Safety lamp facts for kids
A safety lamp is a miner's lamp with a covered flame that used to be used in coal mines.
Types of safety lamps
The first safety lamp was invented by William Reid Clanny. It used bellows and water to separate gasses. Later, two newer designs were invented. One newer design was the Geordie lamp, made by George Stephenson, and the other was the Davy lamp, made by Sir Humphry Davy. In 1815, Davy discovered that if a flame was in a lamp, it would not ignite the flammable gases in mines.
How it works
Coal mines are dangerous because of flammable gasses like methane that can accumulate (gather together). A lamp with a naked (exposed) flame might make these flammable gasses catch fire, causing an explosion, which could kill people. The safety lamp prevents the hot flame of the lamp touching the flammable gasses, reducing the chance of an explosion.
Images for kids
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Modern flame safety lamp used in mines, manufactured by Koehler
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Early form of Stephenson lamp shown with a Davy lamp on the left
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Mueseler lamp (on the left) and a derivative of the Geordie
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Marsaut lamp (on the right) showing a triple gauze variant
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Miner's safety lamp designed by Landau prior to 1878. Published in Dr Ure's Dictionary supplement of 1879
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Miner's safety lamp designed by Mr William Yates c. 1878, published in Dr Ure's Dictionary supplement of 1879
