Improvements in Miners' Lamps."
Year: 1897

page_text: 66
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Lamps."
We, WILLIAM ABBOTT of 68 Warrington Road, Lower Ince, Wigan, in the
County of Lancaster, Lampman, and JAMES ROBY of 1, Gaskell's Yard, Millgate,
Wigan, aforesaid, Lampman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a miners lamp which can be easily regulated
and will give out a high illuminating power. In place of the single burner or
burner tube which is usually used we employ two or more tubes. For ordinary
pit work we prefer two tubes near the centre of the lamp. For pit eye or road-
way lamps a series of tubes for most purposes six is a useful number ranged round
the centre in a circle leaving plenty of space all round. The lamp bottom or oil
container is provided with an air chamber above having an orifice connecting
it with the oil container. In the top of this we place a filling-in screwed tube,
the screwed tube descending to nearly the bottom of the air container so as to
prevent the oil running out in case the lamp was overturned. The filling screw
has a vent hole for air through the centre. When therefore the lamp has to be
filled the screw is withdrawn and the oil poured into the hole. The screw is then.
re-applied and its small vent hole supplies air to replace the oil consumed.
Instead of having a single wick we prefer to form a permanent wick descending
into the oil chamber of the bottom but not reaching far up to the burner tube.
A second wick is then placed in the burner tube which carries the oil the remain-
ing distance. The flame is regulated in the following manner. Round each
burner or wick tube is a sliding tube. This is connected to a cap into which is
screwed a stem passing up from below the bottom through a close fitting tuba
commonly called the pricker tube. Below the bottom this stom is supplied with
a button and if desired with a lock of such nature that it is fixed vertically
but is free to rotate horizontally. By rotating the button the cap is screwed higher.
or lower and consequently the regulating tubes attached to this cap are raised
and lowered on the wick tube and thus regulate the flame or even put the flame
out. When therefore the wick begins to burn dimly through it having worn
away to near the level of the regulating tube lowering the regulating tube is
precisely equivalent to raising the wick. When the temporary upper wick becomes
too short it can be replaced by another.
Dated the 30th day of January
1897

page_text: We, WILLIAM ABBOTT of 68 Warrington Road, Lower Ince, Wigan in the
County of Lancaster, Lampman, and JAMES ROBY of 1 Gaskells Yard, Millgate,
Wigan aforesaid, Lampman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
This invention has for its object a miner's lamp which can be easily regulated
and will give out high illuminating power.
In place of the single burner or burner tube which is usually used, we employ
two or more tubes. For ordinary pit work, we prefer two tubes near the centre
of the lamp. For pit eye or roadway lamps a series of tubes, for most purposes
six is a useful number ranged round the centre in a circle, leaving plenty of
space all round. These and our other improvements are however best described
by aid of the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated a two tube lamp.
Figure 1 is a front clevation partly in section of the lamp;
Figure 2, plan immediately above the burners; and
Figure 3, enlarged section of the burners and accompanying parts.
In these A A are the tubes, B the oil container, C an air chamber above the
oil container having a little orifice 1 connecting the two. E is an orifice con-
taining the filling in tube F. This is screwed into the top of chamber C and
descends nearly to the bottom of the air chamber. The filling screw has a vent
hole for air in the centre, through which a small stem passes having a valve g
at one end and a knob G at the other. This stem is sufficiently thin to allow a
vent for air through the hole in the filling screw. The stud G prevents the valve
and stem from falling out of filling screw, and the valve closes only when the
lamp is completely overturned, and so prevents the oil flowing out should such a
contingency as upsetting the lamp occur. When the lamp has to be filled, the
screw F is withdrawn and the oil poured into hole E until the oil contained is
filled to the orifice D. The screw is then reapplied and a small vent hole supplies
air to replace the oil consumed. Instead of having a single wick we preferably
form a permanent wick descending into the oil chamber of the bottom, but not
reaching far up the burner tube. A second wick is then placed in this burner
tube which carries the oil the remaining distance. The flame is regulated in
the following manner:-
Round each burner or wick tube is a sliding tube H. This tube
is connected to a cap I into which is screwed a stem J passing up from
below the bottom through a close fitting tube L commonly called the pricker tube.
Below the bottom this stem is supplied with a button and if desirable with a lock
of such nature that it is fixed vertically, but is free to rotate horizontally. By
rotating the button the cap is screwed higher or lower, and consequently the
regulating tubes attached to this cap are raised and lowered on the wick tubo
and thus regulate the flame or even put the flame out. When therefore the wick
begins to burn dimly through its having worn away to near the level of the
regulating tube, lowering the regulating tube is precisely equivalent to raising
the wick. When the temporary upper wick becomes too short it can be replaced
by another. In thus describing our invention we wish it to be clearly understood
that we do not absolutely confine ourselves to the double wick herein set forth
as our other improvements are applicable with lamps having a single wick from
the flame down into the chamber. It is also obvious that where there are a
large number of wick tubes all the regulating tubes can be attached to one stem

page_text: and raised and lowered simultaneously as they burn away at a practically equal
rate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination with the oil chamber of a second air chamber above and a
filling tube dipping down into that chamber having an orifice to allow air to
descend into that chamber.
.
2. The combination of a raising device such as screw J, a head I thereon and
a regulating tube H attached to the said head I.
3. The arrangement of wicks in miners' lamps in which there is a permanent
wick dipping down into the oil, and a second wick immediately above it and
touching it used for burning, in combination with a device capable of being raised
and lowered for regulating the amount of exposure of this wick.
4. In combination with any of the foregoing claims a series of two or more
wick tubes separated by a short distance and preferably at equal distance from
the central axis of the miner's lamp and from each other substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of October 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants."