Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hyde, Engineer, Joseph Hyde, Engineer,
and Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, Gentleman, all of Seend, near
Melksham, in the County of Wilts, for the Invention of "AN IM-
Sealed the 15th May 1874, and dated the 19th November 1873.

page_text: The improved safety lamp we propose to use for this purpose is con-
structed substantially as follows:-We provided a bed plate of suitable
size, in which is formed an aperture which is to receive the oil lamp,
upon the upper surface of which is a metal plate, through which and
through the oil vessel goes a hooked stalk, to the upper part of which is
attached (when the apparatus is in use) the lower end of a strip of lead
(or other fusible material), herein-after mentioned. The upper end of
this strip of lead is hung on or suspended from the upper end of a metal
plate or shield, which is provided with a hooked top for this purpose, the
lower end of the said shield being permanently attached to the metal
plate herein-before mentioned. Upon the top of the said metal bed
plate a circular piece of wire gauze is fitted, such as is used to construct
the framework of the ordinary Davy lamp, and which, as will be under-
stood, encloses the oil lamp and metal bed plate herein-before referred
to, and is attached to the said bed plate in a suitable manner. The said
wire gauze is then enclosed in a circular metal casing which is open at
its top, but on each of its two sides and opposite each other there are two
apertures of suitable size cut out of the metal, and which will allow the
said inner casing of wire gauze to be open and uncovered when the
apparatus is in its normal condition, but which said apertures are closed
when required by an outer sliding metal casing with which the
apparatus is provided, and which working in a slot provided rises and
falls as required. A metal double link is connected to the bottom of
this outer sliding metal casing, the said double link being connected at
its lower extremities by a bridle which goes underneath the bed plate, in
such manner that when the said outside metal casing is raised the said
bridle will rest in a hook provided at the bottom end of the hooked
stalk.
The operation of our improved apparatus or safety lamp is as
follows: The lamp is suspended from the top of the roof, and is placed.
near to it, and the tendency of foul air being upward it will of necessity"
act upon the lamp before affecting the lower atmosphere, and so soon
as the foul air enters the gauze it becomes ignited, the strip of lead (or
other fusible material) before mentioned, which is used to suspend the
stalk, is quickley melted, when the stalk immediately drops, the outer
casing also falls, and the lamp thus becomes extinguished from want of
combustion.
But the action of our improved lamp is designed not only to prevent

page_text: explosions in collieries, but by the means herein-after mentioned to
effectually give notice to the persons in attendance of the presence of
fire damp in the pit. We therefore employ electricity in combination
with our apparatus, and when the said outer metal casing falls we cause
the metal bridle before described to act upon an electric current, which
in its turn acts upon a bell or bells causing them to ring and to continue
ringing until they are stopped by the attendants.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and Osborne Charles
Vyse Aldis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HYDE, Engineer, JOSEPH HYDE, Engineer, and OSBORNE CHARLES VYSE
ALDIS, Gentleman, all of Seend, near Melksham, in the County of Wilts,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and
Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, Her special licence, that we, the said John
Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Hyde,
Joseph Hyde, and Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS OR
ELECTRIC ALARM LAMP FOR MINING PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and Osborne Charles
Vyse Aldis, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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

page_text: 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 we, the said John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and
Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, do hereby declare the nature of our 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) :-
The object of this Invention is, by the means herein-after explained,
to prevent the explosions in collieries which are now of such frequent
occurrence.
The improved safety lamp we propose to use for this purpose is con-
structed substantially as follows:-We provide a bed plate of suitable
size, in which is formed an aperture which is to receive the oil lamp,
upon the upper surface of which is a metal plate, through which and
through the oil vessel gões a hooked stalk, to the upper part of which is
attached (when the apparatus is in use) the lower end of a strip of lead
(or other fusible material), herein-after mentioned. The upper end of
this strip of lead is hung on or suspended from the upper end of a metal
plate or shield, which is provided with a hooked top for this purpose, the
lower end of the said shield being permanently attached to the metal
plate herein-before mentioned. Upon the top of the said metal bed
plate a circular piece of wire gauze is fitted, such as is used to construct
the framework of the ordinary Davy lamp, and which, as will be under-
stood, encloses the oil lamp and metal plate herein-before referred to,
and is attached to the said bed plate in a suitable manner. The said
wire gauze is then enclosed in a circular metal casing, which is open at
its top, but on each of its two sides and opposite each other there are
two apertures of suitable size cut out of the metal, and which will allow
the said inner casing of the wire gauze to be opened and uncovered
when the apparatus is in its normal condition, but which said apertures
are closed when required by an outer sliding metal casing, with which
the apparatus is provided, and which working with a slot provided rises
and falls as required. A metal double link is connected to the bottom
of this outer sliding metal casing, the said double link being connected
at its lower extremities by a bridle which goes underneath the bed plate,
in such manner that when the said outside metal casing is raised the
said bridle will rest in a hook provided at the bottom end of the hooked
stalk.

page_text: The operation of our improved apparatus or safety lamp is as
follows: The lamp is suspended from the top of the roof, and is placed
near to it, and the tendency of foul air being upward it will of necessity
act upon the lamp before affecting the lower atmosphere, and so soon
as the foul air enters the gauze it becomes ignited, the strip of lead (or
other fusible material) before mentioned, which is used to suspend the
stalk, is quickly melted, when the stalk immediately drops, the outer
casing also falls, and the lamp thus becomes extinguished from want of
combustion.
But the action of our improved lamp is designed not only to prevent
explosions in collieries, but by the means herein-after mentioned to
effectually give notice to the persons in attendance of the presence of
fire damp in the pit. We therefore employ electricity in combination
with our apparatus, and when the said outer metal casing falls we cause
the metal bracket to act upon an electric current, which in its turn acts
upon a bell or bells causing them to ring and to continue ringing until
they are stopped by the attendants.
That our Invention may be better understood we have annexed
Drawings thereof, which we now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is an external side elevation; Fig. 2 is a transverse section;
Fig. 3 shews the oil vessel removed from the lamp.
.
a, a, are side frames supporting a bed plate b, into which is screwed
the oil vessel c; d is the usual casing of wire gauze enclosing the
flame e of the lamp, which casing is enclosed in a metallic cylinder ƒ
fixed to the bed plate b, and having large rectangular openings g in its
sides; is a flat plate closing the top of the cylinder f, and having the
handle screwed into it. Sliding vertically outside the cylinder ƒ is a
second cylinder k, which when raised, as shewn in the Figures, uncovers
the aforesaid openings 9. For the support of the cylinder k two
links 1, 1, united by a cross bar m take hold of two pins n, n.
The cross
bar m rests in the hooked end of a rod o which passes upward through a
tube in the oil vessel, and is suspended from the plate p by
link r, which is of lead or other easily fusible metal.
guards the fusible link e from the ordinary flame of the lamp, but
when fire damp fills the gauze casing d and burns therein the lead
link is melted, and the rod o, links 1, 1, and outer cylinder k imme-
diately fall, cutting off all communication between the outer air and the
means of a
The plate p

page_text: lamp flame, which consequently goes out. The descent of the cylinder k
is arrested by the arm & resting upon the button t, which is insulated
from the bed plate 6 by means of the nonconducting pillar u. Two
wires v, v, are led away to a galvanic battery, and an electrical alarm
situated in any part of the workings, or even outside the pit altogether.
The fall of the arm s upon the button t completes the electrical circuit
and gives instant warning of the presence of a dangerous quantity of
fire damp.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, we desire it to be understood
that without limiting ourselves to the precise details herein-before
described (as these may to some extent be varied or modified without
departing from the nature of our said Invention), we desire it to be
understood that what we claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction of
alarm lamps for mining purposes, in which valves or shutters suspended
from an internal fusible link are employed, in combination with an
"rangement for giving an alarm at any distance by means of electricity,
substantially as herein-before described, and as illustrated in the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
İn witness whereof, we, the said John Hyde, Joseph Hyde, and
Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.