Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-07-13
THE EVENING NEWS.
Tuesday Evenla..-......July IL, 1859
About safety CAGES.

\ day or two ago we pers 'na!iy and
critically inspected u new safety cage,
recently constructed at the Crown Point
hosting works, and nov in full and
,onstan, use in the main shalt of the
mine. IL is the handiwork of Mr.. A..
McMar,iu, the head blacksmith at the
works, aud is indeed "a very creditable
Specimen for anybody's work, being
very neatly, substantially aud elective
/, constructed in every r%r>.cet. The
principle upon which the safety arrange.
ment Is made to operate il not new
by any means. Ii is the U!ie,t that We
know oil, and also The most effective.
II was known and used in Europe ioas
before its adoption in this country aud
the Sierra Nevada mine was the first on
the Comstock ledge where it was
brought into use II was also used at
the old Potos: mine over i've years ago.
Since then considerable Improvements
have been made III the pattern, but the
uriuviple remsius the same, aud ms far
a. this one We speak OF at the Crow
Point niue is concerned, il certainly
uperaies AZ effectively as could lac
wished.
Near the top OF the iron cage frame,
on either side, IS II pair OF ob!ong or
rather eccentric wheels, between which
pass the heavy wooden guides tor the
cage, extending from top to bottom OF
the shalt On the inner segment oil
each wheel, next 10 The guide, - a
series Of stout, sharp teeth or cogs,
about nm inch in lengih, which would
he brought iuto iorcihle conlae, with
the guides by the action vi sirous steel
springs attached TO the nx'.s OF tue
wherls, which extend across the top OF
the cage from one side To tue other, but
they are prevente'i by the str 'iu OF the
hosting cable. la case The cable should
break, however, tie springs wogid De
liberated NJ once. causing the aNieS with
the eccentric wheels to revolSc just
enough to force them to grip the guides
and dig those stout teeth or cogS 'n'o the
wood on each side, aud Instantly arrest
the downward progress OF the cage, the
heavier the load upon II the stronger
DNtHE u Eitls VI hf'FN
We have seen these cages repeatedly
tried With heavy loads upo" them, ""i
the cable being cu'. they .Noali fall /"
no instance more than two "r three
inches. when they wuuli hecom- rs
hTmly fixed as though r"riIn" Ou the
bottom OF the shalt \ few seeks ago
we made mention OF II similar cage con
structed and put in operation NJ the
Belcher mine, and Ike those at the
Crown Point, in meri.orions Workman
ship. They certainly are the best cages
of any on the Com.tock ledge. At the
ophir and several ether shafts the same
style of cages are IN use.
At the Savage mine, cages are used
OF u different principle, a. far as the
safety arrangement is concerned. In
stead of the eccentric teethed wheeli, II !
stout steel dog or chisri shoots out ut
either side, on the breaknge "t the I bic,
and digs firmly into the wooden suiues.
At the Yellow Jacket is stiii anothrr
s,yle, where II couple OF these dogs ar
chisel, are made TO grip each side, in.
stead Of digging into the face OF the
guide. Other styles of safety arrange
ment5, more OF less eHSStiNV' nv ''"P'
ed, but noue Of them inyolve any newly
discovered principle. They are all good.
We have known of instances where
safety cages failed to work in cases ct
accident. but the reason OF thiS was
that either the cross head o: the cage
was injured by being draw" ap into The
shesve Of the hosting frame, or the
cable breaking At the reel, or the reel
itself broke loose, and thus sufficient
strain was still Kept upon the cable "nd
sag. TO prevent the safety arrangements
from catching, as they would were the
rapidly descending cage entirely loose
from the cable. These cages u, the
Crown Point AID the Belcher, however,
operate rather more effeStually, AS they
could not be run down so extraordlnari-
IL fast without catching.
Safety cages are in general use a, MI
our principal mining shafts, aud W.
hope TO see the day when 40 other kind
will be allowed. All eh.nces possible
should be given in favor OF thu miners
life, Tor at the very best there are
chances enough against it.