IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING SIGNALS AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THERE- FOR
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alan Charles Bagot at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March 1877.
ALAN CHARLES BAGOT, of Churchdale, Rugeley, in the County of Stafford.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING SIGNALS AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THERE-
FOR."
The Invention is designed for the purpose of transmitting signals in mines by
means of electricity in a simple, certain, and effective manner, and is so contrived
that the sender of the order can ascertain by inspection whether the same has been
correctly transmitted and understood.
The novelty and arrangement of the apparatus employed for carrying out these
improvements may be thus described:-I place at the bottom of the shaft a trans-
mitting instrument, the construction of which is hercin-after described; the electric
current transmitted by this instrument passes first through an indicating dial
attached to the said instrument; secondly, through an indicating dial conveniently
placed in the winding engine house; and finally through a similar indicating dial
at the banksman's station situated at the top of shaft. At this latter station there is
also another transmitting instrument which communicates with a receiving dial at.
the bottom of shaft.
Before entering upon the description of the signalling process, I will first describe
the peculiarity in the construction of the transmitting instrument, which consists
principally in the arrangement of parts for "making" and "breaking" the circuit,
whereby it is insured that a full and complete contact should be established how-
ever rapidly the instrument may be worked; and, further, when left ready for use it
shall be impossible for the instrument to stop in such a position as to maintain the
electric current, preventing thereby waste of battery power.
From the surface of a disc a number of pins project which are placed in a circle,
and so arranged that when the disc is caused to revolve in manner as herein-after
described one of the said pins will raise a spring finger, which is coupled to the
battery wire and placed immediately under another spring finger connected with
the wire passing to the dial; the under side of this upper finger is provided with a
projecting platinum stud opposite the platinum stud on the lower finger. The under
finger connected with the battery when contact is broken rests on a stop, against
which it is held by the piston of a pnumatic cylinder connected thereto by a rod,
the distance between the pins upon the revolving disc representing a space within
[ Price 21

page_text: which, whilst the disc is revolving, the contact between the upper and lower fingers
completing the circuit is made and broken, the duration of contact being determined
by the length the lower finger projects over and beyond the pitch circle of the pins.
A difference of length in the upper and lower fingers causes them when closing or
making contact to rub against each other during the time the electric circuit is
complete, thus preventing dust or other extraneous matter resting between the
surfaces of contact.
A wedge supported on one end of a spring finger is so placed that when contact
is broken the inclined surfaces of the said wedge will project between and press
against the inner surface of the two bottom studs when at rest. The pressure thus
exerted by the inclined surfaces of the wedge against and between the studs prevents
the machine when left to itself stopping in such a position as would keep the contact
closed.
The operating handle of the transmitting instrument is provided with a pinion,
which gears into a wheel giving motion to the disc carrying the projecting pins, such
wheel being free to move in one direction only; one revolution of the working
handle and pinion being about equivalent to the traverse or partial revolution of the
disc representing the distance between one pin and another.
When the batteries, dials, and transmitting instruments are arranged for work in
the manner described, and a proper code of signals determined, the operator, whether
pitman at the bottom of the shaft or banksınan at the top, transmit their signals to
each other and the engine driver by turning the handle of the transmitting signal
instrument. About one revolution of this handle makes and breaks contact by
causing the pins on the face of the disc to lift the lower spring finger into contact
with the platinum stud on the upper finger, such contact continuing until the pin
has passed the end of the finger, when the contact is broken by the pneumatic piston
drawing the lower finger down again to the before mentioned stop. The action thus
given by means of the handle to the transmitting instrument simultaneously moves
in one direction and in unison the whole of the indicating needles of the various
dials.
For example, suppose the engine driver's position represents A, the banksman's B,
and the pitman's C, and the said pitman is desirous of signalling "cage with timber
coming up," he (the pitman) first calls the attention of A and B by the ordinary
electric bell; B then rings back to C, shewing that attention at the top of shaft and
in the engine room is being paid to C's communication; C then turns the handle
actuating the needles of the dial, which dials his order through his own sending dial
to B through A; B then dials the same order (as a reply through A to C. At this
time C's sending and receiving dials will both stand at the same order, shewing that
the order has been understood; C then gongs one beat to B, who transmits it to the
engine room A, thereby signalling the driver "all right," with the order to wind;
but if the two dials in the engine room stand at different orders, then a mistake has
been made in signalling, and the engine driver will not start the engine.

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alan Charles Bagot at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March 1877.
ALAN CHARLES BAGOT, of Churchdale, Rugeley, in the County of Stafford.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING SIGNALS AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THERE-
FOR."
The Invention is designed for the purpose of transmitting signals in mines by
means of electricity in a simple, certain, and effective manner, and is so contrived
that the sender of the order can ascertain by inspection whether the same has been
correctly transmitted and understood.
The novelty and arrangement of the apparatus employed for carrying out these
improvements may be thus described:-I place at the bottom of the shaft a trans-
mitting instrument, the construction of which is herein-after described; the electric
current transmitted by this instrument passes first through an indicating dial
attached to the said instrument; secondly, through an indicating dial conveniently
placed in the winding engine house; and finally through a similar indicating dial
at the banksman's station situated at the top of shaft. At this latter station there is
also another transmitting instrument which communicates with a receiving dial at
the bottom of shaft.
Before entering upon the description of the signalling process, I will first describe
the peculiarity in the construction of the transmitting instrument, which consists
principally in the arrangement of parts for "making" and "breaking" the circuit,
whereby it is insured that a full and complete contact should be established how-
ever rapidly the instrument may be worked; and, further, when left ready for use it
shall be impossible for the instrument to stop in such a position as to maintain the
electric current, preventing thereby waste of battery power.
From the surface of a disc a number of pins project which are placed in a circle,
and so arranged that when the disc is caused to revolve in manner as herein-after
described one of the said pins will raise a spring finger, which is coupled to the
battery wire and placed immediately under another spring finger connected with
the wire passing to the dial; the under side of this upper finger is provided with a
projecting platinum stud opposite the platinum stud on the lower finger. The under
finger connected with the battery when contact is broken rests on a stop, against
which it is held by the piston of a pnumatic cylinder connected thereto by a rod,
the distance between the pins upon the revolving disc representing a space within
Price 211

page_text: which, whilst the disc is revolving, the contact between the upper and lower fingers
completing the circuit is made and broken, the duration of contact being determined
by the length the lower finger projects over and beyond the pitch circle of the pins.
A difference of length in the upper and lower fingers causes them when closing or
making contact to rub against each other during the time the electric circuit is
complete, thus preventing dust or other extraneous matter resting between the
surfaces of contact.
A wedge supported on one end of a spring finger is so placed that when contact
is broken the inclined surfaces of the said wedge will project between and press
against the inner surface of the two bottom studs when at rest. The pressure thus
exerted by the inclined surfaces of the wedge against and between the studs prevents
the machine when left to itself stopping in such a position as would keep the contact
closed.
The operating handle of the transmitting instrument is provided with a pinion,
which gears into a wheel giving motion to the disc carrying the projecting pins, such
wheel being free to move in one direction only; one revolution of the working
handle and pinion being about equivalent to the traverse or partial revolution of the
disc representing the distance between one pin and another.
When the batteries, dials, and transmitting instruments are arranged for work in
the manner described, and a proper code of signals determined, the operator, whether
pitman at the bottom of the shaft or banksınan at the top, transmit their signals to
each other and the engine driver by turning the handle of the transmitting signal
instrument. About one revolution of this handle makes and breaks contact by
causing the pins on the face of the disc to lift the lower spring finger into contact
with the platinum stud on the upper finger, such contact continuing until the pin
has passed the end of the finger, when the contact is broken by the pneumatic piston
drawing the lower finger down again to the before mentioned stop. The action thus
given by means of the handle to the transmitting instrument simultaneously moves
in one direction and in unison the whole of the indicating needles of the various
dials.
For example, suppose the engine driver's position represents A, the banksman's B,
and the pitman's C, and the said pitman is desirous of signalling "cage with timber
coming up," he (the pitman) first calls the attention of A and B by the ordinary
electric bell; B then rings back to C, shewing that attention at the top of shaft and
in the engine room is being paid to C's communication; C then turns the handle
actuating the needles of the dial, which dials his order through his own sending dial
to B through A; B then dials the same order (as a reply through A to C. At this
time C's sending and receiving dials will both stand at the same order, shewing that
the order has been understood; C then gongs one beat to B, who transmits it to the
engine room A, thereby signalling the driver "all right," with the order to wind;
but if the two dials in the engine room stand at different orders, then a mistake has
been made in signalling, and the engine driver will not start the engine.