IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY LAMPS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFETY LAMPS a communication to me from abroad by John Lloyd Williams,
Superintendent of Coal Mines, of Shenandoah, and John Holland, Superintendent
of Coal Mines, of Mahanoy City, both in the County of Schuylkill, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to safety lamps of the Davy description for use in mines
and other places in which there is explosive gas, and it consists in certain novel
attachments and combinations of parts arranged outside of the wire gauze cylinder
of the lamp and constituting an extinguisher which may be used in addition to
an adjustable sleeve on the wick tube to afford double safety against a rush of gas
at any time into the lamp; also including an extension of the gauze cylinder the
full length of the lamp below the burner thereof and inside of an enclosing glass or
transparent cylinder or case whereby additional safety is secured and a better light
obtained; likewise including an additional wire gauze protector at the top of the
lamp at a distance from and above the top of the gauze cylinder for the purpose of
giving additional security all substantially as hereinafter described.
The invention is applicable not only to the ordinary Davy lamp but to other
lamps of similar character known as improvements thereon it being as sensitive to
gas as a perfect Davy lamp gives as good a light as others which are an improve-
ment thereon. In some cases only certain of the novel features may be separately
used and in others, all or any number of them may be combined. In applying the
invention to an ordinary Davy lamp the extinguishing sleeve on the outside of the
gauze cylinder may be arranged to slide up and down over an upper fixed sleeve
instead of within it. I however will proceed to describe the lamp in one of its
most improved forms combining the several features of the invention.
The base of the lamp which also constitutes the oil reservoir and up above
which the slotted wick tube projects screws at its upper end into a cupped lower
ring of the main frame and may be locked therein by a set screw screwing through
a lug on one side of said ring and bearing against or within a groove around the
base. This ring is connected by a cage of rods with the second intermediate
cupped ring or plate between which and the lower ring a glass or transparent
cylinder or case is enclosed

page_text: The wire gauze cylinder of the lamp extends through the intermediate ring
down to the base of the lamp around and below the burner and within the glass
cylinder and it projects above the intermediate ring to the usual or any suitable
height. The gauze cylinder is closed at its upper end by an extension of the wire
gauze as usual.
The upper portion of the lamp consists in part of a ring connected with the
intermediate ring by the usual cage of rods.
Fitting down through this ring is an upper sleeve of solid metal provided with a
centrally perforated top or cap-piece which sits on the upper ring. This sleeve
which is thus made removable through the top of the lamp is of somewhat greater
diameter than the gauze cylinder and may extend to any desired distance below
its top and serve to receive up through and within it, and between it and the
gauze cylinder a telescopically sliding extinguisher or lower sleeve also of solid
metal. These sleeves may be of any desired length but should be so proportioned
or arranged that on drawing the lower sleeve fully down, the combined sleeves
will wholly enclose the sides of the gauze cylinder above the intermediate ring or
space between the upper and intermediate rings and so exclude air or gas from
entering. When the sliding sleeve is quite down its lower end enters a groove in
the top of the intermediate ring and thus makes a close joint.
Above the top of the gauze cylinder at some distance from it, within a socket on
top of the cap piece is a wire gauze diaphragm sufficiently large to cover the
.central aperture in said cap piece and held down to its place by a screw gland
made to engage with the socket. This wire gauze diaphragm which being fitted as
described can be readily changed by unscrewing the gland, gives additional safety
to the lamp as in case of the top of the gauze cylinder getting burnt or injured at
any time and its condition not being noticed the gauze diaphragm would prevent
the gas
from passing through, thus avoiding an explosion.
Improvements in Safety Lamps.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by John Lloyd Williams of Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America-Superintendent of Coal Mines and John
Holland of Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, State of Pennsylvania, United States
of America Superintendent of Coal Mines, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to safety lamps of the Davy description for use in mines
and other places in which there is explosive gas, and it consists in certain novel

page_text: attachments and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter fully described and
pointed out in the claims, arranged outside of the wire gauze cylinder of the lamp
and constituting an extinguisher which may be used in addition to an adjustable
sleeve on the wick tube to afford double safety against a rush of gas at any time
into the lamp; also including an extension of the gauze cylinder the full length of
the lamp below the burner thereof and inside of an enclosing glass or transparent
cylinder or case whereby additional safety is secured and a. better light obtained.;
likewise including an additional wire gauze protector at the top of the lamp at a
distance from and above the top of the gauze cylinder for the purpose of giving
additional security all substantially as hereinafter described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the Figures.
Figure 1 represents a mainly sectional elevation of a safety lamp embodying the
invention.
Figure 2. a partly broken horizontal section of the same, on the line x, x, in
Figure 1; and―
Figure 3. a plan or top view of the cap-piece or upper sleeve of the lamp with
supplementary wire gauze therein and means for securing and removing the same.
The Invention is applicable not only to the ordinary Davy lamp but to other
lamps of similar character known as improvements thereon, it being as sensitive to
gas as a perfect Davy lamp and gives as good a light as others which are an
improvement thereon. In some cases, only certain of the novel features may be
separately used, and in others all or any number of them may be combined. In
applying the Invention to an ordinary Davy lamp the extinguishing sleeve on the
outside of the gauze cylinder may be arranged to slide up and down over an upper
fixed sleeve instead of within it. I, however, will proceed to describe the lamp in
one of its most improved forms combining the several features of the Invention.
A is the base of the lamp which also constitutes the oil reservoir and up above
which the slotted wick tube a holding the wick a projects as also a wick lifter a³
capable of operation from beneath the base. The base A screws at its upper end
into a cupped lower ring 63 of the main-frame and may be locked therein by a
set-screw 6 screwing through a lug 6 on one side of said ring and bearing
against or within a groove a³ in and around the base A. This ring b³ is connected
by a cage of rods 67 with a second upper cupped ring or plate 6 between which
and the ring b³ a glass or transparent cylinder or case B is enclosed. C is the wire
gauze cylinder of the lamp which extends through the ring 66 down to the base of
the lamp below the burner and within the glass cylinder B. Said gauze cylinder,
which is closed at its upper end by an extension of the wire gauze as usual,
projects above the ring be to the usual or any suitable height. The upper portion
of the lamp consists in part of a ring 68 connected with the ring 66 by the usual
cage of rods d and having mounted on it a hinged hood be secured when closed by
a turn catch e and having attached to it a swivel eye e¹ to which the handle ƒ of
the lamp is secured. Fitting down through the upper ring 68 of the frame of the
lamp is an upper sleeve D provided with a centrally perforated top or cap-piece c³
which sits down on top of the ring 68. This sleeve which is thus made removable
through the top of the lamp is of somewhat greater diameter than the gauze
cylinder C and may extend to any desired distance below its top and serves to
receive up, through and within it, and between it and the gauze cylinder C a
telescopic extinguisher or lower sleeve E. These sleeves D and E may be of any
desired length but should be so proportioned or arranged that on drawing the
lower sleeve E fully down, the combined sleeves will wholly enclose the sides of
the gauze cylinder C above the ring 66 or space between the rings 66 and 6ª and so
exclude air or gas from entering. When the sleeve E is fully down to extinguish
the lamp its lower end is made to enter a groove c¹ in the top of the ring be
and thus make a closer joint. Arranged above the top of the gauze cylinder Ĕ at
some distance from it within a socket on top of the cap piece o³ is a wire gauze
-

page_text: diaphragm G sufficiently large to cover the central aperture in said cap-piece, and
held down to its place by a screw gland c³ made to engage with the socket. This
wire-gauze diaphragm G, which being fitted as described can be readily changed by
unscrewing the gland co, gives additional safety to the lamp as in case of the top
of the gauze cylinder C getting burnt or injured at any time and its condition not
being noticed the gauze G would prevent the gas from passing through, thus
avoiding an explosion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
-
1. The combination with the base of the lamp its wick-tube and a glass cylinder
at the lower part of the lamp, of a wire gauze cylinder extending down within the
said cylinder, a stationary sleeve projecting downward from the upper part of the
lamp and a sliding sleeve on the wire-gauze cylinder substantially as herein shown
and described.
2. The combination with the base of a lamp, the ring be supported above the
same, the glass cylinder between said base and ring and the wire-gauze cylinder C
projecting downward through the ring of the ring 68 supported above the ring 66
the sleeve D depending from the ring 68 and the sliding sleeve E substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. The combination with the base of the lamp the stationary sleeve D and the
sliding sleeve E of the ring 66 supported above the base and provided with the
annular groove c¹ to receive the lower end of the sliding sleeve and the wire gauze
cylinder C projecting through the said ring substantially as herein shown and
described.
4. The upper sleeve D with its perforated cap-piece c³ in combination with the
wire gauze G arranged to cover the perforation in said cap piece a screw-socket
adapted to receive said gauze and the screw gland c for holding said gauze in
place and to provide for its removal from the lamp substantially as specified.
Date : FIL
T
1000·