Improvements in Miners' Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1896
Improvements in Miners' Lamps.
We, JAMES ANDERSON of 92 Stirling Street, Brass Finisher and JOHN MARSHALL
136 Graham Street Spirit Merchant, both of Airdrie in the County of Lanark do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in miners' lamps and has for its object the
manufacture of such lamps cheaply but with a maximum of strength and ease in
taking to pieces for cleaning and repairing purposes. Also to prevent accidents
by so constructing the lamp that it cannot be opened without extinguishing the
light.
In the construction of the lamp there are no screwed parts; also all casting and
turning is dispensed with; the parts are all struck or made with machinery.
The foot of
The lamp consists at its top part of a double casing of wire gauze; below that a
glass chimney and at the foot of the lamp the naphtha vessel. The top or gauze
portion is held together, by means of upright pillars or wires held together at the top
by means of a cover in the centre of which is a ring or hook for carrying the lamp,
this cover being attached to the ends of the upright pillars by means of cotters.
The inner and outer gauzes are held within a flanged ring, the lamp glass below
being held in a similar way. The two flanged rings being rivetted together that is
to say the lamp glass hangs down from its flanged ring. The lower ends of the top
pillars of the lamp are secured to the top of the flange of the gauze ring. The lower
pillars of the glass funnel portion of the lamp are secured between the under side
of the flange of the glass ring and the top of the naphtha tank cover.
the lamp that is to say the naphtha vessel has its top dish shaped like an inverted cone
to prevent the naphtha running out when the lamp is turned upside down. The
upper circumference of the naphtha vessel is recessed so as to fit within a cover
portion, through the centre of which the wick tube and extinguisher tube passes. This
cover and the naphtha vessel are locked together by means of an outside vertical
loose pin which falls into a hole in a snug formed at the side of the naphtha vessel.
The lamp can not he opened, that is to say the naphtha vessel along with the
burner, except by turning the lamp upside down when the locking pin drops out of
the snug and allows the naphtha vessel to be given a motion of partial rotation which
releases the bayonet joint by means of which the tank and its cover vessel are
connected together. The herein before described shape of the naphtha vessel prevents
the naphtha escaping, but to assist this we fill the vessel with sponge. The extin-
guisher consists of a tube which is supported in an opening in the top of the vessel
cover and the arrangement is such that when the naphtha vessel along with the
wick tube is separated from the cover the light is instantly extinguished by virtue
of the wick tube being drawn past the depth of the extinguisher tube where combus-
tion can take place. For cleaning and repairing purposes we fix the extinguisher
tube within the hole in the cover, by means of a split spring ring which ring takes
into a recess cut in the tube, the arrangement being such that the extinguisher tube
while it is held tight by means of the spring ring can be readily taken out as
required and as readily inserted again. A flat ring is rivetted below the centre of
the cover for the purpose of retaining the split ring in position. A ring is also fixed
around the top of the centre of the cover for the same purpose and also for the
purpose of keeping this part of the lamp air tight. The lower part of the extinguisher

page_text: tube is provided with a slot in its side with a corresponding slot in the wick tube to
enable the wick to be raised and lowered by means of a sprocket wheel which is
operated from the outside of the lamp by the medium of a spindle enclosed in a tube,
the spindle being operated from outside by means of a thumb and finger knob. Air
is not allowed to have access into the lamp except through a hole in the side of the
cover which hole leads to an air hole in the wick tube.
The upright pillars or wires of the glass funnel portion of the lamp are connected
to the top of the naphtha vessel cover by forming the lower ends of the pillars with
checks which fit into correspondingly shaped check portions formed in a binding ring
the arrangement being such that by partially rotating the binding ring in one direction
the pillars are released and by moving the ring in the opposite direction the parts are
bound together.
Dated this 16th day of July 180
JOHNSONS,
115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents.
We, JAMES ANDERSON of 92 Stirling Street, Brass Finisher and JOHN MARSHALL
136 Graham Street, Spirit Merchant, both of Airdrie in the County of Lanark, 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 relates to improvements in miners' lamps for detecting the presence
of gas in mines and has for its object the manufacture of such lamps cheaply but
with a maximum of strength and ease in taking to pieces for cleaning and repairing
purposes. Also to prevent accidents by so constructing the lamp that it cannot be
opened without extinguishing the light.
In the construction of the lamp there are no screwed parts; also all casting and
turning is dispensed with; the parts are all struck or made with machinery.
But in order that our said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation and
Fig. 2 an under plan of a miner's lamp constructed in accordance with our said
invention.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the binding ring removed from the lamp.
As shewn in the said drawings the lamp consists at its top part of a double casing
of wire gauze; below that a glass chimney and at the foot of the lamp the naphtha
vessel. The top or gauze portion A is held together by means of upright pillars or
wires a held together by means of the cover B, in the centre of which is a ring or
hook 6 for carrying the lamp, this cover being attached to the ends of the upright
pillars a by means of cotters or by rivetting. The inner and outer gauzes are held
within a flanged ring (the lamp glass e below being held in a similar way by the
ring C. A loose flanged ring e' is also provided for securing an equal space between
both gauzes. The lower ends of the top pillars a of the lamp are secured to the
top of the flange of the gauze ring C by rivetting or otherwise. The lower pillars D
of the glass funnel portion of the lamp are secured between the under side of the
flange of the flanged glass ring and the top of the naphtha tank cover D'. The
foot of the lamp, that is to say, the naphtha vessel E has its top e, dish shaped like an
inverted cone to prevent the naphtha running out when the lamp is turned upside

page_text: down. The upper circumference of the naphtha vessel is recessed so as to fit within
the cover portion D', through the centre of which the wick tube and extinguisher
tube pass. This cover D' and the naphtha vessel E are locked together by means of
a screw d within the recess d' operated by a key and thus caused to impinge upon
the upper circumference of the vessel E. The lamp therefore can not be opened, that
is to say the naphtha vessel along with the burner, until the screw has been
slackened thus allowing the naphtha vessel to be given a motion of partial rotation
which releases the bayonet joint by means of which the tank and its cover are
connected together. The herein before described shape of the naphtha vessel prevents
the naphtha escaping, but to assist this we fill the vessel with sponge. The extin-
guisher consists of a tube F which is supported in the opening in the top of the
vessel cover D' and the arrangement is such that when the naphtha vessel E along
with the wick tube is separated from the cover the light is instantly extinguished by
virtue of the wick tube being drawn past the depth of the extinguisher tube where
combustion can take place. For cleaning and repairing purposes we fix the extin-
guisher tube F within the hole in the cover, by means of a split spring ring which
ring takes into a recess cut in the tube the arrangement being such that the
extinguisher tube while it is held tight by means of the spring ring can be readily
taken out as required and as readily inserted again. A flat ring or disc f' is rivetted
below the centre of the cover for the purpose of retaining the split ring in
position.
The wick tube F' is raised and lowered by means of the rack and sprocket
wheel which is operated from the outside of the lamp through the medium of the
spindle 2 which is enclosed in a tube, and provided at its end with a thumb and
finger knob, a slot being provided at the side of the lower part of the extinguisher
tube to allow the rack to be freely raised and lowered. Or a slot may be formed in
the side of the wick tube so that the sprocket wheel may act directly upon
the wick.
The upright pillars or wires D of the glass funnel portion of the lamp are connected
to the top of the naphtha vessel cover E by forming the lower ends of the pillars
which pass through the cover D' with checks d which engage with the ratchet shaped
binding ring H, shewn more particularly in Figures 2 and 3. This binding ring is
composed of four eccentric portions gradually tapered in thickness from the broadest
to the narrowest portion at which position a slight recess h is formed to allow the
ends of the rods D to pass and enable the ring to engage with the checks d², the
arrangement being such that by partially rotating the binding ring in one direction
the pillars are released and by moving the ring in the opposite direction the parts
are bound together. Notches or recesses J may also be provided for facilitating the
removal of the ring by means of a key of any suitable form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts constituting
our improved miners' lamp substantially as herein before described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In lamps for detecting the presence of gas in mines, the arrangement for ensuring
that the lamp cannot be opened without extinguishing the flame, consisting of the
tube F removably fixed in the cover D' of the naphtha vessel by the split spring
ring through which the wick tube F¹ passes, substantially as hereinbefore described
and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
3. In lamps for detecting the presence of gas in mines, the method of connecting
the gauze containing portion with the cover of the naphtha vessel, consisting of the
pillars D having checks d adapted to engage with the ratchet shaped binding ring H,
whereby the parts can be easily bound together to form a gas tight joint without the
necessity of screwing, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. The arrangement and construction of the lamp whereby the various parts can
be stamped out to facilitate and cheapen the manufacture thereof, substantially as
hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents.