| Show t y eTs v F i I f N Gf 1 tr T Tr r c rP tl d A j Y ft t T. T v l r if H. If B. B Lindeman left and Iva Davidson of the geological ge l survey ey office federal 1 building exam exam exam- I Lie ine a collection of mine safety lamps n which JI r represent rep represent rep rep- p- p I resent I improvement nt In mine safety conditions S USED A DOG Mine Expert Collects Old Safety Lamps With some turmoil still boiling ov over r mine safety conditions B Burt rt W. W Dyer district m mining n ng supervisor U. U S S. S geological survey Federal building has a collection of ot some 20 mine safety lamps which re represent rep represent rep rep- resent a historical evolution from early mine safety conditions to the present time These lamps lamps' range from mod models ls first constructed by Sir Humphrey Davy noted English physicist and Dr William Villiam Reid Clancy to the pr present sent safety lamp still u used e. e in inmany inmany many coal mines today Credit for developing the first lamp goes to to Dr Clancy who in 1815 constructed a lamp t to test gas without igniting it Later in 1817 Sir Sir Humphrey Davy utilized the same same principle to develop a safety lamp lamp to be used in the British Brit Brit- British I ish sh coal industry Mr Dy Dyer r said Before this time Mr Dyer said the he British had a method for testing test- test ing ng for gas that was unique in The They Used a a. Dog Examination of mines before the miners entered for their duties duties was practiced in in the Midland c counties unties of f England as s early as 1600 The usual sual proc procedure dure was was to lower a dog og down the shaft in a a. basket If It the the hedog dOg encountered coU e ti fire re dampf dating damp a a term erm for fox explosive gas he wo would begin egin to howl no He was then withdrawn n and a abush abush abush bush fashioned to the end of a rope was run rapidly up and down the shaft haft this giving way to the expression expression ex- ex of brushing gas which is s common in coal mining jargon today oday The brushing movement caused aused a current of air to disperse the he gas to the surface This is accomplished accomplished ac- ac today by ventilation and the use of large fans to l air IE throughput a amine r i Fired tJ the Gas s Another practice was to fire the gas jas before the miners entered the pIt it The mode of operation was for or a man clad In a wet sackcloth to o crawl on his stomach into the workings and by raising lighted candles on the end of a long stick to o the mine roof he would ignite the he gas and then lIe He flat on the floor loor until the flame of the explosion explosion explosion ex ex- ex- ex had passed over him This gave way to the ex expresion fireman fireman fireman fire man or Mine safety lamps in Mr Dyers Dyer's collection date from a later period It was about the time that the first coal mines in Utah came into being that these safety lamps played a major role in testing for inflammable ble gas When Brigham Young offered a prIze for anyone finding coal wIthin with- with in n 40 miles of Salt Lake City the mining communities of V W les and Coalville sprang up like mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms mush mush- rooms on a warm day With the opening of these mines came the introduction of the mine safety lamps lamps' some of which are jn an Mr Dyers Dyer's collection The working principle of the earlier lamps is much the same as the more modern ones Gave Little Light Early lamps did not have glass bottoms in them and gave very but were chiefly used to test for the explosive fire damp The first lamps were constructed constructed constructed con con- with a shaped conical-shaped metal gauze-metal screen around a small alcohol burner One filling of alcohol alcohol alcohol alco alco- hol would allow the lamp to burn for several days since merely the fumes were ignited The miner could tell if there was gas in his area by watching the flame of the lamp Gas if would present would burn bur above the bright orange ornge flame of the wick in a turquoise point which the miners called a blue cap Early models In the collection were dangerous in themselves beca because because be be- ca cause cause se the metal gauze screen did not cool the flame sufficiently to prevent it from igniting the rest of the gas in the tunnel Later models used a double mesh screen and a hood to the flame and the bottom half hall of t the e lamp was was in a thick glass cylinder to provide better bette illumination tion for the miner Old models had a kc key lock to prevent the miner from taking his lamp apart below the surface Models of today are co constructed on much the same principle as the I older lamps but have a magnetic lock on them Mr Dyer acquired most of his lamps by trading and anda bartering a r i e r i n i in ill sa various arious ious c camps throughout the west |
