IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING MINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hill Bakewell, of Dishley, Leicester-
shire, for the.Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING MINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hill Bake-
well at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 18th July 1858.
I, THOMAS HILL BAKEWELL, of Dishley, Leicestershire, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTI-
LATING MINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of employing a series of blowing apparatus,
each being composed of expanding and contracting chambers, worked
by cranks and connecting rods.
These blowing apparatus force the air into large vessels, which have
pipes leading to the mine, and valves to prevent the return of the
air to the blowing apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Thomas Hill Bakewell in the Great Seal Paten
Office, on the 18th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I
THOMAS HILL BAKEWELL, late of Dishley, Leicestershire, but now of
Welford Road, Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Eler heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Hill Bakewell, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Hill Bakewell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Hill Bakewell, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VENTILATING MINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Hill Bakewell, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Hill Bakewell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
The machine consists of several divisions; it may have two, three, or
four, according to the quantity of air required, which will generally be
regulated by the size of the mine, ventilated by the combined prin-
ciples propulsion and exhaustion.
Each division will have two wings and one body. Each wing must
be of the same length, breadth, &c. as the other. The body in breadth

page_text: will generally be about one fifth of the length of the wing; the part of
the wing attached to the body is called the shoulder.
Each wing is supplied with several peculiarly constructed air pumps
for the purpose of drawing in the air. Each pump consists of a
cylinder, inner tube, and piston, with hollow suckers. Each wing has
a central frame, to which the piston rods are fixed with a swivel to
accommodate their curve motion; these rods work up and down the
inner tube (described as Y, in Plan No. 2,) which admits the air
through its apertures p, p, into the cylinder M. When the wing is
charged fully, by the compressed movement of the wing the air is forced
through valves into the body, through which it rises into a small
dome, and when that is sufficiently charged the dome slides to the
summit y, 8, 8, s, where it remains till the air from the wing has entered
the cupola B, and the tubes down the shaft; immediately after the air
has escaped the dome again falls by its own weight, and prevents the
air from being drawn back by the reaction of the wing. The air is
conveyed into the mine down iron tubing about one foot in diameter
or more, if requisite. In a machine of only two divisions one division
is intended to force fresh air into the mine, as C, and D, wings, in
Plan No. 3. The other division with its wings E, and F, draw out
the air from the summit of the upcast shaft by the aid of the culmi-
nator, which is perfectly air-tight, described in Plan No. 4; this draws
out the air that has traversed the mine, bringing with it the fire damp,
or so dispersing it as to prevent an accumulation to explode; this part
of the Invention is most important.
The culminator may be made of iron, brass, copper, or any other
material that is perfectly air-tight, and it is connected with the wings
of the fire damp division, Plan No. 8, by any kind of air-tight tubing,
such as indian-rubber or gutta-percha, which are screwed on to the air
taps of the culminator. This fills each of those wings with impure air
from the mine the saine as the fresh air division draws in the atmo-
sphere, and is forced down the iron tubing. In the latter case the tubing
is applied to the mouths of the cupolas, and in the former case to the
base of the cylinders, and the cupolas in the fire damp division convey
it to the open air again, which, it will be observed, are reversed to B',
and B in No. 3.

page_text: It may be requisite sometimes to apply both divisions in the same
way, namely, either for drawing out from the up cast or forcing in at
the down cast in case of irregularity or accident in the mine: For which
purpose the culminator, must contain as many air-tight taps as possible
to supply as many.cylinders as would occasionally be required by using
the whole machine to that part.
:
. The dome R, is an important point-in Plans. 1,. and 2, where I have
endeavoured to show its operations; if it were not for this falling
instantly upon the escape of the air the reaction of each wing would
draw back the air out of the tubing, as would be found to be the case
with a small pair of bellows, if applied to the light of a candle or smoke
you will perceive it drawn in, and many good inventions have been lost
(as useless). because they could not resist with common valves .the
return of the air after its discharge.
"
The more perfect Plan 3, represents a machine with two divisions,
having in each division one body A, the breadth of which is only seen,
the length extending to the breadth of wings C, and D on this body
is cupola B 1, belonging to wing C, and cupola B 2, belonging to
wing D. Each of these have separate conveyances till they reach their
point of union between P 1, 2, and Ps, in Plan 3. As the one wing
charges the other discharges, and so alternately they keep supplying.
the main tube with a current of air, and not discommoding each other
by too much pressure, as would be the case if they discharged at the
time: The present machine is supposed to be fifteen feet long
in each wing and nine feet broad at the shoulder; the body in propor-
tion is nine feet long, to agree with the shoulders of wing, and three
fect broad at the part A, and two feet in height or thickness. With
thirty charges each wing per minute there will be produced about fifty
thousand feet of air by cach division, so by forcing that quantity in at
the down shaft, and drawing. that quantity out at the upcast shaft,
makes a change of at least one hundred thousand cubic feet of air per
minute.
saing

page_text: summit of 3, 3, 3; B, is the cupola receiving the air from the dome,
and guiding it to the tubes in the shaft; Q, is the conductor conveying
the air from the wings through the body to the dome; the part marked
round denotes the size of the body, at the side of which may be seen
V, V, where the valves are situated; R2, is the position of the dome
while the wing is recharging and is sucked down by the reaction, the
surface upon which it falls being elastic makes it air-tight, so that the
air cannot return out of tlie cupola into the, wing again; R, in the
cupola is of course invisible in its operation, which. has a curious effect
surface upon which it falls being elastic makes it air-tight, so that the
air cannot return out of the cupola into the, wing again; R, in the
cupola is of course invisible in its operation, which. has a curious effect
when the cupola is removed.
PLAN No. 2.
This plan represents in Figure 1, the interior of a wing, with its
springs, valves, pistons, and their suckers T, T. A, represents the body;
R, the dome over it; C, is the wing without leather, &c.; S, S, S, are
the iron rods upon which slides the dome R; U, are the valves leading
into the conductor Q, which passes the air through the body; V, shews a
new kind of valve, which we must term the lace valve; this is important;
it is made of padded leather; &c., of an oblong form, and laced in the
centre loosely to give it an opportunity of rising when the air is.
admitted; the other sides of the valve are nailed down closely. T, T, T,
are suckers that work up and down at the ends of the rods and hollow;
W, are springs more or less are used according to circumstances; X,
are the swivels; Y, tube for the piston rod which receives the air; P, p.
are the apertures for the air to enter into the cylinder; Y; is called the
barrel; Z, contains the lower valve at the foot of the barrel tube.
Figure 2. in Plan 2, shews the wing when closed in.
PLAN No. 2.
This plan represents in Figure 1, the interior of a wing, with its
springs, valves, pistons, and their suckers T, T. A; represents the body;
R, 'the dome over it; C, is the wing without leather, &c.; S, S, S, are
the iron rods upon which slides the dome R; U, are the valves leading
into the conductor Q, which passes the air through the body; V, shews a.
new kind of valve, which we must term the lace valve; this is important;
it is made of padded leather; &c., of an oblong form, and laced in the
centre loosely to give it an opportunity of rising when the air is.
admitted; the other sides of the valve are nailed down closely. T, T, T,
are suckers that work up and down at the ends of the rods and hollow;
W, are springs more or less are used according to circunistances; X,
are the swivels; Y, tube for the piston rod which receives the air; p, p,
are the apertures for the air to enter into the cylinder; Y; is called the
barrel; Z, contains the lower valve at the foot of the barrel tube.
Figure 2, in Plan 2, shews the wing when closed in.
PLAN 8:
1, represents a complete machine with two divisions, namely, the
air division and the fire dambn division, both of which have equal

page_text: are reversed, thrusting out the impure air into the atmosphere; C, wing
in the left side of dome, air division; D, wing on right side of dome, air
division; E, on the left side of another body similar to the one in the air
division; and F, F, the other wing on the right side of it; G, the crank
that is turned by other machinery, and works the wings of C, and E,
at the one end, and wings D, and F, at the other, each rising and
falling alternately also. H, the rods affixed to the crank for working
the frame of the machine both inside and out; J, cases containing
springs to assist the centres of long wings; these will not always be
required; K, another kind of stirrup rod, which may or may not be
applied, according to circumstances; L, the oak or iron pillars which
support the frame upon which the machine stands, varying from four to
six feet in height, videlicit, from the ground to the base Q; M, the
cylinders, sustaining piston rod, &c.; N, the division inside the machine
wings which work the pump or pistons; O, the wheels which work the
machine; P, the tubes attached to the cupolas for conveying the air
down the shaft joining together between P1, P2, and Ps, the machinery
to be worked by steam; Q, is the base of the wing and is immoveable.
It is made fast to the framework, the only parts which operate being
N, and R, videlicit, the top and the centre of the wings, which are
raised by the rods already mentioned; the great pressure is upon the
shoulders, which must be very strongly lined with air-tight material.
PLAN No. 4.
This plan contains but one figure, though it is of great use, and con-
stantly draws the air from several parts together. It is called "the
culminator," because it covers the summit of the up cast shaft. There
is no part of the machinery so important. It must keep the shaft
externally air-tight, otherwise it frustrates the design, as all the air
passing out of this culminator must come out of the mine, and by con-
tinually creating a vacuum of six hundred and eighty feet which each
wing would be able to take in, or drawing out upwards of fifty thousand
feet in one minute by each wing performing thirty evolutions, as two
wings would be continually employ'd for this purpose in a machine
consisting of only two divisions.

page_text: This culminator would extend about three feet from the surface
of the ground to the point C', and will contain about twenty air-tight
taps, twelve of which will generally be in use according to the
number of the cylinders. An air cap is screwed down over the tap
when not in use, as A; B, is unscrewed, but the air cannot escape
unless the key of the tap has turned it; if requisite, the culminator may
be placed in any other part of the shaft. D, represents air-tight
tubing as conductors.
A, the body of the machine; B, the cupola; C, the left wing in the
air division; D, the right wing in the air division; E, the left wing in
the fire damp division; F, the right wing in the fire damp division; G,
the crank which works the ends of the wing; H, the crank rods working
both N, and R; J, the springs and cases; K, the stirrup rods, used
occasionally; I, the pillars of the frame, about five or six feet high;
M, the cylinders; N, the centre division of the wing which works
piston; O, the wheels used in operation; P, the tubes conducting the
air to the shaft; Q, the base of the wing; R, the top part of the wing.
Wheels will only be used at the cranks when absolutely necessary.
INTERIOR PORTIONS.
O, the summit of the conductor under R; Q, the conductor; R, the
dome; S, the iron rods upon which the dome works; T, the suckers at
the bottom of the piston; U, the valves leading into the conductor;
V, the lace valve for a flat surface; W, the springs, which vary in form
and size; X, the swivels; Y, the barrel for air in the cylinders; Z, the
valve at the foot of the air barrel. Note.-I further claim protection
for my newly invented system of ventilating mines and other places by
the united agency of those two powers-propulsion and exhaustion,
(videlicet), by forcing fresh air in and drawing air out, so that any kind
of machine used upon that principle will be an infringement upon this
branch of the Patent.

page_text: THE CULMINATOR.
A, B, C, refer to the taps; C, shews the application of the fire
damp tubes A, with the cap on, and B, without either; D, the culmi-
nator's tubing extends to the fire damp division.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Thomas Hill Bakewell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
THOMAS HILL BAKEWELL. (L.S.)
JOHN ROBERT BOULTON,
. Leicester.