Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 31st Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887.
I HENRY JOHNSON of Trindle Road Dudley in the County of Worcester Mining
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in the apparatus herein after described for breaking down
or getting coal rocks and minerals without the use of blasting or the use of
caustic lime.
I will describe my apparatus in connection with the getting of coal.
The said apparatus is constructed essentially as follows:-A wedge the base of which
is of a diameter nearly equal to that of the horizontal bore hole made in the coal
terminates at its narrow end in a rod the combined length of the said wedge and rod
being somewhat greater than the length of the bore hole. At the junction of the
wedge and rod a slight enlargement or shoulder is made on the rod. The front end
of the said rod that is the end opposite to that at which the wedge is attached has a
screw thread formed upon it which screw thread engages in a screw box made in the
axis of a toothed wheel. The said toothed wheel is supported by and works in a
metallic frame which frame also carries a pinion which gears with the toothed wheel
described. On the axis of the said pinion is a winch or ratchet lever by which it and
consequently the toothed wheel with which it gears may be turned. The rotation of
the said toothed wheel in one or other direction causes the screwed end of the rod
which is engaged with the screw box in the axis of the said wheel to travel in one or
other direction. Upon the said wedge two wedge like pieces are loosely fixed on their
side respectively the said wedge like pieces being connected to the wedge by a loose
binding of wire passing round them and taking into notches or grooves made in them.
The said wedge like pieces are prevented from passing from off the narrow end of the
wedge by the enlargement or shoulder on the rod hereinbefore referred to. When
the wedge like pieces are in their normal position that is bearing against the
enlargement or shoulder on the rods the said pieces together with the portion of the
wedge situated between them fit the bore hole somewhat closely.

page_text: The apparatus is used as follows The seam of coal having been prepared in the
usual way that is to say by facing and by the making therein of a horizontal bore
hole and by under cutting the lower part of the seam the apparatus described is
applied in the following manner. The wedge and rod provided with the two wedge
like pieces described is inserted in the bore hole and passed therein until the base of
Previous to the
the wedge comes in contact with the end of the bore hole.
introduction of the wedge into the bore hole the position of the toothed wheel on the
scrowed part of the rod is so adjusted that when the base of the wedge reaches the end
of the bore hole the frame carrying the toothed wheel and pinion comes in contact
with the face of the coal seam. The exact position of the frame is determined by a
collar of the same diameter as the bore hole which collar enters the bore hole and
preserves the axial position of the rod. Claws or projections on the said frame may
engage in holes in the face. of the coal seam to prevent the rotation of the said frame.
By now turning the winch or ratchet wheel described in the direction proper to cause
the screwed end of the rod to advance from out the bore hole the wedge is drawn
forward that is towards the mouth of the bore hole and sliding between the upper and
lower wedge shaped pieces described separates those pieces with such force that by
their pressure on the upper and lower sides of the bore hole the undercut portion or
hanging coal is fractured and detached from the other portions of the seam.
apparatus described may be modified in its details in various ways without departing
from the nature of my invention. For example instead of a wedge and two wedge
like pieces on either side of it a wedge with only one wedge like piece may be employed
and instead of arranging the wedge between the two wedge like pieces the wedge may
be divided into two smaller wedges and be made to bear upon the exterior of the
wedge like pieces the rod in this case passing between the two wedges and terminating
in a shoulder of the same diameter as the bore hole. Or two wedges may be employed
the one being forced under the other by the rod passing through the one terminating
in a shoulder which bears against the base of the other wedge. Or any of the
arrangements may be duplicated or triplicated so as to act simultaneously on different
parts of the bore hole.
The
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: The said apparatus is constructed essentially as follows:-A wedge the base of which
is of a diameter nearly equal to that of the horizontal bore hole made in the coal
terminates at its narrow end in a rod the combined length of the said wedge and rod
being somewhat greater than the length of the bore hole. At the junction of the
wedge and rod a slight enlargement or shoulder is made on the rod. The front end of
the said rod that is the end opposite to that at which the wedge is attached has a screw
thread formed upon it which screw thread engages in a screw box made in the axis of
a toothed wheel. The said toothed wheel is supported by and works in a metallic
frame which frame also carries a pinion which gears with the toothed wheel described.
On the axis of the said pinion is a winch or ratchet lever by which it and consequently
the toothed wheel with which it gears may be turned. The rotation of the said toothed
wheel in one or other direction causes the screwed end of the rod which is engaged
with the screw box in the axis of the said wheel to travel in one or other direction.
Upon the said wedge two wedge like pieces are loosely fixed on either side respectively
the said wedge like pieces being connected to the wedge by a loose binding of wire
passing round them and taking into notches or grooves made in them. The said
wedge like pieces are prevented from passing from off the narrow end of the wedge
by the enlargement or shoulder on the rod herein before referred to. When the
wedge like pieces are in their normal position that is bearing against the enlargement
or shoulder on the rod the said pieces together with the portion of the wedge situated
between them fit the bore hole somewhat closely.
The apparatus is used as follows:-The seam of coal having been prepared in the
usual way that is to say by facing and by the making therein of a bore hole and by
under cutting the lower part of the seam the apparatus described is applied in the
following manner. The wedge and rod provided with the two wedge like pieces
described is inserted in the bore hole and passed therein until the base of the wedge
comes in contact with the end of the bore hole. Previous to the introduction of the
wedge into the bore hole the position of the toothed wheel on the screwed part of the
rod is so adjusted that when the base of the wedge reaches the end of the bore holo
the frame carrying the toothed wheel and pinion comes in contact with the face of
the coal seam. The exact position of the frame is determined by a collar of the same
diameter as the bore hole which collar enters the bore hole and preserves the axial
position of the rod. Claws or projections on the said frame may engage in holes in
the face of the coal seam to prevent the rotation of the said frame. By now turning
the winch or ratchet lover described in the direction proper to cause the screwed end
of the rod to advance from out the bore hole the wedge is drawn forward that is
towards the mouth of the bore hole and sliding between the upper and lower wedge
shaped pieces described separates those pieces with such force that by their pressure
on the upper and lower sides of the bore hole the undercut portion or hanging coal is
fractured and detached from the other portions of the seam.
The apparatus described may be modified in its details in various ways without
departing from the nature of my invention. For example the single wedge may be
duplicated or triplicated so as to act simultaneously on different parts of the bore hole.
I will illustrate my invention as applied to the getting of coal.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in vertical longitudinal section
a seam of coal a having a bore hole band undercut ate the said bore hole being
provided with my invention for breaking down or getting the undercut portion of the
coal d is a wedge the base of which is of a diameter somewhat less than that of the
bore hole the narrow end of the wedge d terminates in the rode the combined
lengths of the wedge d and rode being somewhat greater than the length of the
bore hole is a shoulder at the junction of the wedge d and rod e for preventing
the side wedges g from passing off the wedge d. The said side wedges 9 are loosely
fixed on the wedge d by a loose binding of wire passing round them and taking into
notches or grooves made in them. The end of the rod e has a screw thread which
takes into a screw box in the axis of the toothed wheel h supported by and working in
the frame. The said frame i bears against the face of the coal seam a.
One or
more claws or projections / carried by the frame i enter recesses in the face of the

page_text: seam and prevent the turning of the said frame. The said frame i carries a pinion j
which gears with the toothed wheel h. On the axis of the pinion is a winch or
ratchet lever by which the pinion j and with it the toothed wheel / may be turned
and the screw made to advance in one or other direction in the screw box in the
axis of the toothed wheel . The accurate position of the frame i is determined by a
collar mon the back of the frame which takes into and fits the bore hole band
thereby preserves the axial position of the rod e in the bore hole b.
In using the apparatus described the toothed wheel is turned on the screw e² until
the distanco between the back of the frame i and the base of the wedge d is equal to
the length of the bore hole b. The apparatus is then adjusted with respect to the seam
of coal in the manner represented in Figure 1 that is the base of the wedge d bears
against the end of the bore hole & the back of the frame i bearing against the face of
the seam of coal the collar m occupying the mouth of the bore hole b. On turning the
winch or ratchet lever in the direction proper to draw the wedge d towards the
mouth of the bore hole the said wedge d travelling between the side wedges
separates them with great force thereby producing such pressure on the upper and
lower sides of the bore hole as to separate the mass of undercut coal from that portion
of the seam above the bore hole b.
Instead of using one wedge and one pair of side wedges two or more wedges
connected by rods and each provided with side wedges may be employed as represented
in Figure 2.
Or a series of four wedges joined point to base and each provided with a pair of
side wedges as represented in Figure 3 may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my invention
of "Improvements in apparatus for breaking down or getting coal and other minerals
and materials."
The combination of a wedge or wedges and side wedges with screwing mechanism
whereby when the apparatus is arranged in connection with an undercut seam of coal
or other mineral or material the wedge or wedges may be drawn by the action of the
screwing mechanism between the side wedges with such force as to detach the
undercut portion of the seam substantially as herein before, described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawing.
***
TUTTIMET