Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
I, DAVID WILLIAM HUGHES, of No. 19 Seaton Street, New Town, Pontypridd,
Glamorganshire, South Wales, Miner, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in miner's safety lamps relates to that class
of lamp in which the lamp is provided with a thick glass cylinder between the
oil reservoir and the gauze chimney, and has for its objects to provide an improved
means for admitting the air direct to the burner, to ensure the proper cooling
of the oil reservoir, to provide an improved locking device that shall ensure
that the parts of the lamp are perfectly tight and rigid, to provide a more simple
shield and to construct the gauze cylinder so that the life of the top that is
exposed to the great heat is increased and danger prevented even when burnt
through.
In a lamp constructed according to this invention an undercut channel-shaped ring,
having the bottom of the channel inwards, is screw threaded internally and carries
the pillars supporting an upper grooved gallery for the glass cylinder. A locking
disc having a central hole for the passage of the burner screws into the channel
ring. The glass cylinder is inserted through the channel ring with its upper
edge in the groove of the upper gallery. The locking disc is then screwed into the
channel ring and firmly secures the glass cylinder between itself and the upper
gallery. The channel ring screws onto the upper part of the oil reservoir so that
it is flush or nearly so with the reservoir and surrounds the burner and locks the
glass cylinder in place.
The locking disc is provided with large cavities extending from the cir-
cumference to nearly the central hole in the disc the remaining metal
being perforated with small holes so that there is a clear passage of air from the
circumference of the disc to the centre opening. The radial cavities are provided
with wire gauze to cover the holes. The bottom of the channel ring is perforated
with holes exactly opposite the cavities in the glass locking disc and opening into
the upper undercut recess in the channel so that the projecting edge of the channel
protects the holes from air draughts. A lock hasp is provided with a head
hinged thereto and fitting the under-cut channel and is adapted to fit into one
of a series of circumferential recesses in the outer circumference of the lower side
of the channel. The lock is soldered or secured to the oil reservoir. The channel
ring is screwed up tight with a recess opposite the lock, the hasp is slid round the
ring until opposite the lock and is brought down into the lock. As the hasp arm
passes through the circumferential recess opposite the lock it locks the ring to
the reservoir.
The burner is provided with a small tube extending from its upper part to the
reservoir and a second tube extends from half way down the burner into the
upper part of the reservoir. This arrangement ensures a circulation of cold air
through the reservoir and prevents over heating.

page_text: The shield consists of a metal cylinder having a cap at the top and a
disc at its lower end fitting on the upper glass gallery and adapted to be
locked to the same. The cylinder has holes at the top and bottom each
pair being connected by a channel slide in the interior of the cylinder. Between
the holes the bottom of the channel is perforated so that burnt air can pass through
the holes in the bottom of the channels and out through either the top or bottom
holes or both.
The gallery carries the usual capped gauze cylinder at its top and over the
capped gauze cylinder fits a detachable larger capped cylinder carrying also at
its inner end the usual capped hood fitting over the smaller capped gauze cylinder.
The mass of metal carries away the heat from the hood and cap of the small
cylinder and even if these be burned through the outer cylinder continues
to act.
Dated this 21st day of January 1897
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
I, DAVID WILLIAM HUGHES, of No. 19 Seaton Street, New Town, Pontypridd,
Glamorganshire, South Wales, Miner, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement;-
This invention for improvements in miner's safety lamps relates to that class
of lamp in which the lamp is provided with a thick glass cylinder between the
oil reservoir and the gauze chimney, and has for its objects to provide an improved
means for admitting the air direct to the burner, to ensure the proper cooling
of the oil reservoir, to provide an improved locking device that shall ensure
that the parts of the lamp are perfectly tight and rigid, to provide a more simple
shield and to construct the gauze cylinder so that the life of the top that is
exposed to the great heat is increased and danger prevented even when burnt
through.
In a lamp constructed according to this invention an undercut channel-shaped ring
having the bottom of the channel inwards, is screw threaded internally and carries
the pillars supporting an upper grooved gallery for the glass cylinder. A locking
disc having a central hole for the passage of the burner serews into the channel
ring. The glass cylinder is inserted through the channel ring with its upper
edge in the groove of the upper gallery. The locking disc is then screwed into the
channel ring and firmly secures the glass cylinder between itself and the upper
gallery. The channel ring screws onto the upper part of the oil reservoir so that
it is flush or nearly so with the reservoir and surrounds the burner and locks the
glass cylinder. in place. The locking disc is provided with large cavities extending
from the circumference to nearly the central hole in the disc, the remaining metal
being perforated with small holes thus leaving a clear passage of air from the
circumference of the disc to the centre opening. The radial cavities are provided
with wire gauze to cover the holes. The bottom of the channel ring is perforated
with holes exactly opposite the cavities in the glass locking disc and opening into
the upper undercut recess in the channel so that the projecting edge of the channel
protects the holes from air currents. A lock hasp is provided with a head
hinged thereto and fitting the under-cut channel and is adapted to fit into one
of a series of circumferential recesses in the outer eircumference of the lower side

page_text: of the channel. The lock is soldered or secured to the oil reservoir. The channel
ring is screwed up tight with a recess opposite the lock, the hasp is slid round the
ring until opposite the lock and is brought down into the lock. As the hasp arm
passes through the circumferential recess opposite the lock it locks the ring to
the reservoir.
The burner is provided with a small tube extending from its upper part to the
reservoir and a second tube extends from half way down the burner into the
upper part of the reservoir. This arrangement ensures a circulation of cold air
through the reservoir and prevents over heating.
The shield consists of a metal cylinder having a cap at the top and a
disc at its lower end fitting on the upper glass gallery and adapted to be
locked to the same. The cylinder has holes at the top and bottom each
pair being connected by a channel in the interior of the cylinder. Between
the holes the bottom of the channel is perforated so that burnt air can pass through
the holes in the bottom of the channel and out through either the top or bottom
holes or both.
The gallery carries the usual capped gauze cylinder at its top and over the
capped gauze cylinder fits a detachable larger capped cylinder carrying also at
its inner end the usual capped hood fitting over the smaller capped gauze cylinder.
The mass of metal carries away the heat from the hood and cap of the small
cylinder and even if these be burned through the outer cylinder continues
to act.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings: Fig. 1 is an elevation of
a miner's safety lamp constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 2 is a
central vertical section of the same, and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional plans.
The main frame of the lamp comprises the undercut channel ring a, the
pillars bb carried by the ring a and an upper gallery c carried by the pillars.
The glass cylinder d is inserted upwards through the ring a until its upper edge
bears in a groove in the underside of the gallery and is secured in place by the
locking disc e screwing into the ring a and having
a central hole for the passage
of the burner. The upper part of the oil reservoir f is reduced in diameter and
screws into the channel ring a so that the body is flush or nearly so with the
ring.
In order to admit air to the lamp, the locking disc e is provided with large
radial cavities el in its outer edge and holes e extending from its central hole to
the cavities e¹. Wire gauze in the cavities el covers the holes 2. Holes a' in
the channel ring a open out into the channel under the upper undercut side of
the channel and communicate with the radial cavities and thus with the interior
of the lamp.
In order to lock the lamp, the lock hasp g is provided with a hinged head g
fitting the undercut channel of the ring a and the lock g is soldered onto the oil
reservoir f. The lower edge of the channel ring is cut away at a³ to admit the
head g into the channel and is provided with a series of recesses a3 adapted to
receive the hasp g. The reservoir f is screwed up tight with a recess a³ opposite
the lock, the hasp is slid round the ring a until opposite the lock and is brought
into the lock and is held by the bolt 3 of the lock: the hasp g taking into the
recess a locks the reservoir in position.
The burner h is provided with a flange 8 clamped against an internal flange
in the bottom of the neek of the reservoir by the annular screw h². The tube
or passage h extends from near the top of the burner well into the reservoir and
a tube or passage is provided that does not extend quite as far either upwards or
downwards. These tubes ensure a circulation of air in the reservoir. It will
readily be seen that the burner can be used either end up.
The gallary e carries the usual capped gauze cylinder and over the top of the
cylinder i is a larger capped gauze cylinder carrying a capped hood fitting
over the cylinder i. The cylinder i is secured to the upper gallery c by
a flange

page_text: on its lower end secured by means of a screwed ring 3 screwing in the gallery c.
The cylinder is also provided with a flange that rests on the gallery and is
secured by the shield Z.
The cylindrical metal shield 7 has a cap and a ring 16 which fits on the
lowe gallery and is provided at its lower end with headed pins 12 taking into
slots m in the gallery and by means of which the shield is fixed to the gallery.
In order to lock the shield when the oil reservoir is in position, the pin slides
in the two rings a c and is forced upwards by the reservoir into a hole in the
ring The shield is provided with holes 13 at the top and bottom and an
open ended channel on the inner surface of the shield connects each pair of
holes 3, the channels being either slightly raised off the internal surface of
the shield or being perforated at the bottom between the holes 1³ 14.
A lamp as above described gives a good light, shows immediately when there
is any gas in the lamp and the gases when in the lamp quickly smother the
flame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improved means for admitting air to the lamp.
2. The special construction of the burner.
3. The locking device.
4. The arrangement of the gauze cylinder.
5. The construction of the shield.
6. The improved miner's safety lamp substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of August 1807
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.