March 23, 1917.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

589

EXHIBITION OF MINERS’ LAMPS.

A very successful exhibition of miners lamps took
place at the rooms of the Manchester Geological and
Mining Society on Tuesday of last week, the various
makers of both the flame and electric varieties having
made a good response to the invitation of the council to
display their latest productions for the inspection of

the members. There was
a large attendance, and
in calling upon the dif-
ferent representatives to
explain the outstanding
points of their speciali-
ties, Mr. Pickup, the pre-
sident, remarked that
previous exhibitions of
mining appliances had
proved very instructive,
and, judging from the
excellent selection of
lamps before them, their
latest effort would cer-
tainly be a success.

The firms weire taken
in alphabetical order, and
a short description of the
respective lamps was
given by a representa-
tive.

Hailwood Lamp.

Messrs. Ackroyd and
Best Limited, of Morley,
near Leeds, submitted
the Hailwood patent com-
bustion tube oil lamp
(fig. 1), which they
claimed to have been

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Fig. 1.—The Hailwood
Combustion TubeLamp.

approved by the British “ and other foreign Govern-
ments.” The main point about the lamp, explained the
representative, was that they dispensed with the inner

gauze, and substituted a smi
bustion tube. The British

Fig 2.—The Ceag L imp.

11 fitting described as a Coin-
Government had approved
the lamp with either one
or two outer gauzes, at
the user’s option, although
the lamp burned practi-
cally quite as well with
two outer gauzes and the
combustion tube. By
that improvement they
had been able to increase
the candle-power from
one-half, which was the
best the ordinary flame
lamp gave previously, to
an average of 1|. As a
matter of fact, they often
got 2 candle-power, but
very rarely 1|, even at
the end of a shift. One
advantage he claimed for
oil lamps in general, once
they were filled with oil
and the wick lit, was that

• they would burn during
the whole shift, whereas
with the electric varieties
there were many difficul-
ties which had to be con-
sidered. The complete
lamp weighed 31b. 4oz.

Ceag Lamp (fig. 2).

The Ceag lamp, said
its exhibitor, had justi-
fied its existence during
the past few years, and,
as a result of the critical
time we have been pass-
ing through, a British
company had been

formed to continue its manufacture. The present pro-

duction was equally as good as the old type. The
question of the miner’s electric lamp was still, to a
certain extent, new, but

for theirs they claim
advantages in respect of
safety, strength, light,
and cost. Owing to its
unique design, no igni-
tion of inflammable gas
inside or outside the
lamp was possible, either
by breakage of the glow
lamp or by any contact.
No liquid could be spilled,
and any gases generated
by the accumulator
escaped easily. By a
simple turn of the upper
portion, the miner
switched the light on or
off, but the magnetic
lock with which it was
fitted prevented him from
opening it. Against fire-
damp, absolute safety
was assured, because if
the glass was shattered,
the circuit was broken
automatically. Strength
was another point relied
upon, the special arrange-
ment of parts preventing
damage to the bulb or
battery, even if subjected to
light, it was asserted, was i

Fig. 3.—The Joel-Fors
Inspection Lamp.

A, lamp contact; B, battery;

C, cover holding lantern L ;

H, handle ; S, switch.

"JOEL - FOBS"
INSPECTION LAMP

the roughest handling. The
steady, well distributed, and



strong, and had been found to protect the miners against
nystagmus. It would burn in any position, the glass
never .got clouded or dull, and the burning capacity was
12 to 16 hours’ continuous use. Given proper atten-
tion—which was essential with all electric lamps—the
upkeep would be quite reasonable : anything between
2|d. and 3d. . With regard to. the life of the cell, at first
the life of the positive plate was put at practically nine
months, and that of the negative plate about double
that period, but experience had shown that the first
figure was in nearly every case raised to 12.

Oldham Lamp.

The representative of the Oldham lamp, Denton, said
that the details of the lamp were well known. The glass
was a very strong one, varying from to | in. thick,
and the case was steel. With ordinary care, the cell
ought to last at least 18 months; and some cells were
still working which had been used every day for three
years. The cell was “ unspillable,” being constructed
on the old-fashioned idea of the pocket ink bottle.

Pearson Electric Lamp (figs. 4 and 5).

The Pearson electric lamp was said to embody several
special features. In the first place, there was a very
simple method of getting at the bulb in the ease of

Fig. 4.—Pearson Lamp-holder.

Fig. 5.—Pearson Magnetic Lock.



breakage, the whole tiling being taken to pieces in a very’
few seconds. The accumulator was made in such a way
that it was absolutely “ unspillable ” under any condi-
tions, notwithstanding that there was a clear passage
right through, and, in consequence, the cases were kept
in very good repair. The burning capacity of the lamp
was 18 hours, with 12 at the full candle-power. The
same firm exhibited a small lamp which a fireman could
put in his pocket, to be used in conjunction with ordi-
nary flame or electric lamps. If he lost his light in test-
ing for gas, he could take the small one out,of his pocket.
With regard to the life of the battery, they gave 12 to 18
months for the positive plate, and double that period fer-
tile negatives. On the question of maintenance, the
firm had a maintenance contract running for 2,000 lamps,
which, in 12 months, had cost £78. The weight of the
lamp was 4| lb.

Joel-Fors Lamp.

Messrs. Mills ‘and Sons, Newcastle-on-Tyne, manufac-
turers of the “ Joel-Fors ” patent miners’ electric lamps
(fig. 3), sent three specimens for exhibition. In their
case, they claimed that the cells in the hand lamps would
last for several years, and in the miners’ lamps they
expected anything from nine to 12 months’ life where
the lamps were used every day. They had had great
trouble in the past in getting satisfactory English-made
bulbs, but now they were able to obtain good ones, with
a useful life of 10 to 12 weeks (nine hours per day, six
days per week). A feature which would appeal to those

Fig. 7.—The Woif Electric Lamp.

who had experience with foreign lamps, was that when
the cells were on charge there was never any acid lying
on the'shelves of the stands. Another point to which
attention was directed was the provision of a vent hole
for escaping gas in each deck, but at different sides of
the cell. If any acid gathered between the decks, it
could be run back into the cell through the vent hole in
the under deck, by removing a celluloid plug, and hold-

ing the cell at an angle. The lighting capacity was 1|
candle-power for 12 hours, and the weight 4| lb.

Worsnop Lamp.

The aim of the Worsnop Company, Halifax, had been,
explained their representative, to design a lamp of the
utmost simplicity and the smallest likelihood of getting
out of order. The locking device was of such construc-
tion that it was impossible to unlock the lamp without
the use of the electro-magnet. The battery was of the
alkaline type, and practically indestructible. They had
never yet had any trouble with the plates. The light
distributing arrangement was quite novel, and formed
part of the patent. The lamp had a lens at the top which
would illuminate the roof, thus enabling the miner to
keep his eye on any portion that seemed likely to fall.
The lighting power was 10 hours’ continuous use, with-
out any appreciable drop in the candle-power.

Cambrian Lamp.

The Cambrian miner’s flame safety lamp was exhi-
bited by Messrs. Thomas and Williams, Aberdare, South
Wales. The construction was said to be of such a char-
acter that it could not be put together properly unless
all the necessary parts were present, and was arranged to
be opened magnetically, and lighted electrically. An
improvement in the lamp was that they had got over the
difficulty of the inner glass being discoloured through a
careless workman allowing his flame to become too high.
The light given out by the lamp was 1| candle-power,
pentane standard, and maintained that power for 14
hours.

Protector Lamp (fig. 6).

The Protector Lamp and Lighting Company Limited,
Eccles, near Manchester, claimed that the flame could
not be exposed after the parts had been put together, as
it was extinguished automatically; it was perfect in

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Fig. 6.—The Protector Lamp.

■^action in the presence of gas, and burning colzalene gave
the essence of light. No one could light the lamp by
any other system than their low-tension system, and no
man could expose the flame after the lamp had once been
assembled.

Wolf Lamp.

The Wolf Safety Lamp Company (Wm. Maurice
Limited, Sheffield) submitted models of their acid cell
miner’s lamp and the alkaline accumulator (fig. 7). The
storage capacity was stated to be 14 to 16 ampere-
hours, thus leaving an ample margin for deterioration in
use. The electrodes were enclosed in an extra strong
celluloid case. The life of the cells averaged from 250
jto 300 shifts.

Davis-Kirkby and Davis' Deputy Lamps.

Messrs. John Davis and Son (Derby) Limited, exhi-
bited the Davis-Kirkby lamp, which is slightly larger
than the ordinary lamp, but it was claimed that that
disadvantage is more than compensated for by the fact
that a far greater candle-power was obtained than with
the usual type of Marsaut lamp. Prof. Briggs, of the
Edinburgh College had carried out tests, which showed