A NEW METHOD OF DRAWING OR RAISING COALS, LEAD, TIN, OR ANY OTHER MINERALS OUT OF MINES, AND OF LANDING SUCH MINERALS, AND FOR OTHER THE PURPOSES IN THE SAID LETTERS PATENT MORE PARTICULARLY MENTIONED
Year: 1788

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third hath, by His
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, dated at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of August last past, given and granted unto
JOHN CURR, of the Parish of Sheffield, in the County of York, Gentleman,
His Royal licence, power, and authority for the sole making, using, exercising,
and vending, for the term of fourteen years, a certain Invention of the said
John Curr, of "A NEW METHOD OF DRAWING OR RAISING COALS, LEAD, TIN, OR
ANY OTHER MINERALS OUT OF MINES, AND OF LANDING SUCH MINERALS, AND FOR
OTHER THE PURPOSES IN THE SAID LETTERS PATENT MORE PARTICULARLY MENTIONED;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if the said John
Curr shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in.
writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majestie's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein contained
to the contrary notwithstanding, as by reference to the said Letters Patent
may more at large appear.
NOW WITNESS THESE PRESENTS, that the said John Curr, by this
present Instrument in writing under his hand and seal, doth describe and

page_text: ascertain, by the aid of the Plans and Figures herewith given, the nature of
his said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
as follows, that is to say:--
Figure 1 represents a side view of the pit or shaft, with the corves near the
meetings; the upright timbers therein A, A, extend from the bed of the mine
out at the top of the pit or shaft, and which, with the parallel or counter part
timbers (better understood by the profile, Figure 2), constitute what may be
called conductors, as they serve to conduct the triangles B, B, to which the
corves are suspended, up and down the shaft by the groove or channel which
they form. The ends of the triangles are fitted up with three rollers or wheels,
to prevent, as much as possible, any friction in their movement; two of them
work against the inside face, and one in the groove or channel of the con-
ductors, as is more clearly shewn by the plan of the pit on an enlarged scale,
Figure 4; and the chains of these triangles are so constructed as to prevent
any inclination to turn round, which keeps the corves in their due position.
Figure 2 represents a contrary or end view of the pit or shaft and the con-
ductors, with the corves near the meetings. A, A, A, A, shew the conductors,
which expand or widen at the meetings to let the corves pass clear of each
other. The sundry cross pieces F, F, F, &c. represents the buntons or bearers
to which the conductors are bolted. D is a director to the triangles in their
descent down their respective sides; it works upon a pin at n, and the ascend-
ing triangle throws it over to the opposite side, where it rests and gives the
direction to the descending triangle. E is another director near the bottom
of the conductors, working upon a pin at P, which makes the empty corves
conveniently drop always upon the same space at the bottom of the pit.
Figure 3, a plan of the upper part of the pit or shaft upon an enlarged
scale, shewing the position of the corves there a, a. A, A, A, A, the con-
ductors, and F, F, the buntons or bearers to which they are bolted or screwed.
Figure 4, a plan of the central part or meetings of the pit or shaft, shewing
the position of the corves a, a, a, a, at that point. B, B, is a plan of the
triangles, with their rollers or wheels at each end, and by which the manner of
working in the conductors is plainly shewn.
Figure 5, a plan of the lower part of the pit or shaft, and position of two of
the corves a, a, there.
Figure 6, an elevation or side view of the head geers and apparatus above
ground for landing the corves. C, the carriage which runs over the shaft, and
on which the corves are landed. D, the road upon which the above carriage
The mode of rendering the carriage and road useful and convenient
may many ways be varied, but that here adopted will be found very convenient
runs.

page_text: and expeditious. In the interval, whilst the corves are drawing, the banksman,
by means of the jack roll i, raises the back part of the carriage road D at C,
and sets the stops 9 (shewn only by dotted line) upon the rest h, and at the
same time gives the lever hold of the back part of the carriage road, so that
the carriage standing on an inclined plane, when within the snecks e, was it
not for such catches or sneeks, would run forward over the pit top. f is the
axis or centre on which the carriage road moves, and is fixed to the sills G of
the main standards by a bolt and thimble at the end which receives the iron
axis that the carriage rests on. The back end c of the road D is heavier than
the fore part, even when the carriage is upon it. t shews four boards for the
empty corves to run down on to the carriage, and while the corves are drawing
are hanging down as the dotted lines t represents it. H is a scaffold or stage
on to which (during the drawing) the two empty corves intended next to be
sent down are taken up along an inclined road made for that purpose, and
are left there to be ready to take the place of the loaded corves when drawn
up, being first hooked to the small chain o. These corves are placed in a
declining position by means of four cast-iron rails sunk down in the scaffold,
as the Plan describes; and as the scaffold is weakend by the insertion of the
iron rails, the small rod x is fixed to strengthen it. The rope T, by turning
the jack roll i, draws up the carriage road D at c, and the rope V by the said
roll is worked immediately back again that the frame 11 may fall down freely
on the snecks. The carriage C, during the drawing of the corves, is detained
by the snecks e, and when the corves are drawn up to the top of the pit the
end rollers B of the ascending triangles force back the springs Z, Z, which
strike off the stops that stood upon the rest h. The frame 11 then falling
down, and its lower cross bar striking the tail of the snecks e, the carriage
runs over the pit down the descending road, as appears by the Plan. When
the full corves are landed upon the carriage C, and unhooked, the banksman
with his hand moves the horizontal lever m, which draws off the upright
frame n, against which the empty corves rested (a front view of which is
shewn by Figure 13), and thereupon the empty corves, already placed as
before mentioned on the stage or scaffolding H, rush forward on to the
carriage C, covering the pit, and push away the full corves, and are detained
themselves on the carriage by the small chain o; the banksman then dis-
engages the empty corves from the chain o, and, having hung them on to the
chains of the triangle, pulls the cord p, which strikes off the single lever k,
that held up the back part of the carriage road, and, having drawn the empty
corves towards him from off the carriage, the back part of the carriage road
being the heavier, as before mentioned, it falls down upon the stop W, and the

page_text: carriage runs again into the snecks c. The banksman then pulls the cord r,
which draws off the stops or supporters s of the triangles, which stops upheld
them at a proper height for unhooking the corves, which being done, the
corves are ready to go again.
Figure 7, D, D, a platform of the carriage road. f, f, shew the ends of the
iron axis on which the road is supported.
e, e, shew the
Figure 8, a platform of the carriage C, before mentioned.
catch for the snecks, and v, v, the part that rests on the fixt landing board,
when it is over the pit top, to give it more solid bearing.
Figure 9, a plan of the ground sills or foundation of the head geers and
apparatus above ground, and into which the four upright legs 11, and the two
back supporters K, are mortised. L shews the place of the upright in which
the jack roll i works, and to which upright the centre of the lever k is fixed.
Figure 10, a front view of that part of Figure 6 marked d, which draws
back the supporters of the triangles marked s, which supporters are described
more particularly by Figure 16.
Figure 11, a front view of the jack roll i in Figure 6, by which the back
part of the carriage road D is drawn up at c, as before mentioned.
Figure 12, a plan of the frame, by which the back part of the carriage road
is drawn up with the assistance of the jack roll, and marked 11 in Figure 6,
and in which frame the stops or rests (marked 7 in Figure 6, working upon a
pin, and upholding the carriage road till struck off as before mentioned) are
fixed. W is a side view of one of these stops, and that the frame may not fall
down too low it is hung by two small chains continued from the top of the
head geers or landing frame to the top of the said frame 11, part of which
chains are here shewn by U, U.
Figure 13, a front view of the stops or rests for the empty corves, when
placed on the scaffold or stage H in Figure 6, which are drawn aside by the
lever m in Figure 6.
Figure 14, the spring hook at the end of the small chain o, that detains the
corves on the carriage.
Figure 15, a plainer view of the springs Z, Z, in Figure 6, which strike off
the stops q, and by which the carriage is set at liberty to run over the pit.
Figure 16, a more plain view of s in Figure 6, which supports the triangles
at a proper height.
Figure 17, a front view of one of the four boards on which the empty
corves run gently down from the scaffold or stage on to the carriage, and
marked t in Figure 6; when the carriage is on its sneck, the boards hang
perpendicularly down.

page_text: Figure 18, a front view of the wheel 9 in Figure 6, which communicates
with the jack roll, and, by lapping round its axis the chain of the frame,
Figure 12, raises the back part of the carriage road.
Figure 19, a side view of the turning-over machine. O, the axletree on
which it works in the frame M; it is cranked, as more plainly appears in
Figure 21. The full corf a being pushed forward on to the frame N (the
fore part whereof is constructed so as to form an inclined plane) by its own
weight and motion, assisted by the said inclined plane, is overturned; the small
rope or chain X stops it when so far overturned as to empty itself, and when
emptied the weight or balance R on the under side of the frame brings it back
again. The two hooks b at the front end of this machine catch the spending
of the corf; and the iron frame Q, in Figure 21 more clearly shewn, cross-
ing over the top of it, prevents the corf turning out of the frame. It is to be
understood, both in this and the carriage road for landing, that there is a
margin standing up to keep the wheels of the corves in their channel and
direction.
Figure 20 is a plan of the turning-over machine and the frame in which
it works.
Figure 21, an end view of the same machine.
Figure 22, an enlarged plan of the corves hanging to a triangle, as before
shewn in Figure 1. To draw any even number of corves at one time, the
shaft and every other part of the machinery may be made upon the principles
of the Plans herein set forth, which represent two corves drawn at a time,
observing that the size of the pit and other parts of the machinery must be
always adapted to the number and size of the corves to be drawn. But if
any odd number, as three, is proposed to be drawn at any one time, the corves
must be suspended upon the triangle so that the down rope shall run in the
vacant space between the corves; if one only, the rope must fall on one side
of it, otherwise the corves and rope will interfere with each other when
drawing, and the down rope will obstruct the landing of the corves above.
In witness whereof, the said John Curr hath hereunto set his hand
and seal, the Sixth day of September, in the twenty-eighth year of the
reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, and in the year of
our Lord Christ One thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of September, in
the year of our Lord 1788, the aforesaid John Curr came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight.