Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-01-22
MINING sAPETIE~.

safety arrangements have from time to
time been suggested or brought into
practical application, to obviaie as far
rs possible the frightful and costly acct
dents occurring and liable to occur in
the working OF mines. Some OF
these devices have on trial been found
to possess practical merit. consequently
were adopted. whilo others have been
quietly dropped as impracticable. One
| Of tho commonest Of fatal accidents in
times past has been that Of n carman
inadvertently running his car into the
shaft and Immediately following II in
Its swift downward career to destruction
in the depths. Effsctual devices and
precautions have been by degrees adopt
ed, until now that style OF accident Is
heard Of no more. A dog falling acct
dsntally down q shaft suggested theidea
Of . grating which would be carried up
ward by the ascending cage and re-
| placed in its descent. leaving the shaft
always protected. either by the cage or
the grating. unless both cage and graf
ing were carried upward Into the
sheaves."
Various devices have been suggested
and tried for automatically disconnect-
ing the cable at such q critical time,
when the regular and wsll.tred safety
attachments in general use would imme-
diately prevent any drop Of the cage.
Among the fnt was that Of the pile
driver. the slsvating clamps OF which
are opened aud disconnected. like
pincsrs. as Ii were. by the upper por-
ton or handles. so ~ speak. striking
against the top Of the hosting frame.
The latest device brought under our
observation Is that Of Mr.. @. W. Lane
Of Gold Hill. which was simply a pro-
iecting arm or cam which would catch
against u beam at the top Of the hoist
ing frame, instantly d~isconnecting the
link Of the cable. The cage was left for
the regular and uniailing safety attach.
msn.s to take care Of. while the flying
end OF the cable should 60 after the
culpabis engineer. 1t has been praeti-
cally tried and found to work well. but
the principal objection consists In Its
liability to DO disconnected by anything
falling. or accidental collision with some
unlocked for object. Doubling or
quadrupling this or the pils-driver ar
nngsmept. however. would make
them far more secure. II not entirely
safe. Another device at m time en-
ployed at the Impsrial-E Empire shaft
was that Of +" chairs" placed in the side
guides. below tho sheavss. which would
catch and held the cage when hoistsd
too high. This was well enough II the
cable did not pull the cage overheard or
to pieces.
Right here we wish to offer q little
suggestion Of our own. In place OF the
"ehairs" Just mentioned let there DO a
movable platform. fast at the sides. but
opening in the middle. like folding
doors. with a hole between, in the mid
die, for the cable to run through. This
folding platform should 10 made Of
greater width than the bottom Of the
cage. rendering a direct drop down the
shaft impossible. sven were the cage
pulled to pieces. Moreover. the cable
connection might be so arranged as to
be squareiy and promptly parted in
passing ovsr the shsave, as easily as a
stick is broken across ones knee. We
respectfully submit the foregoing ideas
to Colonel Fair. the acknowledged old
chief Superintendent Of the Comstoek.
Who always has al eye to the practical
and effective in such things. and also 10
superintendent Frank Thayer OF the
Julia, whose mechanical genius and ex.
psrience Is well known and established.
Here now Is a fine opportunity for some
good practical mechanical head to Ills.
tinguish itself in obviatins the terrors
and dangers OF Browns station"