Safety Electric Molten Lock for Miners' Lamps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 20th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFIO
Safety Electric Molten Lock for Miners' Lamps.
OCKWELL HAWKINS Colliery Manager Danygraig House Treharris, R.S.O.
Glainorganshire South Wales 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:-
The object of my invention is to produce a safety lock for miners' or any other
lamp.
And I propose utilizing the electric current produced by a dynamo, by heats as
in the thermo pile, by chemical action as in primary batteries, by friction as in the
frictional-machine or any other known mode of producing electric current, to melt
a portion of lead or any other suitable metal, into a suitable receiver constructed
in or on the lamp, such metal when it becomes solid will form the lock.
The receiver or cavity for such metal being constructed in such a manner that it
will require the electric current to melt such metal before the lamp can be opened.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the accompanying sheet of drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
The accompanying drawing represents a safety lamp for a coal or any other mine.
Fig. 1 shows a section of a portion of a safety lamp for use in coal or any other
mines. A is the pot or vessel which contains the oil, having a fine gas thread or
screw F, B is the ring which the top portion of the lamp is fastened to, the ring B
having a thread F to fit the thread on the pot A.
The ring B is fastened on to the pot or vessel A by means of the thread F; D is
a piece of metal fast to the ring B and projecting as shown in section, having its
surface R enamelled, C is a piece of metal fast to the pot A and projecting as
shown in section having its surface S enamelled, E and E¹ being small holes or
cavities penetrating through the piece of metal D and the piece of metal C, the
small holes E and E¹ being enlarged in diameter at G.
When the vessel or pot A is screwed on to the ring B by means of the screw or
thread F, and having the projecting pieces of metal D and C over one another, the
holes E and E¹ being in a vertical line with the enlarged cavity G in centre,
forms an enclosed cavity with only the small holes E and E¹ to receive the electrified
molten lead, such lead when it becomes solid locks the lamp securely, as the lead
owing to the larger diameter at G cannot come out through the holes E and E.
The electrified molten lead may be applied to lock lamps in other forms and
positions of cavities.
To melt the metal for forming the lock, I propose to have a small iron vessel K
as shown in Fig. 2 to hold the lead or other metal, when the lampman or the man
in charge of the lamp station requires to lock a lamp he will place some metal in
the vessel K, which have two wires or cables O and P connecting this vessel with
a dynamo or any other machine or contrivance for generating electricity; after
placing the holes E and E¹ which are right over one another under the tap N, the
lampman will press the small lever L which will open the tap N, and switch on the
wires O and P which carries the electric current to the vessel K such metal which
the vessel K contains will be instantaneously melted by means of the electric
current, such liquid metal run through the tap N and fill the holes E and E', when
the lampman shall see that the holes E and E¹ are full he will release the lever L
which will close the tap N and switch off the electric current, such metal which
the holes E and E' with the larger diameter G contains when it becomes cold will
form the lock.
To unlock a lamp the electric current is applied to the metal lock by attaching

page_text: the electric current by means of the wires H and I which is held by the non-
conducting tool M to the metal plug at the holes E and E' as shown in Fig. 3,
when this is done the lead or other metal plug forms a circuit and the said plug is
melted out of the cavities E and E' and releases the projecting pieces D and C
from one another, when the vessel A may be unscrewed from the ring B.
The wires H and I after passing around the non-conducting tool if is connected
to the dynamo or any other machine for generating the electric current for melting
the metal which forms the plug inside the cavities E and E¹.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,
1. The idea of applying the electric current to lock and unlock safety or other
lamps for coal or any other mines.
2. The form of lock E and E' as shown in Fig. 1.