondly, of an improvement in miners' safety lamps, consisting of a
cap fixed on a lever in the interior of the lamp, and connected with
mechanism, which, when the oil reservoir or lamp is moved so as to

page_text: detach it from the wire gauze cylinder which-surrounds it, libcrates the
said cap, and, causing it to fall on the wick, extinguishes the flame.
Thirdly, of a miner's lamp, consisting of a glass or other transparent
vessel in which combustion. takes place, and which is supplied with
oxygen in order to supply that taken up by combustion, the said oxygen
being supplied from a reservoir containing the gas in a condensed
state or slowly generated in the apparatus. The carbonic acid gas
produced by combustion being allowed to ascend through a small
opening at the top of the lamp, or absorbed by quick lime or potash in
the interior of the lamp.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Simons in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 11th April 1853.....
3. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EDWARD SIMONS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tallow
Chandler, send greeting.
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WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date, the Twelfth day of October, in the year, of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Simons, Her especial license that I,
the said Edward Simon's, my, 'executors; administrators, and "assigns, or
such others-as I, the said Edward Simons, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," upon
the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Edward Simons, 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

page_text: 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 Edwards Simons, do:.hereby:
declare the nature of the. said Invention. and. in what mannercthe
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained}
in and by the following statement. thereof (that is to:say):
My Invention consists, firstly, of a new or improved lamp.especially!
adapted for railway carriages.. Secondly, of an improvement or im-7
provements in minersisafety lamps, whereby. the lamp is extinguished:
on any attempt.being made to remove the wire gauze.cylinder from the
said lamp. Thirdly, of a new or improved method of maintaining the
combustion of lamps in mines-independently of the air 'of. the said
mines.
Figure 1 represents a 'vertical' section, andi. Figure 2aplan.iof tan
railway roof lamp constructed according to:: the: first part of my
Invention. "It differs from the ordinary roof lamp in 'the following!
respects: It has a circular or argandwick; the said wick,being!
situated in the annular-chamber a, and the said wick is furnished with
the glass-chimney b; the iglass c, which forms the lower part of the
case in which the lamp-is contained, is open at bottom, the:saidi open!
bottom, being made to project into the Sinterior of the lamp case, fas
represented at the said 'opening- in the glass c,, is surmounted:by.a
small domed-of the formi and "construction represented..through the
hollow cylindere; on the top of the said dome dair is supplied Iton
the interior of the flame; while the exterior of the said flame draws:its>
supply of air through the holes f.2By my improvement a much groatert
amount of light is obtained than in the ordinary-roof lamp; while from
the construction of the lower part c, of the glass:c, and the dome.d,
the free access of air-necessary in the use of an argand or circular wick
is obtained, while the escape from the opening c; of any oil which may
overflow the wick-chamber is prevented, any such oil falling upon the
domod, and -from it to the lowest part of the glass cr "As the oil'
reservoir and the other parts of the lamp which I have.not described>
do not differ in their construction 'from the same parts in an ordinary
roof lamp; I do not consider it necessary to describe them.

page_text: Figure 8, represents a front elevation of the lower part of a miner's
safety lamp, constructed according to my Invention. Figure 4, repre-
sents the same in vertical section; and Figure 5, represents the
same in plan. Figures 6, 7, and 8, represent detached portions of
the same.
The object of this part of my Invention is to secure the
extinguishing of the flame of a miner's safety lamp on any attempt
being made to remove the said lamp from the cylinder of wire gauze
which surrounds it, and thus to prevent the explosion which might
under such circumstances occur. g, is a cap or extinguisher on the
end of the arm h; the said arm h, turns upon a joint i, affixed to
the plate k; a spring q, urges the arm h, into a horizontal position,
when the said arm is at liberty to move; r, is an arm turning upon a
centres; the upper end 7, of the said arm r, engages in front of the
arm h, carrying the extinguisher g, and keeps the said arm h, in a
vertical position, as represented; the position of the arm, is preserved
by the spring t, shewn in dotted lines in Figure 6, at the back of the
plate k, pressing upon a stud u, on the lower end of the said arm,
which said stud passes through a slot in the plate . The whole of the
parts, Figures 6, and 7, are attached to the interior of the case of the
lamp by the plate k, being screwed thereto, as shewn in Figures 4,
and 5. A spring w, see Fig. 8, is affixed at one end to the lamp a, as
shewn in Figures 4, and 5; the free end of the said spring bears
against the interior of the lamp case when the lamp is put in its place,
and during the time that the said lamp is being fastened to the
cylinder y, whether the said fastening be effected by the bayonet
fastening z, Fig. 3, or by screwing, the, direction of the motion is such
that the spring w, passes over the arm r, Figure 6, in the direction
indicated by the arrow, but when the lamp is fixed in its place the end
of the spring w, engages at the back of the arm r, and at the lower
end thereof (see Figure 5, where the dotted lines w¹, represent the
spring passing over the arm r, during the fastening of the lamp, and
the line to, the position of the spring when the fastening of the lamp is
complete). On turning the lamp x, in the direction proper to unscrew
or unfasten it (the direction indicated by the arrow, Figure 5,) the
spring w, pressing against the lower end of the arm r, disengages the

page_text: upper end of the said arm from the extinguisher arm h, when the latter
is urged into a horizontal position by the spring 9, and the cap or
extinguisher striking upon the wick the flame of the lamp is extin-:
guished. The spring w, may either be of the form represented at w,
in Figure 5, or of that represented at w, Figure 8, and the form of the
said spring, as well as the various details of this part of my Invention,
may be varied to adapt it to the lamps to which it is applied. .
The third part of my Invention consists in causing the combustion of
the lamps or lights used in mines to take place in a glass or other
transparent vessel, the air in which said vessel has no communication
with the air of the mine. During the combustion of the lamp or light
in the said closed transparent vessel the oxygen of the air in the said.
vessel is absorbed, and carbonic acid gas and vapour of water produced;
and in order that the said combustion may proceed with regularity it
is necessary to preserve the composition of the air in which the said
combustion takes place constant; that is to say, it is necessary to
supply oxygen as fast as it is absorbed, and to absorb or remove the
carbonic acid gas and vapour of water as fast as they are formed. The
oxygen is supplied to the said closed vessel in which the lamp or light
burns from flexible gas bags filled with the same, or from reservoirs
containing the said gas in a condensed state, or the said oxygen may.
be slowly generated by the heat of the said lamp or light acting upon a
mixture of chlorate of potassa and peroxide of manganese, or any other
mixture or substance capable of yielding oxygen when heated. I
remove the carbonic acid gas and vapour of water by absorbing the
former, and by absorbing or condensing the latter; the carbonic acid.
may be absorbed by quick lime or caustic potassa, by which also the
vapour of water may be absorbed; but as the said vapour of water
condenses spontaneously if the vessel in which the combustion takes+
place exposes a large surface to the air of the mine, I do not think it
necessary ordinarily to provide for the absorption of the said vapour of
water, and in such case I use the said lime and caustic potassa in the
form of milk of lime (a mixture of lime and water) and strong solution
of caustic potassa.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which 'the same is to-be performed, I wish sit: to be:under
stood that I do not limit myself to the precise method. .of carryingi
my: Invention into effect herein described, as the 'isame "maybe
varied without departing from the nature of. my said: Invention. Butz
Eclaim,
Firstly, the construction of lamps- för railway carriages having
argand or circular burners; the said: "lanips having openings at thei
bottom of the glass cup for vessel forming the lower part of the said
lamps; the said openings being formed as herein, described, "ands
represented in Figure 1, of the accompanying Drawing..
Secondly, the connecting of mechanism to safety or miners-lamps,
whereby the said lamp is extinguished on any attempt being made tö
detach the said-'lamp from the cylinder of wire gauze surrounding-the
flanie, as herein described and represented in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6,7-8;1
of the accompanying Drawings..
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"Thirdly, the constructing of a safety lamp for use in mines, in which"
the combustion is éffected in a closed transparent vessel' having .no
communication with the air of the minic, and supplying oxygen to-tlie
said, air, and absorbing carbonic acid gas and removing water there"
from, so as to preserve the composition of the said air in a fit state to 2
maintain the combustion of the said lamp as herein léscribeil...
534
"In witness "whereof, T; the said Edward Simons, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
.
Witness,
EDWARD SIMONS, (L.S.).
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