‘ TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 55 
or candles in the mine supplied with air for combustion, not from the 
mine itself, as heretofore, but through pipes from the atmosphere 
above, as coal-gas is supplied through pipes to our street lamps. 
At the mouth of mines generally, there is a steam-engine at work, 
part of the duty of which is, whenever required, to pump atmospheric 
air into the mine for ventilation; and a small portion of this air, sent 
unmixed to the lamps through a pipe of the cheapest material and con- 
struction, (of plank, for instance, with the seams pitched,) nailed along 
the galleries or cuttings of the mine, would effect the desired purpose. 
At the top or beginning of the air-pipe there would be a small gas- 
holder, of the usual construction, to receive air from the pump, and 
which would be nicely balanced, so that the propelling pressure might 
be accurately determined. That pressure would then be transmitted 
along the tube, so that at any opening there would be a steady out- 
ward rush of pure atmospheric air, as there is a rush of coal-gas from 
any opening in common gas apparatus. A common lantern, there- 
fore, with glass front and sides, well secured, if screwed on or other- 
wise attached at such opening, would be always supplied with atmo- 
spheric air; and if there were no further opening in the lantern except 
the small chimney opening defended by a length of tube, with a valve 
at the extremity if desired, there could be no communication between 
the flame and the air of the mine. If further security were desired, 
both openings might have the wire-gauze of Davy’s Lamp stretched 
across them. ? 
For fixed lights with such apparatus, it would be necessary only to 
screw fit lanterns to the air-pipe in required situations, and lamps 
affording very strong light might be used. ; 
For lights moveable within a certain distance, there would be 
lanterns connected with the air-pipe by flexible tubes of covered spiral 
wire. 
For lights moveable or portable to all distances, there would be 
either large lanterns, which, once filled with pure air, would feed the 
light for half an hour or more before it became too dim, or there 
_ would be lanterns of ordinary size, having attached to them bags of 
thin cloth rendered air-tight by caoutchouc or otherwise, which bags 
would be filled from time to time with atmospheric air from openings 
in the main air-pipe. 
All along the main-pipe there would be means of fixing lanterns, 
and of taking pure air for any purpose. 
There might be, at convenient stations in the mine, boxes or small 
chambers communicating with the air-pipe, and, therefore, always full 
of pure air, in which the operations of striking a light, lighting lamps, 
and others, (as cooking even,) might be performed. 
Lamps might be lighted by a lucifer-match suitably introduced and 
_ inflamed, or there might be a small lighting lantern, between which 
_ and any other a communication might be opened for a lighted taper 
_ to pass to the wick to be lighted. 
The expense of such an apparatus as here contemplated would be 
