DISCOVERING AND DESTROYING HYDROGEN OR CARBURETTED HYDROGEN GAS AND OTHER GASES IN COAL MINES, DWELLING HOUSES,.. OR OTHER PLACES
Year: 1857

page_text: Sealed the 27th April 1858, and dated the 28th October 1857...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Addison at the Office,
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th October
1857.
I, JOHN ADDISON, of the Honorable East India Company's Army, Bombay.
Presidency, and presently residing at Tours, in France, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "DISCOVERING AND DESTROYING HYDROGEN OR
CARBURETTED HYDROGEN GAS AND OTHER GASES IN COAL MINES, DWELLING HOUSES,..
OR OTHER PLACES," to be as follows:-
1st, to detect the presence of hydrogen or carburetted. hydrogen gas in a
mine I. use the following or similar. ápparatus':-I place a cord or wire
extended from one end of each working in the mine to the other end 'thereof;
fastened to the roof at each extremety, by, hooks, or otherwise, so as to be
removable, at pleasure; to this cord or wire, by: ȧ silk thread: or other. light

page_text: string, small balloons of a few inches in diameter, inflated with hydrogen gas,
are to be attached at short distances from each other. The threads are to be
of a length sufficient to allow the balloons either to ascend to the roof or to
descend near to the ground. If the mine be clear of hydrogen or carburetted
hydrogen gas, the balloons will ascend to and keep in contact with the roof of
the mine from one end thereof to the other, but when the hydrogen or
carburetted.hydrogen gas.is.present. and accumulated to any important extent
the balloons will descend till they come in contact with a purer atmosphere,
and thus denote not only the presence but also the depth of the gas and the
degree of danger.
The presence of this gas in dwelling houses I detect by simply launching
a balloon inflated as above held in the hand by a silk thread of sufficient
length
2nd, I destroy the gas when its presence is discovered by burning or
exploding it by one or other_of_the_following methods, viz, (1) by means of
an electric spark (with or without the aid of gunpowder) from a voltaic
battery-placed as after mentioned.. If it be necessary to use gunpowder in
addition to the electric spark in order to ignite the gas, a portable stand (con-
structed on the telescope principle, so as to be lengthened at pleasure) is
placed and elongated so that its top is elevated as high as the highest part
of the balloon, which is lowest; a little gunpowder is to be placed on the top
of this stand, which is made slightly concave for the purpose of holding it, the
cord or wire with the balloons' attached to it is then to be removed to a place
of safety, after mentioned, and the end of the electric wire being inserted into
the powder, the powder is to be ignited by an electric spark from the voltaic
battery and the gas is
balloons
are
withdrawn made to burn or explode. Or, (2) after the
as
above, I then, by means of the electric spark, with
the aid if necessary of gunpowder, set fire to a rocket which is made to sweep
while burning from one end of the working to the other by the following or
similar apparatus,,viz', the shaft end of the rocket is firmly fixed in a small
tube of a few inches dong; this tube is attached by two rings at each end of it
to a wire immediately above it, which wire may be permanently or provisionally
fixed, extending from end to. end. of .the working; these rings are for the
purpose of permitting the tube to which the rocket is attached freely.to glide.
along the fixed-wire; the rocket being ignited as above, the force of its
explosion will impel the rocket and the tubei to which it is attached forward
to the other end of the mine in the direction of the: wire, and thus set fire to
any inflammable: .gas. it encounters during its passage:
3d, a. chamber or stable is to be constructed, the entrance thereto being.

page_text: near the bottoni of the air shaft, on a rapidly inclined plane, and having the
door thereto covered with sheet iron or other incombustible materials In this
chamber the battery will be placed (from whence it will act upon the gases
by means of a conducting wire) and the .men necessary to work it, as well as
the horses, &c., for saftely during explosions.
4th, I detect the presence of carbonic acid gas by throwing upon the ground
a balloon inflated with oxygen gas or atmospheric air.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Addison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ADDISON, of the Honorable East India Company's Army, Bombay Presidency,
presently residing at Tours, in France, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Addison, Her special licence that I, 'the said John Addison,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Addison, 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 "DISCOVERING AND DESTROYING'
HYDROGEN OR CARBURETTED HYDROGEN GAS AND OTHER GASES IN COAL MINES,
DWELLING HOUSES, OR OTHER PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Addison, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
'
$
'
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Addison, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:
11

page_text: My said Invention relates to the discovery and destruction of bydrogen or
carburetted hydrogen gas and other gases in coal mines, dwelling houses, or
other places..
First, to detect the presence of hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen gas in a
mine I use the following or similar, apparatus:-I place a cord or wire
extended from one end of each working in the mine to the other end
thereof, fastened to the roof at each extremety by hooks or otherwise, so as to
be removable at pleasure; to the cord or wire, by a silk thread or other light
string, small balloons of a few inches in diameter, inflated with hydrogen or
other light gas, are to be attached at short distances from each other; the
threads are to be of a length sufficient to allow the balloons either to ascend
to the roof or to descend near to the ground. If the. mine be clear of
hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen gas the balloons will ascend to and keep in
contact with the roof of the mine, but when the hydrogen or carburetted
hydrogen gas is present or accumulated to any important extent the balloons
will descend till they come in contact with a purer atmosphere, and thus
denote not only the presence but also the depth of the noxious gas and the
degree of danger.
The above apparatus, may be dispensed with and the presence of the gas
discovered by simply launching a balloon from the hand, with or without a
silk thread to attach it to the hand.
Second, the presence of this gas in dwelling houses I detect by simply
launching a balloon inflated as above held in the hand by a silk thread of
sufficient length.
Third, to detect this gas in ships I make a vent in one of the hatches eight
inches in diameter, and a groove round it for shipping a tin case, in which tin
case there will be two panes of glass fixed opposite each other, for the purpose
of observing a balloon which will be placed in the tin case inflated as above;
this vent will be closed with a plug. A hole five feet deep and four feet square
should be left below the hatches, for allowing the gas to escape more rapidly,
and this should not be filled up until a few hours before sailing. The height
of the tin case should be about twenty inches.
Fourth, I destroy the gas when its presence is discovered by burning or
exploding it by one or other of the following methods, vizt, (1) by means of
an electric spark (with or without the aid of gunpowder) from a voltaic battery
placed as after mentioned. If it be necessary to use gunpowder in addition
to the electric spark in order to ignite the gas, a portable stand (constructed
on the telescope principle, so as to be lengthened at pleasure) is placed and
elongated so that its top is elevated as high as the noxious gas. A little

page_text: gunpowder, is, to be placed on the top of the stand, which is made slightly
concave for the purpose of holding it, the cord or wire with the balloons
attached to it is then to be removed to a place of safety under mentioned, and
the end of the electric wire being inserted into the powder, the powder, is to
be ignited by an electric spark from, the voltaic battery and the gas is thus
made. to burn or to explode. Or, (2) after the balloons are withdrawn as
above I then, by means of the electric spark, with the aid if necessary of
gunpowder, set fire to a rocket which is made to sweep. while burning from
one end of the working to the other by the following or similar apparatus,
viz, the shaft end of the rocket is firmly fixed in a small tube of a few inches
long, this tube is attached by two rings at each end of it to a wire immediately
above it, which wire may be permanently or provisionally fixed, extending
from end to end of the working; these rings are for the purpose of permitting
the tube to which the rocket is attached freely to glide along the fixed wire;
the rocket being ignited as above, the force of its explosion will impel, the
rocket and tube to which it is attached forward to the other end of the minė
in the direction of the wire, and thus set fire to any inflammable gas it
encounters during its
passage.
Fifth, a chamber or stable, ventilated by a tube ascending the side of the
shaft, is to be constructed (the entrance thereto. being near the bottom of
the air shaft on a rapidly inclined. plane), having the door thereto covered
with sheet iron or other incombustible material. In this chamber the
battery will be placed (from whence it will act upon the gases by means of a
conducting wire) and the men necessary to work it, as well as the horses, &c.,
for safety during explosions.
Sixth, I detect the presence of carbonic acid gas by throwing upon the
ground a balloon inflated with oxygen gas or atmospheric air.
The balloons to be used for the above purposes may be constructed of many
different substances, but those substances least permeable to atmospheric
pressure I have found to be the best for the construction of such balloons; for
example, oil'd silk or vulcanized india-rubber may be used, and are found to
answer the purpose to some extent, but when these balloons are again care-
fully coated with a solution of collodion they are found to answer the purpose
much better. Other solutions besides collodion may be used in coating silk
or other balloons, such as solutions of india-rubber, solutions of gutta percha,
and solutions of other such resins. The bladders of oxen, cows, pigs, &c., may
be used instead of the above, and these also may be made highly impervious
to atmospheric pressure by coating them in a similar manner and with similar
substances.

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the best means with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would observe in conclusion
that I do not mean to confine myself rigidly to the precise arrangement or
construction of parts herein set forth, as they may doubtless be varied
without departing from the nature and object of my Invention; but what I
claim as my Invention is, the discovering and destroying hydrogen or car-
buretted hydrogen gas and other gases in coal mines, dwelling houses, or
other places, by the methods and means as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Addison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of 'our.
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight (1858).. .
Le Maire de la Ville de Tours,
(L.S.) E. ARCHAMBAULT, Adjt.
Witness,
ALFRED STEVENS ERWIN.
JOHN ADDISON.. (L.S.)