IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MINERS' LAMPS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules Mozard, of 6, Dufour Place, Golden Square,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF MINERS' LAMPS."
Sealed the 20th February 1857, and dated the 3rd September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jules Mozard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
September 1856.
I, JULES MOZARD, of 6, Dufour Place, Golden Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MINERS' LAMPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of miners'
lamps. For these purposes, the upper parts of the lamp are screwed on to the
lower part or oil vessel in such manner that the parts cannot be unscrewed
without acting on the wick of the lamp and drawing it into the wick tube, so as
to extinguish the flame; hence, a man using such a lamp cannot obtain a light
by opening the lamp. To accomplish this object, there is a trigger or lever,
which is acted on several times by projections or catches in the act of unscrewing
the parts. This trigger or lever gives motion to a claw, which each time it is
moved enters the wick, and causes it to be drawn down a distance into the wick

page_text: tube, and the wick is prevented rising by its elasticity, or otherwise by spring
points, which retain the wick down to the position it may be brought by
the claw. In order to prevent the flame being blown or drawn through the
wire gauze, a chimney is used, which ascends to such a height as to prevent
the flame being acted on. The wire gauze is closed at top and also at the
bottom, except where the chimney passes into it. Above the upper part of
the oil vessel and below the wire gauze the flame is protected by a cylinder of
thick glass. The wick is snuffed by the ordinary bent wire.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jules Mozard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES
MOZARD, of 6, Dufour Place, Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jules Mozard, Her special licence that I, the said Jules Mozard, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jules
Mozard, 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 THE
CONSTRUCTION OF MINERS' LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Jules Mozard, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, 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 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 Jules Mozard, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of
miners' lamps. For these purposes, the upper parts of the lamp are screwed
on to the lower part or oil vessel in such manner that the parts cannot be
unscrewed without acting on the wick of the lamp and drawing it into the
wick tube, so as to extinguish the flame; hence, a man using such a lamp
cannot obtain a light by opening the lamp. To accomplish this object, there
is a trigger or lever, which is acted on several times by projections or catches
in the act of uncrewing the parts. This trigger or lever gives motion to a
claw, which each time it is moved enters the wick, and causes it to be drawn
down a distance into the wick tube, and the wick is prevented rising by its
elasticity, or otherwise by spring points, which retain the wick down to the
position it may be brought by the claw. In order to prevent the flame being.
blown or drawn through the wire gause, a chimney is used, which ascends to
such a height as to prevent the flame being acted on. The wire gauze is closed
at top and also at the bottom, except where the chimney passes into it.
Above the upper part of the oil vessel and below the wire gauze the flame is
protected by a cylinder of thick glass. The wick is snuffed by the ordinary
bent wire.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of part of a miner's lamp arranged according
to my Invention, so that the gauze shade and parts connected therewith cannot
be removed from the lamp without drawing the wick into the wick tube and
extinguishing the flame. a is the body of the oil vessel; and 6 is the top
thereof, on which is formed the screw 6' for receiving the ring c, to which the
shade of the lamp is attached. Figures 2 and 3 show respectively a plan and
an underside view of the part 6, with other parts connected with it. d is a
spring catch or trigger, which projects up through the slot 6 in the top of the
oil vessel, and is formed at the end of the curved wire d³, which slides through
a hole in the support 63, and has coiled round it the spiral spring e. The end
of the wire d' is bent up, and acts on the arm f¹ at the end of the axis f, which
is supported by projections 6, 64, from the top of the oil vessel b, and has coiled
round its further end the spring f2. g is a claw fixed on the axis f, and acting so
as to draw the wick into the wick tube when the ring c is unscrewed; h is the
snuffing wire. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-On the under side of
the ring c are three or more projections c¹, c', which, when the ring c is screwed
on, pass over the catch d, for the inclined sides of the said projections come in
contact with the inclined side of the catch, so as to press it down, and it is

page_text: permitted to descend by the yielding of the supporting spring 65; but when the
ring c is unscrewed, the straight sides of the projections c¹ come in contact with
the straight side of the catch d, which is thus drawn forward until its inclined
end comes in contact with the end of the slot 62, and during this motion the
end of the wire d' acts on the arm f¹ on the axis f, which is thus caused to
make a partial revolution, and the claw g enters the wick and draws it par-
tially and completely into the wick tube; as the unscrewing of the ring c is
continued, the catch d descends, and is then brought back by the spring e to
its starting point, at the same time the claw g is brought back by the spring f*;
and to the wick rising with the claw spring points may be used, but this I do
not find it essential in practice. When by further unscrewing the ring c,
another projection c¹ is brought up to the catch d, the operation is repeated,
and so on, until the light is extinguished.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of another miners' lamp, also arranged so
that the gauze shade and the parts connected therewith cannot be unscrewed
without drawing the wick into the wick tube and extinguish the flame, but it
differs somewhat in its details from the lamp already described.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section, Figure 6 an outside view, and Figure 7 is
a plan, of the lower part of this lamp. a is the body of the oil vessel, and b
is the top thereof, on which is formed a screw 6₁ for receiving the ring c, as
before; i is a horizontal axis, supported at one end by the projection i from
the bottom of the oil vessel, and passing out through the side of the oil vessel
at j, where it passes through a piece of cork to make a tight joint. On the end
of the axis i a short tube is fixed, into which the stem of the key k just fits,
and the side of this tube is notched to receive the projecting part of the key;
this key acts to depress the spring catch l, as is clearly seen by the Drawing,
and until this catch is depressed by turning the key the ring c cannot be un-
screwed, for it has projections c¹ on its under side, as in the lamp already
described, but by turning the key to depress the catch 7, motion is given to the
axis i, and so to the claw m, which draws the wick into the wick tube (shown
in detail at Figure 8), and extinguishes the light.
Figure 4 also shows my improvements in the arrangement of the upper part
or shade of the lamp. n is a strong glass tube, placed opposite the flame; o is
a cylinder of wire gauze, placed above it and close, with gauze both at the top
and bottom, as is shown by the Drawing. Through the centre of the bottom.
of this gauze cylinder a metal chimney p passes, and its upper end is only a
short distance from the top thereof. The use of the chimney as herein shown,
renders it impossible that the flame should be blown through the wire gauze,
as now sometimes happens.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described; but what I claim is,-
First, the so arranging a miners' lamp that the gauze shade cannot be
removed without extinguishing the flame.
And, second, the arrangement of the metal chimney p and the cylinder of
wire gauze o closed at the top and bottom, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Mozard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
JULES JOSEPH MOZARD. (L.S.)