IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE PREVENTION OF COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE PRESENCE AND PROPORTIONS OF INFLAMMABLE GASES IN COAL MINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Young, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE
PREVENTION OF COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
ASCERTAINING THE PRESENCE AND PROPORTIONS OF INFLAMMABLE GASES IN
COAL MINES"
Sealed the 15th April 1879, and dated the 24th January 1879,
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Young at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th January 1879.
WILLIAM YOUNG, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland. 'IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE PREVENTION OF COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS AND
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE PRESENCE AND PROPORTIONS
OF INFLAMMABLE GASES IN COAL MINES."
My said Invention has reference, firstly, to new or improved modes and means of
preventing colliery explosions caused by explosions of gas in coal mines; and
Secondly, to the construction and arrangement of a new or improved instrument,
apparatus, and appliances connected therewith for ascertaining the presence and
proportions of mine gases and the use thereof in coal mines, which improvements
will be of great importance in preventing and lessening the magnitude and severity
of gas as well as colliery explosions, thereby ensuring greater safety of colliery pro-
perty and plant and of the lives of the miners employed therein than heretofore.
And the nature and novelty of the first part of the improvements consist in the
application of a coating of alum and clay, lime wash, or other equivalent non-
inflammable coating to all the surfaces of the coal or cuttings; which when an
explosion of gas occurs would prevent the temporary ignition of the coal surfaces
and faces of the workings or gases exuding therefrom which has hitherto proved so
fatal to the miners, and colliery plant and property; and to render greater facilities
for the escape of the miners when an explosion occurs it is proposed to protect all
the wood surfaces, supports, or linings in the mine by applying thereto the same
non-inflammable substance or substances herein before referred to.
The coating
substance or material may be applied by a brush or otherwise in a liquid or semi-
liquid state, and the thickness of the coating may be regulated according to the
degree of the inflammability of the coal or wood or the foulness of the mine. By

page_text: the use of this Invention many of the horrors hitherto attending coal mine explosions
will be very much lessened or prevented. Instead of coating the props and other
wood work in the mine they may be saturated or coated with the non-inflammable
solution before being placed in the mine.
The nature and novelty of the second part of the Invention or improvements
consists-in-the-general_construction of an instrument or apparatus for ascertaining
-the-presence-and-proportion-of.the.inflammable or "marsh" gases_in_mines by its
-proportionate weight compared with that of air and water. The instrument is
formed of a long small-tube-with-an-open-mouth-bent-downwards-ranged up the_
mine shaft of a hundred and twelve fathoms or so in length, with a two-way tap and
lateral inlet nose inserted near its lower open end, which is coupled fluid tight to
and opening into the upper end of a horizontally inclined glass tube of 18 inches or
2 feet in length, having its lower open end led into the lower part of a small close
water cistern or vessel through a close joint or stuffing box at one side, this vessel
being a few inches in height and fitted with a filling and air tap on top so as to fill
the water into it up to a normal level a little way up the lower end of the angled
tube, indicated on the tube or a scale at its side, as that of the weight of the
atmosphere, the water being seen through the tube somewhat similar to a spirit
level. The angle of the tube would be some given angle, as, say, one inch to the
foot, so that 18 inches of the glass tube so divided would give a column of one inch
and a half of water, and by dividing each foot into twenty-five equal parts then
each part will represent one-hundredth part of a four inch column of water, which
is the heighth due to 112 fathoms of inflammable gas in the pipe, the divisions along
the angle being much more visible than they would be on any vertical column, as
in a barometer for example. For filling the vertical tube with the gas to be so
weighed or measured a close portable box is employed capable of containing enough
of gas to more than fill the shaft tube, with a filling and emptying gas tap at the
top and a water-emptying tap at the bottom, and this vessel being carried to the
part of the mine from which the gas is desired to be tested is filled quite full of
water by one of these taps or by a special filler tap for the purpose, and an india-
rubber or other such flexible tube is attached to the upper gas tap, with its open
end led into the part of the mine from where the gases are to be drawn off. The
air and water taps being then opened the water will flow out and the gas be drawn
in to fill the vessel, when both taps are then closed and the vessel carried to the
bottom of the shaft. When the india-rubber pipe is attached to the filling nose of
the long gas-containing tube, and while-the tap attached to the glass tube is stopped,
and the vessel being immersed in water with a weight on or attached to it, and its
two taps opened, the vessel would then fill with water and press the gas into the
shaft tube until it was filled, when the tap at the bottom of the shaft would be
closed and the flexible tube and the box or vessel removed; and the tap being now
opened to the glass tube and the air tap in its water cistern also opened, the water
would-then-assume.the-level due to the weight of the atmospherical column in excess
of the gas filled into the vertical pipe and indicate on the division scale the presence
and proportions of the mine gas above the normal level indicated as due to the
greater pressure or weight of air than that of the gas in the pipe, and this in a most
simple and clearly visible manner at once to the eye by having the proportions of
the mine gas to the air and consequent inflammable nature thereof printed on the
index, in the same way as storms and other changes of weather are indicated on
the dial of a barometer, without requiring special calculations.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd July
1879.
WILLIAM YOUNG, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE PREVENTION OF COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS,
AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE PRESENCE AND PROPOR-
TIONS OF INFLAMMABLE GASES IN COAL MINES."
My said Invention has reference, firstly, to new or improved mode or means of
preventing colliery explosions, which are caused by explosions of gas in coal mines;
and secondly, to the general construction and arrangement of a new or improved
instrument or apparatus and appliances connected therewith for ascertaining the
presence and proportion of the inflammable gases in mines by its proportional
weight compared with that of air and water, and the use of this instrument in coal
mines, which improvements will be of great importance in preventing all colliery
explosions and lessening the magnitude and severity of gas explosions, thereby
ensuring greater safety of colliery property and plant and of the lives of the miners
employed therein than heretofore.
And the nature and novelty of the first part of the improvements consist in the
application of a coating of alum and clay wash, lime wash, or other equivalent non-
inflammable coating to all the surfaces of the coal or cuttings, and which coating
when an explosion of gas occurs would prevent the discharge of gases from the coal
surface and faces of the working which has hitherto proved so fatal to the miners
when an explosion occurs. It is proposed to protect all the wood surface, supports,
and linings, in the mine by applying thereto the same non-inflammable substances
hereinbefore referred to.
The coating substance or material may be applied by a brush or otherwise in a
liquid or semi-liquid state, and the thickness of the coating may be regulated
according to the degree of inflammability of the coal or wood and the foulness of
the mine.
By the use of this non inflammable coating all the horrors hitherto attending
coal mine explosions will be prevented, and gas explosions in coal mines will be
greatly mitigated, as a large part of the exploding element is derived from the coal
surface during the explosion itself. Instead of coating the props and other wood
work in the mine they may be saturated with non inflammable solutions before
being placed in the mine.
Secondly. The instrument for ascertaining the presence and proportion of inflam-
mable gas in coal mines is represented in the accompanying Drawing and is con-
structed of a long small tube or pipe fixed up the mine shaft with an open mouth at
top and recurved to look downwards, say, one hundred and seven fathoms in height,
which if filled with water will contain about fifteen pounds; to the bottom of this
tube by means of the small coupling tube a is attached the upper end of a glass
tube b placed similarly to a spirit level, but at an incline of about four tenths of an
inch for every twelve inches of its length; the open lower end of the glass tube is
inserted or led into the lower part of a small closed water cistern or vessel c attached
to the instrument. The vessel c is provided at top with an air tight tap for filling
the vessel up to a normal level a little way up the lower end of the inclined tube, as
shewn.
The specific gravity of mine gas is generally represented as 5554, and if such gas
did fill the mine tube of one hundred and seven fathoms in height the water level
in the glass tube b would be elevated exactly four inches, in consequence of the
lightness of the mine gas compared with air. These four inches of water column
are divided into one hundred equal parts upon a scale S placed alongside the glass
tube b, which scale S commences at the level of the water when there is no gas in
the long tube.

page_text: The glass tube b referred to being inclined at the angle stated, requires to be ten
feet long to shew the full rise of the four inches; every division will therefore be
one inch and one fifth (11in) in length, and each will indicate one per cent. of gas
contained in the long tube.
The said divisions are further subdivided into ten equal parts, and each minor
division will be nearly one eighth of an inch in length, and must indicate one
thousandth part of gas_contained in the long tube; d is a curved tube-connecting
the tube b with the vessel c; e, pivot or hinge to allow of adjusting the inclination
of the instrument-;-,-set-screw to give the inclination to the instrument.
When using this instrument the long tube is to be filled with gas from that part-
of the mine desired to be tested.
The level of the liquid in the glass will indicate by the figures it has reached on
the scale the exact quantity of mine gas contained in the tube, and this without any
calculation whatever.
By this instrument the gas is accurately weighed without the intervention of any
mechanical contrivance, and rendered still more certain by weighing one hundred
and seven fathoms of the gas at one time.
It is not necessary that this glass tube be over two feet in length, as by filling
the long tube one half or one fourth full and multiplying the indications accordingly
will give equally correct indications and make the instrument more convenient to
use, otherwise altering the inclination of the glass tube and substituting a scale to
fit the inclination will be very useful.
It is not by any means necessary that the long tube up the mine shaft be so long
as one hundred and seven fathoms; it may be reduced to three fourths of that
length and still indicate small quantities of gas but not so minutely. The scale in
such cases requires to be condensed in the proportion of one hundred and "seven
fathoms to the altered length, whatever that may be.
For the purpose of filling the long tube with the gases in the mine I employ a
.portable cubical box of tin plate or other suitable material of such a size as is more
than sufficient to fill the long tube; a cube of eight inches is the size required to fill
the long tube of one hundred and seven fathoms, having a small tap at the top to
which a flexible tube is attached so as to reach from a man's shoulder to the roof of
the mine, and another small tap at the bottom for easily emptying this gas con-
tainer. This vessel when filled with water and suspended by a strap to the
shoulder of the fireman is conveyed to that part of the mine from which the gases
are desired to be tested. The open end of the flexible tube is then directed to the
spot, from whence the gases are to be drawn off for testing. The two taps are then
opened, the water will then run entirely out of the vessel (and may be received
into a similar vessel to be left by the fireman at any suitable part of the mine, and
by this means save the carrying of the water from the pit bottom) and the gas will
be drawn in to fill the vessel, after which the two taps are to be closed; the gases
--required-for-testing will then be found contained in the vessel ready to be passed
into the long tube in the mine shaft, which may be done by attaching the flexible
tube to the tube in the mine shaft, opening the two taps, and immersing the gas
container in a vessel of water. If carbonic acid gas be present a small quantity
of caustic soda may be introduced into the gas container, and in this way get
quit of the heavy gas.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that what I claim is,-
Firstly. The coating the surfaces of the coal or cuttings in coal mines, and
the surfaces of the wood supports and lining therein with a wash of alum and
clay, lime, or other equivalent non inflammable coating, as and for the purposes
herein before described.
Secondly. The construction and employment of the improved instrument for
ascertaining the presence and proportion of gas in coal mines by means of a

page_text: vertical column of gas from the mine contained in a pipe up the shaft of the
mine, arranged and operating substantially as herein before described, and repre-
sented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Young, have hereto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy nine.
WILLIAM YOUNG. (L.S.)