IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS' LAMPS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Brooke at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th June 1863.
I, JOSEPII BROOKE, of Bar Street, Laister Dyke, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN
MINERS' LAMPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in safety lamps, whereby
they are rendered safer and impart a better light, than has hitherto been
obtained from lamps of this description; also are adapted to the burning of
paraffine petroleum, or any other kind of bydrocarbon mineral oils, that is to
say, I propose to apply to the miners' safety lamp a wick and burner adapted
to the burning of paraffine petroleum, or any other kind of hydrocarbon
mineral oils, in lieu of the animal oil wicks and burners at present employed,
and to apply a suitable chimney to such burners, whereby a very superior and
economical light is obtained. The special improvement in this improved
lamp over other miners' lamps consists in dispensing with the fine wire gauze
placed around the flame of the lamp. The cold air in my improved lamps
is admitted through adjustable air spaces into a circular air chamber
screwing to the oil pan below the flame of the lamp. Inside said air chamber
are placed circular wire gauze plates, either (single or double), through
which the cold air passes before coming to the flame of the lamp; or in lieu of
the wire gauze plates aforesaid, single or double wire gauze cylinders placed
one within the other can be fitted around the external circumference of the

page_text: aforesaid air chamber for the cold air to pass through before coming to the
flame. Next above the air chamber is the bottom flange plate, which screws
to the air chamber. Through the centre of the flange plate projects the wick
tube and burner from the oil pan below. On the top side of the bottom
flange plate on its external circumference are fixed four (more or less) equi-
distant metal pillars, which stand perpendicular to the flange plate, and reach
to the top of the lamp for connecting the upper with the lower part of the
lamp; upon this bottom flange plate rests the glass chimney and cylinder, the
ends whereof are connected to the flange plates by circular flanges. The top
flange plate admits of the metal pillars passing through it to where the
adjustable screw rests of the pillars are placed for supporting the top
flange plate in position. The top flange plate also rests on the top of the glass
cylinder aforesaid, the top whereof is connected by a flange with the top
flange plate aforesaid, and said flanges make the safety connection between the
aforesaid glass chimney, glass cylinder, and top and bottom flange plates.
The upper part of the glass chimney projects through the top flange plate
into gauze caps (single or double) placed on the upper side of the top flange
plate. The upper part of the glass chimney projecting into the wire gauze
caps has a metal chimney upon it, the object of which is to protect the glass
chimney from cold currents of air, and to increase the draught. In lieu of
the two herein-before described modes of ventilating the lamp below the flame,
a third mode can be applied, namely, by making air spaces in the top and
bottom flange plates perpendicular to the annular air space between the
aforesaid glass chimney and cylinder, by which means the cold air will enter
the lower part of the gauze caps, pass through the top flange plate down the
annular air space between the glasses, where it will become heated and pass
on through the bottom flange plate into the air chamber to the flame of
the lamp, the gauze plates or gauze cylinder herein-before described not
being required in this latter plan. The gauze caps have flanges through
which the metal pillars pass; said flanges rest upon the top flange plate. The
ring plate is placed over the gauze caps, from the under side of which descend
four hollow cylindrical legs, a little longer than the gauze caps, which legs fit
on to the metal pillars and rest upon the cap flanges, pressing them down
upon the top flange plate. The upper side of ring plate has a circular slide
piece fixed to it by slide rivets in grooves, which slide has four angular
projecting locking pieces which lock into suitable lock holes in the metal
pillars aforesaid near their tops, thus fixing the ring plate in position. The
ring plate has the ring fixed in its centre for carrying the lamp. Two locks
are provided for locking the lamp, one at the top, the other near the bottom

page_text: thereof. The before-described forms of lamp can be made to burn animal
oil by fitting an animal oil wick and burner (round or flat) in it instead of
the paraffine oil wick and burner, and admitting the cold air through the lower
part of the gauze caps and through air spaces in the top flange plate, by
which means the air will descend the annular air space between the glass
chimney and cylinder and under the bottom of the glass chimney, which
chimney will require to be raised a little above the flange plate to allow the
air to pass under it to the flame. The gauze plates or gauze cylinder and
air chamber before described in the paraffine oil lamp are not required in this
last form of lamp. The herein-before described forms of improved miners'
lamps are adapted for use on board ships, or spirit vaults, or any place where
explosive gases are liable to exist, as well as for coal mines.