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I shall hold my safety-lamp high, and look carefully at the roof and sides of the mine, for I have been told that in all coal-mines remains of the plants from which the coal is made are to be found; so I should not be surprised to find here and there in the dark shining walls traces of leaves and branches; and upon the hard clay which forms the roof, beautiful patterns of ferns, which lived long, long ago, and have lain buried for ages.
His answer was, “I am not exactly the person to give an unbiassed opinion; but, as you ask me frankly, I will as frankly say, that if George Stephenson had never lived, Sir Humphry Davy could and most probably would have invented the safety-lamp; but again, if Sir Humphry Davy had never lived, George Stephenson certainly would have invented the safety-lamp, as I believe he did, independent of all that Sir Humphry Davy had ever done in the matter.”
Do you remember how formerly it was the custom to try to prevent explosions before our good genius, Humphry Davy, invented his safety-lamp?" "Yes," replied James Starr. "You mean what the 'monk, as the men called him, used to do. But I have never seen him in the exercise of his duty." "Indeed, Mr. Starr, you are too young, in spite of your five-and-fifty years, to have seen that.
Grace Darling at her oars, Kane in his open boat, Stephenson testing his safety-lamp in the terrible pit, what were the trophies of Miltiades to these? The ancient Agamemnon faced no danger so memorable as that ocean-storm which beset his modern namesake, bearing across the waters a more priceless treasure than Helen, pride of Greece.
'Are they all brothers, sir? inquired the lady who had carried the 'Davy' or safety-lamp. 'In one sense they are, ma'am, replied Squeers, diving into his greatcoat pocket for cards. 'They are all under the same parental and affectionate treatment. Mrs Squeers and myself are a mother and father to every one of 'em. Mr Nickleby, hand the lady them cards, and offer these to the gentleman.
But Stephenson was far above claiming for himself any invention not his own. He had already accomplished a far greater feat than the making of a safety-lamp—he had constructed a successful locomotive, which was to be seen in daily work on the Killingworth railway.
However great the merits of Stephenson in connexion with the invention of the tube safety-lamp, they cannot be regarded as detracting from the reputation of Sir Humphry Davy.
PHYSICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCE. The most brilliant discoveries in astronomy were made by the French philosopher Laplace, whose Mecanique Celeste made an epoch in that science. Dr. Sir Humphry Davy added to chemical knowledge, and, simultaneously with George Stephenson, invented the safety-lamp for miners.
He told me that, at periodical intervals, his master the Gunner, accompanied by his phalanx, entered into the great Magazine under the Gun-room, of which he had sole custody and kept the key, nearly as big as the key of the Bastile, and provided with lanterns, something like Sir Humphrey Davy's Safety-lamp for coal mines, proceeded to turn, end for end, all the kegs of powder and packages of cartridges stored in this innermost explosive vault, lined throughout with sheets of copper.
In the safety-lamp the little oil-lamp is placed in a circular funnel of fine gauze, which prevents the flame from passing through it to any explosive gas that may be floating about outside, but at the same time allows the rays of light to pass through readily.
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