Improvements in or Connected with Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application. 24th July, 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Miners' Safety Lamps.
I, LEWIS JENKINS, of Holyhead Road, Handsworth, Staffordshire, Safety-lamp
Inspector, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has reference more particularly to those miners' safety lamps in
which the air supplied to the flame is obtained through openings above the level of the
flame and the objects of this invention are to so construct the said lamps as to expose
to view any gas which may be burning in the upper part as well as in the lower part
of the lamp and that without any possibility of the gas being blown out; to enable the
lamp to test the atmosphere for gas at any distance above the lamp; to enable the
lamp to be used either as an ordinary Davy lamp or as a "bonnetted" Davy lamp; to
improve the means of admitting air to the flame so as the better to prevent any
possibility of explosions; and to simplify the construction of the lamp.
I will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation a miners' safety lamp constructed according to
this invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same partly in section; Fig. 3 is a
sectional plan of the same on line X, X, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the
saine on line Y, Y, of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the same on line Z, Z, of
Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the lower part of the frame of the lamp; Fig. 7 is a
separate view of a gauze ring which I employ therewith as hereinafter described;
Fig. 8 is a metal junk ring which surrounds the gauze ring represented by Fig. 7, and
Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of the oil reservoir and burner provided with a wire
gauze barrel similarly to an ordinary Davy lamp.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures of the
drawings.
The lamp frame consists of the upper part a¹ and the lower part a³ connected to
the upper part by the air tubes a². b is the oil reservoir screwed or otherwise
suitably connected to the lower part a³ of the lamp, c is a junk ring fitting between
the lower part a³ of the lamp frame and the oil reservoir 6 and which is free to
be removed as shewn by Fig. 8 by first removing the oil vessel b from the frame a³.
The lower part a³ of the lamp frame is made in the form of a short cylinder with
In this cylinder are air
an upper flange to which latter the tubes a² are fixed.
holes and outside these air holes is a wire gauze belt e bent into a bow shape
in cross section so as the better to admit the air to the openings d. The object
In the junk
of this wire gauze belt e is to prevent any back action of the flame.
ring I provide one or more holes to one or more of which a pipe or pipes
can be connected and carried to any height above the top of the lamp so as to
test the atmosphere in places too high to be reached by the lamp in the ordinary
way. Opposite each of these holes I prefer to provide a wing g so as to break
the currents of air passing into the lamp. The oil reservoir 6 is provided with a
wire gauze barrel h, the base of which is screwed or otherwise detachably fixed
to the oil reservoir b. This bonnet extends into the upper part of the lamp and
is surrounded by the usual glass tube i on the top of which is a second tube j
forming a glass bonnet containing the second wire barrel k into which the top of
the first wire barrel h projects. The base of this barrel k is flanged and gripped
between the ends of the glass bonnet j and tube i, a ring m of asbestos or other
The glass tube i, the wire
suitable packing being also inserted between them.
gauze barrel k and bonnet j are held in place by the usual ring which is screwed
into the base of the lamp and forces the bonnet j against the inside of the top
thereof. The upper part of the lamp frame is provided with sight holes n
through which the bonnet ; and barrel kare visible so that any gas burning in

page_text: the upper part of the lamp can be clearly seen the glass bonnet effectually
preventing such gas being blown out.
When the lamp is lighted the air to feed the flame passes down the tubes a² as
usual or through the holes for through both and into the annular space between the
junk ring and the cylindrical part a³ of the lamp base, then through the wire gauze
belt e and air holes d up into the glass tube i and through the gauze barrel h to the
flame; and the products of combustion pass up and out through the usual holes o in
the top of the lamp frame. Instead of the tubes a solid rods may be used and air
admitted only through the opening or openings f
As before stated gas burning in any part of the lamp can be clearly seen from the
outside thereof and that without any possibility of the gas being blown out and if it is
desired to test the atmosphere above the lamp this can readily be done by attaching
one or more pipes to one or other of the openings f, or through a pipe or pipes screwed
or otherwise connected to the top of the tubes a so as to admit air through such
pipe or pipes to the flame, the other openings for a² meanwhile being closed by
the fingers or by other means. When the oil reservoir b with its barrel h are
removed from the frame of the lamp as shewn by Fig. 9 they form an ordinary
Davy lamp and when inserted in the frame and glass tube and bonnet as shewn
by Fig. 1 the whole lamp forms a "bonnetted" Davy lamp.
Instead of or in addition to the air holes fair may be admitted to feed the flame
through openings in the upper part a¹ of the lamp as shewn by Figs. 10 and 11.
In this example
perforated metal ring q is inserted between the bottom of the glass
bonnet and the flange of the wire bonnet k through which air can pass from the
openings p through the bonnets k and h to the flame.
B
I wish it to be understood that I do not make any general claim to the tubes a" for
supplying air to the flame from the upper part of the lamp as I am aware that such
tubes have been used prior to my invention; and that I do not limit myself to the
precise details hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings but,
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. In miners' safety lamps of the kind herein referred to and in combination with
the frame and glass thereof in which the light burns, an oil reservoir adapted to be
removably secured to the said frame the said oil vessel being provided with a removable
wire gauze barrel surrounding the flame so that the said lamp can either be used as an
ordinary Davy lamp or as a
66 bonnetted 1" Davy lamp substantially as set forth.
2. In a miners' safety lamp and in combination with the upper wire gauze barrel
thereof, the use of a glass bonnet surrounding the said barrel and a lamp frame con-
structed so as to perinit of the said barrel and bonnet being seen from the outside
thereof for the purpose and substantially as herein before set forth.
3. In a miners' safety lamp, and in combination with the oil vessel and burner
thereof, the lower part a³ of the lamp frame constructed as a perforated cylinder,
the how section wire gauze belt e and with or without the wings g for the purposes
and substantially as described.
4. In a miners' safety lamp the employment of a hole or holes in the base thereof
communicating with the air supply to the flame and adapted for the attachment of a
separate tube or tubes to lead up above the top of the lamp for the purposes and sub-
stantially as described.
5. In a miners' safety lamp and in combination with the frame thereof, the glass
tube the transparent bonnet j, and the wire gauze barrel k, all held together and
secured in the frame in the manner substantially as set forth and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
6. In a miners' safety lamp and in combination with the frame thereof, the glass
tube i, the transparent, bonnet, the wire gauze barrel k, and the perforated ring gall
held together and secured in the frame in the manner substantially as set forth and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 7. The construction, combination, and arrangement of parts forming the improved
miners' safety lamp substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
22
1
T..1
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.