Underground Lighting Bridgend
Mining for precious stones has gone on for thousands of years. The Bible, in Job 28, even talks about people mining for silver and gold. It mentions iron being taken from the ground and copper being smelted from the rocks. Then it says, “man conquers the darkness; he probes to the limit in the gloom and darkness…”. One problem for many of these ancient diggers was just that: darkness. They needed underground lighting. Nowadays we don’t think twice about switching our light on and illuminating the room but back then, they had no such provision.
Let’s take a look at the Romans. When the Romans came to the British Isles, they found that it was rich in gold, silver, copper, coal, wood, tin and other valuables. This is likely why the Romans decided to invade Britain. As a result of their conquest, they set up mines and used slaves as their workers.
Coal was used throughout the Roman empire. It was used domestically and in industries. It was needed for warmth, smelting iron and making building materials such as bricks, tiles and pottery. Miners who dug for coal usually spent a considerably long time in darkness, they only had oil lamps for lighting. According to Pliny, the lamps counted the hours until the shifts ended, usually about eight to ten hours. Due to the lack of technology, these oil lamps were the same as what was used I the houses. They were stone or terracotta plates that had a wick ready for the flame. Small platforms were dug for these oil lamps and placed on them at intervals throughout the tunnels.
Some wonder why these small oil lamps were used and not torches that could have helped the miner see easier. Torches added to the ventilation problems that occur so deep. Plus, down there, it was extremely hot. Some workers worked with little if no clothes on because of the excessive heat. Having torches on top of this would have made the space unbearable. They had to navigate the problems as best they could.
Underground lighting Bridgend has available these days has come on a long way since then. There has always been interest in making the mines a safer environment and getting adequate underground lighting has been the ambition of many. A revolutionary time was when the Evan Thomas Lamp was invented back around 1886. This was an effective safety lamp that was used extensively down the mines as acceptable underground lighting. Bridgend’s E. Thomas & Williams still manufacture and supply the Evan Thomas Lamp. Rather than being used down mines, which have all but closed, they are supplied to enthusiasts and, would you believe it, the Ministry of Defense.
The MoD use the Evan Thomas lamp to check on the atmosphere in the reactor compartments of submarines. They need to see if the air is breathable of not and in order to obtain proof of this, they use these safety lamps. Mining still goes on but with modern technology, in a safer way.
