Underground Lighting Devices from the National Museum of Man.
1. Candle holder
An early lighting device used by hard rock miners consisting of a looped handle, a thumb spring ferrule for holding a candle, a hook for hanging on a stationary object and a long point which can be inserted into the rock.
2. Hand torch
This, too, is an early type of light. It was made of sheet iron with brazed joints and had a cast iron handle rivetted on. This particular lamp is said to have been sold by the Hudson's Bay Company.
3. Teapot type lamp
This heavy tin lamp burned whale oil and could be hung from a beam with the chain and hook.
4. Coffee pot type lamp
Another form of whale oil lamp, this one could be attached either to a beam or hung from the miner's hat or belt.
5. A Davy Safety Lamp
The Davy lamp prevented explosions in coal mines. It was first introduced in England by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1815. The principle was simple. Explosive gases in a mine ignite at a specific temperature, below this the flame is extinguished, so that with inflammable gases on one side of the gauze screen and a flame on the other, the flame will not pass through the gauze as long as it is kept below a certain temperature.
6. Safety lamp
The safety lamp is an improvement over the Davy lamp. A glass plate replaced the gauze screen and afforded more illumination and greater security. Like the Davy lamp it used a flat wick and oil with a flash point of 250 F. This lamp could only be opened by a special key kept above ground, a safety measure designed to prevent miners from lighting cigarettes below ground.
7. Gas lamp
This gas lamp has a reflector and is ignited with a flint and wheel mounted on the side. A control on the top allows the generation of varying amounts of gas. In this photograph it is hooked on a heavy leather miner's hat.
Courtesy: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada
