IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS' SAFETY LAMPS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hatherton Hall and Joseph Cooke, both of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Miners' Lamp Manufacturers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS' SAFETY LAMPS."
Sealed the 11th December 1866, and dated the 18th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hatherton Hall
and Joseph Cooke at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 13th June 1866.
We, WILLIAM HATHERTON HALL and JOSEPH COOKE, both of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Miners' Lamp Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MINER'S SAFETY LAMPS,"
to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist principally in the manufacture of a lamp which
is self-extinguishing, that is, it cannot be opened without the light becoming
extinguished, we also use a corrugated, scolloped, or fluted glass, and a seam-
less gauze. The self-extinguishing lamp is constructed with a crank, one end
of which has an extinguisher on it, the other end is made to catch into a
groove or slot, which said groove is in that part of the lamp which screws on
the body or oil vessel, the before-mentioned crank is pivoted on the body or
oil vessel, the form of the crank is something like the letter Z, with the
middle part perpendicular, and the said middle part is bored out for its axis
longitudinally, and extra large, two-thirds deep or about at the upper end to
admit a spiral spring, which said spring is placed round the pivot on which

page_text: the said Z-crank works; this spiral spring is for the purpose of forcing down
the extinguisher when immediately over the flame, the foot of the said
Z-crank when the lamp is screwed together rests on the body of the lamp,
and out of the way of the top or body screw, and when the lamp is screwed
together a wire of an angular form, which is placed in a pipe or small tubo
through the body of the lamp is turned so that it forces the lower end of the
Z-crank into a slot in the top or body screw of the lamp, and when an
attempt is made to unscrew the lamp the top end of the Z-crank is forced
over the wick of the lamp, and the bottom of the Z-crank is forced into a recess
for the purpose, which is made in the body of the lamp; should the wick be
lifted an extra height that the extinguisher cannot cover it, then the crank
cannot fall to its proper place, and a flat spring in the said recess is retained
in the slot used for forcing the extinguisher on the wick; if the extinguisher
falls completely over the wick the foot of the Z-crank is sprung or forced
below the spring, the end of which otherwise would be in the slot in the top
or body ring of the lamp. The Z-crank may be adjusted or set by a small
spring made to continually press it whilst the lamp is being screwed
together, or the bed on which the crank rests may be sloped, but we prefer
the simple wire.
In the manufacture of the glasses of the safety lamps we use a hollow
plunger to the glass mould, the hollow part serves to receive the superfluous
glass instead of its being forced into a recess at the bottom of the mould, the
glass when moulded merely has to be ground or cut at the bottom, and the
piece falls out. The seamless gauze we make in any convenient manner, and
merely claim the application thereof to miners' lamps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph Cooke in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HATHERTON HALL and JOSEPH COOKE, both of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Miners' Lamp Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph Cooke, Her special licence that

page_text: we, the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph Cooke, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Hatherton
Hall and Joseph Cooke, our 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' SAFETY LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph Cooke, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph
Cooke, do hereby declare the naturo of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
Our improvements consist principally in the manufacture of a lamp which
is self-extinguishing, that is, it cannot be opened without the light becoming
extinguished, we also use a corrugated, scolloped, or fluted glass, and a
seamless gauze. The self-extinguisher lamp is constructed with a crank, one
end of which has an extinguisher on it, the other end is made to catch into a
groove or slot, which said groove is in that part of the lamp which screws
on the body or oil vessel, the before-mentioned crank is pivoted on the body
or oil vessel, the form of the crank is something like the letter Z, with the
middle part perpendicular, and the said middle part is bored out for its axis
longitudinally, and extra large, two-thirds deep or about at the upper end to
admit a spiral spring, which said spring is placed round the pivot on which
the said Z-crank works, this spiral spring is for the purpose of forcing down
the extinguisher when immediately over the flame, the foot of the said Z-crank
when the lamp is screwed together rests on the body of the lamp, and out of
the way of the top or body screw, and when the lamp is screwed together a
wire of an angular form, which is placed in a pipe or small tube through the
body of the lamp is turned, so that it forces the lower end of the Z-crank into
a slot in the top or body screw of the lamp, the top end of the Z-crank is

page_text: forced over the wick of the lamp, and the bottom of the Z-crank is forced
into a recess for the purpose, which is made in the body of the lamp, should
the wick be lifted an extra height that the extinguisher cannot cover it, then
the crank cannot fall to its proper place, and a flat spring in the said recess is
retained in the slot used for forcing the extinguisher on the wick; if the
extinguisher falls completely over the wick the foot of the Z-crank is sprung
or forced below the spring, the end of which otherwise would be in the slot in
the top or body ring of the lamp. The Z-crank may be adjusted or set by
a small spring made to continually press it whilst the lamp is being screwed
together, or the bed on which the crank rests may be made to slope, but we
prefer the simple wire.
In the manufacture of the glasses to the safety lamps we use a hollow
plunger to the glass mould, the hollow part serves to receive the superfluous
glass instead of being forced into a recess at the bottom of the mould, the
glass when moulded merely has to be ground or cut at the bottom, and the
piece falls out. The seamless gauze we make in any convenient manner, and
merely claim the application thereof to miners' safety lamps.
Having thus set forth the nature of our Invention, we next proceed to
describe it with reference to the Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.
Figure 1 is the body or oil vessel of a clanny lamp to which the Invention
is best adapted, the ring which is fitted to and connects the body with the top
or glass and gauze part is not shewn, as it is like the ordinary clanny ring,
except that there is a small portion of the thread cut away forming a recess,
and this is used for setting or cocking the lamp. In order to set the lamp so
that it cannot be opened without extinguishing the light it is first charged
with oil and wick, the spring a is drawn or pressed back, and the extinguisher b
is lifted up, and the foot turned on to the body of the lamp in the position of
.b, Figure 5, the top is then screwed on, and when that part of the ring first-
>mentioned where the thread is cut away, and called a recess, is opposite the
foot b', Figure 5, the trigger c is turned towards and pressed against the said
foot 6', and forces it down a small step and into the recess, the position
is shewn, Figure 5, by the dotted lines, the lamp is then ready for the work-
man or miner, and should he, as has been the case with other Inventions,
place the pushing or pricker wire to prevent the extinguisher falling upon the
wick the spring a is held in the before-mentioned recess and prevents the
lamp being opened, the spring is shewn in such position at a, Figure 2 (by
dotted lines), the pricker wire must be removed to allow the extinguisher to
take the position shewn, Figure 1, and in section through the dotted line d,

page_text: Figure 2 at Figure 4, e is the pricker or wick trimming wire; f, the burner;
9, a spiral spring to force down the extinguisher when attempted to be tampered
with.
The glass we prefer is shewn in section, Figure 8. As we do not claim the
manufacture of the circular or seamless gauze, but only the application of it
to miners' lamps, we do not shew it in the Drawings.
We use the different parts of the Invention either together or separately.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the exact form or size of the different parts; but what we
claim is, the use of seamless gauze, corrugated, fluted, or scolloped glasses, and
the self-extinguishing mechanism herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Hatherton Hall and Joseph
Cooke, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of
December One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM HATHERTON HALL. (L.s.)
JOSEPH COOKE.
(L.B.)
WILLIAM HATHERTON HALL. (L.s.)
JOSEPH COOKE.
(L.B.)