Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
We, FERDINAND GOTHOT of Mülheim on the Ruhr, in the German Empire,
Merchant, and ALBERT HÖING of Altendorf (Rhineland) in the German Empire,
Railway Official, 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 firstly, to a self acting safety closure for miners' lamps, and
secondly, to a device for lighting such lamps when closed.
In the drawing Figs. 1 and 2 refer to the self acting closure, and Figs. 3 to 6 to
the device for lighting the lamp when it is closed.
The safety closure is operated by the heat radiating from the flame of the lamp
in such a way that the lamp shuts of itself some minutes after lighting it and can
only be opened again after the lapse of at least three quarters of an hour from the
time the flame in it has been extinguished. The closure arrangement is hid from
view so that when it has operated to close the lamp this cannot, without breaking it,
be opened again so long as it remains alight.
One of the lamp supports is hollow and in this is inserted a rod a the bottom end
of which takes into a hole drilled in the top edge of the oil vessel, and so long as
this rod is not drawn out of the hole the oil vessel cannot be unscrewed or the
gauze lifted off the burner. The rod a can only be displaced by releasing from it a
bolt which is always firmly held in a recess a¹ in the same when the lamp is
burning. The means for moving bolt b is contained in a circular sheet metal
casing fixed underneath the top plate of the frame of the lamp. It consists of a
double metallic spiral formed of two metallic spirals, one of zinc and one of iron
brazed or soldered together. The double spiral when acted upon by heat possesses
the property of unwinding itself to some extent, the inner zine spiral expanding
more than the outer iron one. One end of the double spiral is attached to bolt b
whilst the other end is fixed to the bottom of the casing. In about three minutes
after the lamp has been lighted the bolt will have passed into the recess a¹ of
rod a fixing the rod so that it cannot be removed. Upon the lamp being
extinguished a length of time will pass before the spiral has become sufficiently
wound up to draw bolt out of recess a¹ of rod a so as to permit this to be displaced
from the oil container.
When it is desired to delay the cooling of the spirals and consequently the
removal of rod a for a longer time-say up to 2 hours after the lamp has been
extinguished a cover d of, or containing fire clay or other suitable refractory
material may be applied to the top of the spiral casing.
In order when the lamp has been extinguished to light it again when closed
(Figs. 3 to 6) there is fitted in the oil vessel a rectangular case d supplied with
wood or wax matches placed one above another and each provided at the back or
non-striking end with a shoe e which is so formed that it may be guided between
spring rods ff and at the back end is provided with a slanting rectangular hole
into which may take a pin g' of one of two springs provided on push rod g when
this after being pulled down is pushed up again from finger knob outside the
lamp. The form of the shoes e at the back end is such that in their position over
one another they form a series of teeth over which the spring on push rod g glides
with an audible stroke when g is drawn down thereby indicating to the miner that
he must push g back again. Upon the upward movement of g the pin or projecting
point g¹ enters the slanting hole of the corresponding shoe and carries the same
with the match upwards, the striking point of which is then rubbed against the file
like surface of spring i and the match lighted, in which state it may as shewn in
Dainel

page_text: Fig. 3 be turned round to come over the wick of the lamp and light it. The
operation may be repeated until the matches are exhausted the matches after
ignition, being stripped off pin g' and falling into the combustion chamber of
the lamp.
In order to prevent fire from the burning wick or that accasioned in striking the
matches from falling into case d, this which is made of thin sheet steel or brass is
provided with a cover k made in two parts which allows the passage of a match by
opening when the match is pressed upwards.
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. In miners' lamps a safety closure or locking device in which an organ c is acted
upon by the heat of the burning lamp so as to expand it and displace thereby a
bolt so as to lock the lamp, and in which in the cooling of the extinguished lamp
the organ contracts so as to unlock bolt and the lamp, substantially as
described and shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
2. A.device for lighting miners' lamps in which in a metallic match holder d provided
with spring guide rods ff, the matches each encased at the back end in a shoe or
sleeve e are carried one over another and guided so that a vertically displaceable
push rod I
in its upward movement engages by a spring in a hole or recess of the
shoe of the uppermost match which it carries, with its striking end passing against
a spring provided with a rough surface, into the combustion chamber of the lamp
and by turning it round in the ignited state lights the lamp, substantially as
described and shewn in Figs. 3 to 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of May 1893.
CAPITAINE & VON HERTLING,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.