IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CHARGES FOR MINING, IN BLASTING, AND IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington Street,
Strand, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CHARGES FOR MINING, IN BLASTING, AND
IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH." A communication from abroad
by Louis Favre, Merchant, chez Monsr. Delorme, 14, Rue St. Louis, St. Etienne,
Loire, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th May 1881.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CHARGES
FOR MINING, IN BLASTING, AND IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
A communication from abroad by Louis Favre, Merchant, chez Mons'. Delorme,
No. 14, Rue St. Louis, St. Etienne, Loire, France.
The object attained by the improvements in the charge and in blasting in mines,
the subject of this Invention, consists in the first place in a more efficient blast
with a very considerable diminution in the evaporation of the gases and smoke
after the explosion; and, secondly, in the security given to the miner by the
arrangement of new tools for setting the charge.
The cartridge of this Invention is composed of a small tube of strong paper, at
the bottom of which is placed a small apparatus termed the absorbant, which is a
sort of capsule, also of paper, of a diameter nearly equal to that of the cartridge,
and of a depth twice that of this diameter, and which contains a metallic spiral
spring enveloping a small plug or pad of cowhair impregnated with a pasty matter
made with any kind of flour and the liquid obtained from a decoction of oak bark
and the large red mushroom (the agaricus muscarius) found in abundance in pine
woods in about the following proportions, say, to every 20 quarts of water half a
pound of oak bark and one pound of the "agaricus muscarius." The oak bark and
the pieces of mushroom are thrown into boiling water, and after cooking for some
Din C

page_text: time the liquid is mixed with a quantity of flour sufficient to form a somewhat
liquid paste, which hardens in drying upon the spot where it has been applied.
This paste or preparation placed in fire produces neither flame nor smoke, and
resists combustion.
In the ordinary charge of powder which covers this little apparatus is held in
the ordinary way the end of the fuze or match coated in its entire length with
the above mentioned paste or preparation, which gives it the property of disengaging
no smoke.
When the explosion of this cartridge takes place in the blast hole the expansion
of the gases takes place perpendicularly and not parallel to the axis of the hole,
thereby effecting the disruption of the rock in the most efficacious manner, in
fact the powder producing the greatest amount of action where the resistance to be
overcome is greatest. The result is that the longitudinal side or wall of the hole
receives the greatest effort of its power, while at the bottom of the hole it will have
met only an elastic resistance by the crushing up of the spring plug, which causes
an instantaneous vacuum immediately invaded by the smoke producing gases,
which after the conflagration continue to lose themselves or to be absorbed in the
cowhair pad or plug of the apparatus which will have risen and spread out.
"
With this apparatus, which is a sort of smoke consumer, the blast is always very
efficacious, and cannot be inoperative, and, as often happens, only "cannon."
Further, as the firing produces so to say no flame and no smoke owing to this
absorbing apparatus, the result is that in the galleries or drifts of coal mines
blasting may take place nearer to fire damp, no ventilation being needed to drive
out the smoke.
To preserve the fuze from abrasions while the charge is being rammed (upon the
ordinary clay wad) it is passed into a copper sheath or tube set on the face of the
rammer hollowed out longitudinally to receive it, and held by the aid of a handle.
Accidents which might result from delay in exploding are thus avoided, this delay
always arising from abrasion or crushing of the fuze.
The rammer is of vulcanized india-rubber, very hard and very heavy, and cannot
produce a spark during the placing of the charge.
Finally, the fuze is lit by a chemical coal or combustible of well known compo-
sition, which produces no flame, and is held in a small apparatus or port-fire, the
bell shaped base of which receives the chemical combustible. This apparatus,
placed on the ground, supplies fire to a station or post of miners without fear from
fire damp. The handle placed above the bell serves to give air for the combustion
of the block of coal, and when fire is wanted the apparatus, which is open at the
bottom, is turned over, and the coal which burns at the base is exposed.
The special feature of this Invention is the spring apparatus, with plug coated
with the incombustible paste or preparation (with which the fuze is also coated)
placed at the bottom of the cartridge; the other instruments improved for the
purpose of preserving miners from accidents being but the corollary, serving to
improve the means of better firing charges and blasting with the greatest
certainty.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1881.
"
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CHARGES
FOR MINING, IN BLASTING, AND IN APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITII.
A communication from abroad by Louis Favre, Merchant, chez Monsieur Delorme,
14, Rue St. Louis, St. Etienne, Loire, France.
The object attained by the improvements in the charge and in blasting in
mines, the subject of this Invention, consists in the first place in a more efficient
blast, with a very considerable diminution in the evaporation of the gases and
smoke after the explosion; and, secondly, in the security given to the miner by
the arrangement of new tools for setting the charge.
The cartridge of this Invention (A, Figure 1) is composed of a small tube of
strong paper, at the bottom of which is placed a small apparatus termed the
absorbant (B), which is a sort of capsule, also of paper, of a diameter, nearly equal
to that of the cartridge, and of a depth twice that of this diameter, and which
contains a metallic spiral spring enveloping a small plug or pad of cowhair or other
suitable material impregnated with a pasty matter made with any kind of flour
and the liquid obtained from a decoction of oak bark and the large red mushroom
found in abundance in pine woods (the "agaricus muscarius") in about the following
proportions, say, to every 20 quarts of water half a pound of oak bark and one
pound of the "agaricus muscarius."
The oak bark and the pieces of mushroom are thrown into boiling water, and
after cooking for some time the liquid is mixed with a quantity of flour sufficient
to form a somewhat liquid paste, which hardens in drying upon the spot where it
has been applied.
This paste or preparation placed in fire produces neither flame nor smoke, and
resists combustion.
In the ordinary charge of powder which covers this little apparatus is held in
the ordinary way the end of the fuze or match G, coated in its entire length with
the above mentioned paste or preparation, which gives it the property of disengaging
no smoke.
In
When the explosion of this cartridge takes place in the blast hole the expansion
of the gases takes place perpendicularly and not parallel to the axis of the hole,
thereby effecting the disruption of the rock in the most efficacious manner.
fact the powder producing the greatest amount of action where the resistance to be
overcome is greatest. The result is that the longitudinal side or wall of the hole
receives the greatest effort of its power, while at the bottom of the hole it will
have met only an elastic resistance by the crushing up of the spring plug, which
causes an instantaneous vacuum immediately invaded by the smoke producing
gases, which after the conflagration continue to lose themselves or be absorbed in
the cowhair pad or plug of the apparatus which will have risen and spread out.
With this apparatus, which is a sort of smoke consumer, the blast
always very
efficacious, and cannot be inoperative, and, has often happens, only cannon.
Further, as the firing produces so to say no flame and no smoke owing to this
absorbing apparatus, the result is that in the galleries or drifts of coal mines blasting
may take place nearer to fire damp, no ventilation being needed to drive out the
smoke.
<
33
To preserve the fuze from abrasions while the charge is being rammed (upon the
ordinary clay wad D) it is passed into a copper sheath or tube E (Fig. 3) set on
the face of the rammer F (Fig. 2), hollowed out longitudinally to receive it, and
held by the aid of a handle e.

page_text: Accidents which might result from delay in exploding are thus avoided, this delay
always arising from abrasion or crushing of the fuze.
The rammer is of vulcanized india-rubber, very hard and very heavy, and cannot
produce a spark during the placing of the charge.
Finally, the fuze is lit by a chemical coal G, or combustible of well known com-
position, which produces no flame, and is held in a small apparatus or port-fire H
(Fig. 4), the bell shaped base of which receives the chemical combustible. This
apparatus, placed on the ground, supplies fire to a station or post of miners without
fear from fire-damp. The handle placed above the bell serves to give air for the
combustion of the block of coal, and when fire is wanted the apparatus, which is
open at the bottom, is turned over, exposing the coal G, which burns from its base,
and which by the aid of the piece or hook f may be brought nearer to the orifice
by sliding the inner tube T, which holds it by the nipper J.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the Invention communicated
to me as aforesaid,
I claim as secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent,―
The use of the spring apparatus, with plug coated with the incombustible paste
or preparation herein before described (the fuze or match being also coated there-
with), placed at the bottom of the cartridge, as constituting the main feature of
this Invention and as corollary thereto, serving to improve the means of better
firing charges and blasting with greater certainty the above mentioned improved
instruments, substantially as described and shown on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)