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Firedamp is a flammable gas
Gas

In physics, a gas is a state of matter, consisting of a collection of particles without a definite shape or volume that are in more or less random motion....
 found in coal mines
Coal mining

Coal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal....
. It is actually the name given to a number of flammable gases, including methane
Methane

Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is the simplest alkane, and the principal component of natural gas. Methane's bond angles are 109.5 degrees....
. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous
Bituminous coal

Bituminous coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite but poorer quality than Anthracite....
.

Firedamp is explosive at concentrations between 4% and 16%, with most violence at around 10%, and caused much loss of life in coal mines before the invention of the Davy lamp
Davy lamp

The Davy lamp is a safety lamp containing a candle, devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy. It was created for use in coal mines, allowing deep seams to be mined despite the presence of methane and other flammable gases, called firedamp or minedamp....
. Even after the safety lamps were brought into common use, firedamp explosions could still occur from sparks produced when coal contaminated with pyrite
Pyrite

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula ironsulfur2. This mineral's metallic Lustre and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold due to its resemblance to gold....
s was struck with metal tools.






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Firedamp is a flammable gas
Gas

In physics, a gas is a state of matter, consisting of a collection of particles without a definite shape or volume that are in more or less random motion....
 found in coal mines
Coal mining

Coal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal....
. It is actually the name given to a number of flammable gases, including methane
Methane

Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula . It is the simplest alkane, and the principal component of natural gas. Methane's bond angles are 109.5 degrees....
. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous
Bituminous coal

Bituminous coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite but poorer quality than Anthracite....
.

Firedamp is explosive at concentrations between 4% and 16%, with most violence at around 10%, and caused much loss of life in coal mines before the invention of the Davy lamp
Davy lamp

The Davy lamp is a safety lamp containing a candle, devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy. It was created for use in coal mines, allowing deep seams to be mined despite the presence of methane and other flammable gases, called firedamp or minedamp....
. Even after the safety lamps were brought into common use, firedamp explosions could still occur from sparks produced when coal contaminated with pyrite
Pyrite

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula ironsulfur2. This mineral's metallic Lustre and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold due to its resemblance to gold....
s was struck with metal tools. The presence of coal dust
Coal dust

Coal dust is a fine Powder form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal....
 in the air increased the risk of explosion with firedamp, and indeed could cause explosions itself.

The Tyneside
Tyneside

Tyneside is a conurbation in northern England, which is home to over 80% of the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. It includes Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Hebburn, Jarrow, North Shields, and South Shields — all settlements on the banks of the River Tyne, England....
 coal mines in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 had the deadly combination of bituminous coal contaminated with pyrite
Pyrite

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula ironsulfur2. This mineral's metallic Lustre and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold due to its resemblance to gold....
s, and a great number of lives were lost in accidents due to firedamp explosions, including 102 dead at Wallsend
Wallsend

Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall....
 in 1835. A continuous flame was produced at Whitehaven
Whitehaven

Whitehaven is a town and port on the coast of Cumbria, historically and traditionally located in the ancient county of Cumberland England. It is the administrative centre of the Copeland, Cumbria....
 sometime before 1733, described as being "a yard wide and two yards long." The miners dealt with it by piping it to the outside.

Rather than the Davy lamp
Davy lamp

The Davy lamp is a safety lamp containing a candle, devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy. It was created for use in coal mines, allowing deep seams to be mined despite the presence of methane and other flammable gases, called firedamp or minedamp....
, Tyneside miners used a Geordie lamp
Geordie lamp

The Geordie lamp was invented by George Stephenson in 1815 as a solution to explosions due to firedamp in coal mines.Although controversy arose between Stephenson's design and the Davy lamp, , Stephenson's original design worked on significantly different principles....
, a similar safety lamp designed by George Stephenson
George Stephenson

George Stephenson was an England civil engineer and mechanical engineering who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam engine locomotives and is known as the "Father of Railways"....
.

Damps

Gases (other than air) in coal mines in England were collectively known as "damps
Damp (mining)

Historically, gases in coal mines in Great Britain were collectively known as "damps". This comes from the Middle Low German word damp , and was in use by 1480 ....
". This comes from the German word Dampf (meaning "vapour"), and was probably introduced when German miners and mine engineers were brought to England in the 17th century to help in the development of deep mining.

Other damps included blackdamp
Blackdamp

Blackdamp is a mixture of unbreathable gases formed when oxygen is removed from an enclosed atmosphere and largely replaced by nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and water vapour....
 (carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
 and other gases), and the insidiously lethal afterdamp
Afterdamp

Afterdamp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by firedamp. It consists of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen....
 (carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless and odorless, tasteless, yet highly toxic gas. Its molecules consist of one carbon atom covalent bond to one oxygen atom....
 and other gases) produced following explosions of firedamp or coal dust.

See also

  • Mining accident
    Mining accident

    A mining accident is an accident that occurs in the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the process of coal mining and Underground mining ....
  • Udston mining disaster
    Udston mining disaster

    The Udston mining disaster occurred in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland on Saturday, 28 May 1887 when 73 Mining died in a firedamp explosion at Udston Coal mining....


External References

  • Experiments Show How Gas Explodes in a Mine, Popular Science
    Popular science

    Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many formats, which can include books, televi...
     monthly, February 1919, Unnumbered page, Scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=7igDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT21 Category:Articles with citations to Popular Science archive Category:Articles with verifiable citations via Google Books