IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS' LAMPS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Yates, of Upper Bedford Place, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MINERS' LAMPS."
Sealed the 9th April 1872, and dated the 9th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Yates at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1871.
7.
I, WILLIAM YATES, of Upper Bedford Place, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS' LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct miners' lamps in such a
manner that they cannot be tampered with or opened by the miner
without first extinguishing the light, thus preventing all risk of
explosions in the mine from an exposure of the naked flame.
To this end I adapt to the body of the lamp a locking pin, which will
prevent the lower part from being unscrewed or detached from the
upper

page_text: part until such pin is drawn back. This locking pin is constantly kept
pressed forward by means of a spring behind it, and it is provided with.
an arm which bears against a shoulder or block on a screwed pin which
works the wick carrier up and down. This screwed pin is provided
outside the lamp with a milled head or equivalent device, whereby it can 5
be turned.
The operation of these parts is as follows:-Before the bottom part
of the lamp can be unscrewed and detached from the upper, the locking
pin must be drawn down by unscrewing the pin connected with the
wick carrier. By so doing, however, the wick will be drawn down at ]
the same time as the locking pin, and consequently the lamp will be
extinguished before the lamp can be opened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Yates in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
YATES, of Upper Bedford Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Yates, Her special licence
that I, the said William Yates, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Yates, my executors,
administrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MINERS' LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Yates, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed 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 I, the said William Yates, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that is to
say):-:
The object of this Invention is to construct miners' lamps in such a
manner that they cannot be tampered with or opened by the miner
without first. extinguishing the light, thus preventing all risk of "
explosions in the mine from an exposure of the naked flame.
To this end I adapt to the body of the lamp a locking pin, which will
prevent the lower part of the lamp from being unscrewed or detached
from the upper part until such pin is drawn back. This locking pin is
constantly kept pressed forward by means of a spring, and it is provided
with an arm which bears against a shoulder or block on a screwed pin.
which works the wick carrier up and down. This screwed pin is
provided outside the lamp with a milled head or equivalent device,
whereby it can be turned.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a
miners' lamp constructed according to my improvements; Fig. 2 is
another sectional elevation, but taken at right angles to Fig. 1.
A, A, is the body of the lamp, and comprises the oil reservoir a, a,
the fixed wick tube b', the moveable wick holder b, and the parts
connected therewith. This body A is screwed into the upper part B
at c, c. The upper part comprises the gauzo chimney d, the lens e, and
metal reflector. The lower end B* of the part B is made with a flange
and recessed under part in which there are a number of rachet teeth, as
shewn at g, g, Fig. 3, which is a view of the under side of the part B*.
The wick holder or carrier 6 is capable of being moved up and down in
the fixed tube 6' by means of a screwed pin h, which passes through a
nut made in an arm bª attached to the wick carrier b. The lower end of
the screwed pin passes through a stuffing box i in the bottom of the
oil reservoir, and is provided externally with a milled head 4, whereby.
h

page_text: it may be turned from the outside when it is required to lower the wick.
The screwed pin / passes freely through a hole in a cranked arm j*,
which carries at its opposite end a vertical pin j, the upper end of which
projects up into the recessed part B* of the upper half of the lamp.
This pin ƒ works in guides or sockets, as shewn at Fig. 2, and is pressed!
upwards by means of the spring k which bears against the cranked arm
j, and keeps the upper end of the pin j against the rachet teeth g, g, on
the under side of the part B* of the upper half of the lamp.
The operation of the various parts of the lamp is as follows:-If it be
desired to detach the lower or burner part of the lamp from the upper 1
part B, the locking pin j must be drawn down before the lower part A
of the lamp can be unscrowed. The withdrawal of the pin ; from the
rachet teeth in the recessed part B* of the upper half of the lamp is
effected by turning round the milled head * of the screwed pin h, which
passes through the nut 6º made in the arm attached to the wick carrier 6. 1
By so doing, the wick carrier or holder will be drawn down and the light
extinguished; the nut 6 will then be brought down on to the end of the
cranked arm j*, which when forced back will at the same time draw
down the locking pin ; out of contact with the ratchet teeth 9, 9, and
allow the lower part of the lamp to be unscrewed; but the light will have 2
been extinguished before the lamp can be thus taken apart.
When the lamp has been trimmed and lighted it may be screwed into
its place in the upper half B; the pinj will then bear against the ratchet
teeth g, g, being pressed upwards by the spring k; the upper end of the
pinj will rub over the teeth g as the lamp is screwed in; but the pin ƒ 2
will effectually prevent the lamp from being unscrewed until it (the
pinj) has been drawn down in the manner just described.
Although miners' lamps constructed in the manner above set forth
are perfectly secure from being tampered with, and do not require any
further protection, the several parts may also if desired be locked 30
together in the usual way.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Miners'
Lamps," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, the combination with the wick holder, or carrier of a pin, stop, 35

page_text: or other. equivalent device which will prevent the upper and lower parts
of the lamp from being unscrewed or taken apart, until such pin, stop,
or its equivalent is withdrawn, these parts being so combined that the
stop or pin cannot be drawn back without either previously or simul-
taneously extinguishing the light as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Yates, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.