Improvements in Apparatus for Giving Signals in Mines or any other Place of Necessity.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Giving Signals in Mines or any other
Place of Necessity.
WILLIAM DAVIES, Haulier, Abercarn, and ENOCH JONES, Mechanic, Abercarn,
near Newport, Mon., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The present usual procedure in giving signals is manually actuated pulling a
wire to any convenient alarum. The object of our invention is to remedy the
evils that are experienced by inefficiency in this procedure of giving signals by
manual labour. By so fitting and constructing and arranging these machines
and providing therewith such appliances and devices that signals may be given
in a speedy and efficient manner, with a minimum of labour.
To carry out the object the apparatus may be made of any desired size according
to the distance that an alarum is required.
The apparatus to consist of a cylinder and piston and piston rod and other
devices to which will be attached a wire or other material that may be required
to extend to the alarum.
The apparatus which may be worked by compressed air, or steam, or other
gas, that may be convenient, may be regulated by a 3 way cock or piston valve
or other regulator which may be most convenient, this 3 way cock or piston
valve or other regulator may be regulated by a wire or other material attached
to the 3 way cock or piston valve or other regulator that may be required at any
distance that manual labour would be efficient.
Thus by pulling a wire or other material attached to the 3 way cock or piston
valve or other regulator will give admittance of compressed air, or steam, or
other gas to the cylinder, this cylinder to contain piston such piston to be im-
pelled by the pressure of compressed air, or steam, or other gas that may be
used.
The cylinder may be made of any desired size according to the distance it is
required to pull the alarum, with piston, and piston rod, to be made accordingly,
the wire, or other material, required, may be attached to the piston rod, and,
extended to any distance that an alarum will be convenient.
On the cylinder may be, fixed a 3 way cock, or piston valve or other regulator
which may be regulated by a minimum of manual labour to give admittance of
compressed air, or steam, or other gas, to cylinder which will impel piston, and
rod, to which a wire or other material may be attached and extended to a bell or
any other apparatus of alarum.
The 3 way cock, or piston valve, or other regulator, may have a wire or other
material attached to this 3 way cock, or piston valve, or other regulator to which
wire or other material may be attached, may be impelled by pulling this wire or
other material with manual labour at a distance that such labour is efficient.

page_text: This 3 way cock, or piston valve, or other regulator, to admit the compressed air,
or steam, or other gas, to the front side of piston thereby forcing piston to the
exhaust end of the cylinder, thereby preventing the piston to travel beyond such
exhaust opening that may be provided at the back end of cylinder.
When
3 way cock, or piston valve, or other regulator is closed to the pressure of com-
pressed air, or steam, or other gas, the body of compressed air, or steam, or other
gas, between the front end of the cylinder and the piston, may be discharged
through such 3 way cock or piston valve or other regulator, to be placed at the
front end of the cylinder thereby allowing the piston to return to its former
position.
T
1000
Improvements in Apparatus for Giving Signals in Mines or any other
Place of Necessity.
....
We, WILLIAM DAVIES, Haulier, and ENOCH JONES, Mechanic, both of 53, Rail-
way Terrace, Abercarn, in the County of Monmouth, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: —
The present usual arrangement for giving signals in mines and other places
consists in leading a wire or rope or other and suchlike appliance from one
desired position where it is to be operated to another desired position where it
is connected with a bell or gong or other alarum and the procedure in and manner
of operating the same consists in manually and by force pulling this wire or the
like.
Now the object of this our invention is to remedy the many and great evils
that are experienced in this procedure and manner of operation which are chiefly
if not entirely caused by the great amount of manual strength that is frequently
if not always required so to pull the wire or the like as to actuate the bell or
gong or alarum or to cause the same to sound especially when there is any con-
siderable distance between the two positions as is generally the case while in very
many positions particularly in mines there is no proper room for the exercise of
sufficient manual strength for this purpose even when such strength is available
which is not always the case.
According to this our invention the wire or rope or other such like and con-
venient appliance is led as is customary from the one desired position at and
from which it is to be operated to the other desired position at and in which
it is to be connected in any ordinary manner and by and through any ordinary
devices with any appropriate and convenient bell or gong or other alarum and
this line of communication between the two positions can be mounted on and
supported by such ordinary appliances and can be maintained in working order
in such ordinary manner as may he expedient or desirable and customary having
regard to the character of the intermediate space and the other surrounding
circumstances.
Now to carry out our aforesaid object in this line of communication and at any
convenient position therein is interposed the apparatus now to be described.
An ordinary cylinder is provided of any desired dimensions wherein is an
ordinary piston fitted it may be as is usual with a rod which cylinder has the
ordinary covers with it may be the usual glands and is provided with such ad-

page_text: mission and discharge ports and passages and other like ordinary devices as may
be appropriate. The cylinder is also fitted in any ordinary manner with any
ordinary appliance or appliances by and through which the motive agent can be
admitted thereto and discharged therefrom such for example as a piston valve
or other slide valve or a three-way or other cock or other ordinary governing
appliance suitable for and appropriate to and convenient for use with the par-
ticular motive power that is to be used and the particular cylinder that is to be
fitted therewith and whether such cylinder is a single acting or a double acting
cylinder and such governing appliance may if necessary be provided with such a
cover or casing or the like as may be appropriate and customary. The motive
agent may be such ordinary power as may be convenient or is ready for use in
the particular place where this apparatus is to be set up such for example as steam
or air or other fluid or gas or it may be water or other liquid which in every case
may be under such pressure as may be expedient or desirable.
This apparatus is interposed in the line of communication aforesaid and is ar-
ranged in a suitable position so near the operating end of the same that when the
one part of the wire or the like which is divided therefor is connected to the
governing appliance of the apparatus such governing appliance can easily readily
and surely be actuated by and from the operating end of such line of communi-
cation with a very small amount of manual strength wherefore the other part of
the wire or the like which is connected to the piston or the piston rod if any
can obviously actuate the bell or gong or other alarum at almost any distance
having regard to the dimensions of the cylinder and the pressure or force of the
motive power.
Therefore when the wire or the like is pulled by manual strength at the operat-
ing end of the line of communication and the governing appliance of the inter-
posed apparatus is duly actuated whereby the motive agent is duly admitted to
the cylinder the piston therein is forced to the arranged for end of such cylinder
and the wire or the like connected with such piston it may be through the piston
rod is likewise pulled by the strength of the motive power and the bell or gong
or other alarum is duly actuated or caused to sound. When the cylinder is a
double acting cylinder the motive agent can then be duly admitted also by the
governing appliance to the other end of the cylinder in any ordinary manner
and the piston is returned to its former position and so on but when the cylinder
is a single acting cylinder as is perhaps as a general rule most convenient and
therefore preferable the motive agent can then be duly discharged from the
cylinder by the governing appliance or otherwise in any ordinary manner and
coiled or other springs could be applied it may be to the piston or it may be to
the wire or the like near such cylinder or near the alarum or elsewhere or other
ordinary devices can be used and applied to cause such piston to return to its
former position and so on. Similar springs or other ordinary devices can likewise
be applied to the governing appliance or to the actuating wire or the like thereof
for the same purpose and these springs or other devices may also if desired be
similarly provided with a double acting cylinder.
In the accompanying drawing we shew a perspective view of a very convenient
and efficient style and manner of constructing and fitting this our apparatus
when the cylinder is single acting and the governing appliance is a three-way
cock and the motive agent is or may be air under pressure.
On a suitable base A is fitted and arranged in an horizontal position a
cylinder B containing an ordinary piston the rod D) whereof is provided with a
crosshead E, fitted to move on guide rods F as is customary to ensure its proper
parallel motion and to this crosshead E is connected that part H of the wire or
the like which is led to the bell or gong. or other alarum. By the side of the
cylinder B and communicating with the front end of the same is fitted a suitable
and appropriate valve casing K containing an ordinary three-way cock to which
valve casing K is led the pipe L for the air under pressure and on the spindle
of the three-way cock is fitted outside the valve casing K a toothed quadrani M

page_text: which gears into another toothed quadrant N pivoted on a standard P erected in
the proper corresponding position on the base A. To this quadrant N in the
proper position is jointed an arm or link R the other end whereof is jointed on
an horizontal bar T capable of sliding in bearings V erected on the base A and
to this bar T is connected that part W of the wire or the like which is led to the
operating end of the line of communication and such bar T is controlled by a
coiled spring X in tension.
The three-way cock and the other parts of this apparatus are so fitted and
arranged that when they are in the positions shewn in the drawing the air under
pressure cannot enter the cylinder B but when the wire W is pulled and the
bar T is caused to slide against the tension of its spring X the quadrant N
obviously is rocked and through the other quadrant M partially rotates the
three-way cock in such wise that the air under pressure is admitted into the front
end of the cylinder B and the piston therein is forced back pulling the wire H
and therethrough actuating the bell or gong or other alarum. Then the wire W
can be released and the spring X draws the bar T back again rocking the quad-
rant N and in the same manner causing the three-way cock to reassume its
former position preventing the passage of air under pressure into the cylinder
and allowing the escape of the same from the cylinder in the ordinary manner
through the valve casing when the piston can return to the front end of the
cylinder being caused so to do it may be by a similar coiled spring connected with
the wire or placed in the cylinder behind the piston or elsewhere or by other
ordinary devices.
If the aforesaid line of communication be an extremely long one and
occasionally in other cases also it may sometimes be convenient to similarly
interpose another similar apparatus or even more than one other similar
apparatus and in all cases any desired rocking or other levers may if necessary
or convenient be interposed in any ordinary manner in the line of communica-
tion as may be appropriate having regard to the contour and the other surround-
ing circumstances of such line of communication.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
In an apparatus for giving signals in mines and other places the interposal
in the line of communication of a cylinder containing a piston to be actuated
by a fluid or liquid motive power the operating end of the line of communication
being connected to the governing appliance of the cylinder while the bell or gong
or alarum is connected with the piston substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and declared.
Total 1
1000
HART & Co.,
Agents, 168, Fleet Street, London, E.C.