Safety Lamps/Davis Deputy Ad

Safety Lamps

Davis Deputy Ad.JPG - DAVIS FIRE TRYER LAMP AD - The mine official underground who was to make sure the workings were fit for the men was sometimes called the deputy and sometimes the fire tryer. There were usually two or three fire tryers assigned per mine and perhaps more if it was a large mine with extensive workings. The Davis Deputy or Fire-Tryers lamp featured in this Leaflet No. 294A from John Davis & Son, Derby, England (compliments of Tony Moon) circa late 1910’s was approved by the British Mines Department as a testing lamp for detecting the presence of methane. It was described in the Safety Lamps Order of August 26, 1913, as the No. 3 Lamp, the Davis-Boss for Officials. The lamp is unique in that it is fitted with a special brass shut-off air ring collar at the base of the bonnet that could be actuated or released when methane was found by using a spring-loaded pillar located on the back side of the lamp. To detect methane gas, the fire tryer would shut off the fresh air feed by turning the collar counterclockwise. The feed would then be solely through the upper intake holes in the bonnet. If gas was found, the fire tryer would draw down the spring locking pillar allowing the collar to snap back and recover the light. The lamp featured in this ad was equipped with a lead plug lock rather than the key lock shown in my pics. Otherwise, the lamps are identical. The lamp shown in the previous pics was supplied by J Davis & Son, Baltimore, MD but was likely manufactured by Davis Derby. Its use here in the U.S. from 1913 on was probably quite limited by the actions of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The U. S. Bureau of Mines was established in 1910 with the charter of increasing mine safety. Part of that effort resulted in a schedule for safety lamp testing issued in 1915. Only lamps approved by the Bureau were permitted for use underground. Of the lamps approved, all were equipped with magnetic locks. The Davis Fire-Tryer lamp was never approved by the Bureau, seriously limiting the market for this lamp in the U.S.

Davis Deputy Ad | DAVIS FIRE TRYER LAMP AD - The mine official underground who was to make sure the workings were fit for the men was sometimes called the deputy and sometimes the fire tryer. There were usually two or three fire tryers assigned per mine and perhaps more if it was a large mine with extensive workings. The Davis Deputy or Fire-Tryers lamp featured in this Leaflet No. 294A from John Davis & Son, Derby, England (compliments of Tony Moon) circa late 1910’s was approved by the British Mines Department as a testing lamp for detecting the presence of methane. It was described in the Safety Lamps Order of August 26, 1913, as the No. 3 Lamp, the Davis-Boss for Officials. The lamp is unique in that it is fitted with a special brass shut-off air ring collar at the base of the bonnet that could be actuated or released when methane was found by using a spring-loaded pillar located on the back side of the lamp. To detect methane gas, the fire tryer would shut off the fresh air feed by turning the collar counterclockwise. The feed would then be solely through the upper intake holes in the bonnet. If gas was found, the fire tryer would draw down the spring locking pillar allowing the collar to snap back and recover the light. The lamp featured in this ad was equipped with a lead plug lock rather than the key lock shown in my pics. Otherwise, the lamps are identical. The lamp shown in the previous pics was supplied by J Davis & Son, Baltimore, MD but was likely manufactured by Davis Derby. Its use here in the U.S. from 1913 on was probably quite limited by the actions of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The U. S. Bureau of Mines was established in 1910 with the charter of increasing mine safety. Part of that effort resulted in a schedule for safety lamp testing issued in 1915. Only lamps approved by the Bureau were permitted for use underground. Of the lamps approved, all were equipped with magnetic locks. The Davis Fire-Tryer lamp was never approved by the Bureau, seriously limiting the market for this lamp in the U.S.

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