IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING HEAVY BODIES
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Wesley Hackworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th May
1856.
I, JOHN WESLEY HACKWORTH, of Priestgate Engine Works, Darlington, in
the County of Durham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND
LOWERING HEAVY BODIES," to be as follows, that is to say:
This Invention relates, in the first place, to the application and use, in
connection with raising and lowering apparatus, such as that used in working
mines, of self-acting contrivances for stopping the winding, or raising movement
on the cage attaining its proper height. In carrying out this part of the
Invention, the cage, or any part of the apparatus moving in concert with the
cage, is fitted with a catch and a lever, or other mechanical detail, in connection
with or acting upon the stopping movement of the winding machinery, is
arranged in such a position that the catch moves or actuates it when the cage
attains the proper height.
The adjusting motion of the lever or detail connected with the stopping or
reversing apparatus being thus obtained from the upward movement of the
cage, may be made to act on the winding machinery in a variety of ways, and
by means of a variety of contrivances or apparatus.

page_text: According to one plan, a bell-crank lever turning in bearings in a block,
which is adjustable as to height, so that the period at which the stopping
motion takes effect may be accurately determined or changed at any time, is
arranged to be moved by a suitable catch or switch on the cage, which acts
on the vertical arm of the lever, whilst the movement is communicated from 5
the horizontal arm of the lever to a horizontal lever by a link, which is
adjustable as to its effective length.
The end of the horizontal lever which rises with the stopping action is
formed with a gab or box of a triangular shape with the apex downwards.
This gab is adjacent to the end of a horizontally disposed weight shaft, on
which is fixed a handled lever for reversing and stopping the winding
machinery, the weigh shaft being suitably connected with the machinery for
that purpose. The standard in which the end of the weigh shaft has its
bearings is formed with the usual catch plate, the reversing lever having a
sliding spring catch to hold the lever in the catch. plate. This plate has a
central notch and two sliding catches, and when the lever is in the central
notch the winding machinery will be stopped, the winding' taking effect in
either direction accordingly as the lever is forced past one or other of the
sliding catches at the side.
When the winding is going on, and has to be stopped, the lever must be
shifted from one of the side catches to the central notch, and this is effected
by the rising of the gab upon the horizontal lever, one or other of the inclined
sides of the gab acting on a pin upon the reversing lever, and thereby-shifting
the lever over. Before the shift of the lever can be effected, however, the
slide or catch must be drawn down out of the way of the catch on the reversing
lever, and this is done by means of a small bell-crank lever, which is acted
upon by the gab lever just before the latter acts on the reversing lever, the
sliding catches being pushed out again afterwards by a spring...
According to another; amongst the many plans that' may be adopted for
transmitting the self-acting stopping movement' to the machinery, this move-
ment is made to shift the valves of a steam or hydrostatic pressure cylinder,
and thereby admit steam or water to move the piston of the cylinder, such
piston being arranged to shift the reversing clutch or other detail, by the
immediate means of which the winding is stopped or reversed, whilst a spring
catch or pall prevents the motion from extending beyond the central or "stop"
position of the parts. As a precaution against accidental derangement of the
stopping mechanism; a steam or hydrostatic brake actuator may be employed,
the steam or water being, admitted to the cylinder constituting such actuator
by the action of a lever or suitable mechanical detail connected with the

page_text: valves, and so situated as to be shifted by the cage should it rise above its
proper stopping level. It is proposed to apply this brake actuator to what is
the fixed end of the frictional brake strap ordinarily applied to the drum of
winding machinery.
Another part of the present Invention relates to improvements in winding
machinery where a clutch combined with two reversed bevil pinions in gear
with one large bevil wheel is used as the means by which the reversing of
the winding motion is effected.
According to these improvements frictional pressure is applied to both sides
of the driving pinions. This duplex frictional pressure may be obtained either
by keying two frictional boxes upon the engine shaft, such boxes being either
internal or external cones, and being outside the pinions, which are pressed up
against them by the central clutches or frictional boxes; or the frictional
boxes may be applied outside the pinions, and may be actuated by reverse
movements, so that the pinions may be gripped between the outer and inner
frictional boxes, and so that the end pressure of the single clutch or friction
box upon the shaft may be neutralized.