IMPROVE- MENTS IN SAFETY LAMPS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Cooper, Tinner and Brazier, of Stanley
Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFETY LAMPS."
Sealed the 1st January 1858, and dated the 4th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Cooper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1857.
I, GEORGE COOPER, Tinner and Brazier, of Stanley Street, Sheffield, in
the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY LAMPS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in combining a modification of the "argand
burner" and the "Davy lamp." The base of the lamp contains an oil chamber
surrounded by a concentric ring and air passage communicating with the
centre. The air is drawn from within wire gauze enclosing the lamp, to
afford a supply of oxygen to the interior of the flame. The wick is fixed in a
tube of such diameter as may be found suitable, and can be regulated at
pleasure by turning the body of the lamp. Combustion is promoted by a glass
chimney, which surrounds the flame and communicates with a gauze division
at the top, and thus prevents to a great extent the mixture of the vitiated gas
resulting from combustion with the air required to support combustion; it also
effectually prevents the gauze surrounding the light-yielding portion of the
lamp from being clogged up or darkened by smoke, oil, or other impurities.
Two additional thicknesses of gauze are introduced at the top, to prevent all
risk of the ignition of gas outside the lamp. The lamp can be locked, so that
the person using it cannot under any circumstances, without the key, have
access to the light.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Cooper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
COOPER, Tinner and Brazier, of Stanley Street, Sheffield, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, 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 George Cooper, Her special licence that I, the said George Cooper, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Cooper, 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAPETY
LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Cooper,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Cooper, 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 statement (that is to say) :-
My improvements consist in combining a modification of the "argand
burner" and the "Davy lamp." The base of the lamp contains an oil chamber
Surrounded by a concentric ring and air passage communicating with the
centre. The air is drawn from within wire gauze inclosing the lamp, to afford
a-supply of oxygen to the interior of the flame. The wick is fixed in a tube
of such diameter as may be found suitable, and can be regulated at pleasure
by turning the body of the lamp. Combustion is promoted by a glass
chimney, which surrounds the flame and communicates with a gauze division
at the top, and thus prevents to a great extent the mixture of the vitiated gas
resulting from combustion with the air required to support combustion; it

page_text: also effectually prevents the gauze surrounding the light-yielding portion of the
lamp from being clogged up or darkened by smoke, oil, or other impurities.
Two additional thicknesses of gauze are introduced at the top, to prevent all
risk of the ignition of gas outside the lamp. The lamp, can be locked, so that
the person using it cannot under any circumstances, without the key, have
access to the light.
In order that my Invention may be better understood and more readily
carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same, reference 'being
had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved lamp in section; Fig. 2, a horizontal
section on the line x, y; and Fig. 3, an elevation of the same.
The cylinder A, which forms the base or pedestal of the lamp, incloses an
oil chamber or reservoir B. This chamber is supplied with oil through a
feeder or tube C, which is fitted with a chain and plug C, C, passes through
the pedestal A, and communicates with the chamber B, to the lower part of
which it is attached. The gas or firedamp is by these. means effectually
excluded from the oil chamber. The skeleton frame E (see Fig. 3).carries
the top M of the lamp, with its handle M', and is attached to the hoop or
collar J, which latter fits on the pedestal A, and is held to it by the barrel
locks and the bolts a, a. The bolts a, a, take into a groove 1 in the pedestal
A, and by their means the hoop D is secured to and at the same timo mado"
horizontally moveable on the pedestal A. One of the brackets N, N; N, on
which the glass tube or chimney H rests, has an arm & attached to it (see
Fig. 2), which reaches to the hoop D,. and between two studs 2, which are.
fixed into and project from the hoop D. The brackets N, N, N, are attached
to the tube J (see Fig. 1), which is furnished with a vertical groove 3. The
collar or wickholder O has a pin or stud 4 passing through it, one end of the
pin tacking into the vertical groove 3, and the other end into the spiral groove
5, cut or formed on the central air tube K. The tube K is open at .the.
bottom and soldered to the oil chamber B, of which it forms a component part,
being thereby also connected with the pedestal A through the feeding tube C.
The collar O having been brought to the top of the tubes J and K, the wick
is put on in the usual manner, and can be raised or lowered at pleasure by.
turning the pedestal A, when the lamp is held suspended by the handle or by
turning the hoop D in the opposite direction, when the lamp rests' on its.
pedestal. In the former case the central air tube K will turn round with
the pedestal A, the arm G and hoop D remaining stationary; whilst in the

page_text: latter case the hoop D will be carried round by the arm G, by means of the
'studs or pins 2, the pedestal A and central tube K remaining stationary.
The lamp, from the pedestal A upwards, is incased with the wire gauze
cylinder L, that portion L' which is placed immediately over the pedestal pro-
jecting beyond the casing L, so as to admit of a sufficient supply of air for
combustion. The top piece L' terminates in an enlarged crown L³, to which
a metallic or other inverted cup P is fixed internally, for the purpose of
diffusing the heated gases resulting from combustion. The gases are pre-
vented by the diaphragm b, b, from passing into the annular spaco inclosed by
the piece of wire gauze marked L', and thus deteriorating the air admitted for
combustion. In order to avoid the danger of explosion from the heated gases
issuing from the chimney H, a second inner cylinder L of wire gauze is
applied, as shown in Fig. 1.
The air on entering the lamp follows the course indicated by the arrows; a
portion acts directly upon the exterior of the wick, whilst another portion
passes down the annular space surrounding the oil chamber B, and into the
central tube K, to the interior of the light. The light from this lamp may be
rendered more effective or distributed in a particular direction by the employ-
ment of an ordinary polished reflector Q and a convex lens R. (see Fig. 2).
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into
effect, I would observe that I do not claim the particular construction of the
lamp herein-before shown & described; but what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention to be secured to me by the
berein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
The general arrangement, combination, and construction of the lamps herein-
before described, and such modifications thereof as embrace the peculiar
application of the principles involved.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Cooper, have hercunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
GEORGE COOPER. (L.B.)
Witness,
T. F. CASLINE.