A New or Improved Method of Sinking or Forming Pits, Shafts, Wells, or the like in or through Aqueous Strata, and Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Sinking or Forming Pits, Shafts,
Wells, or the like in or through Aqueous Strata, and Apparatus
connected therewith.
I RICHARD SUTCLIFFE of Barnsley in the County of York Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :―
My present invention relates to improvements in sinking or forming pits shafts
wells or the like excavations in aqueous or water bearing strata or soil and consists
in conducting the operations in the manner hereinafter described whereby the
water is enabled to be extracted or pumped from the soil or strata otherwise than
or without passing through the said pit shaft, or well during the sinking or
formation of the same thereby allowing or enabling the sinking to proceed more
expeditiously and more safely than is possible with the means heretofore employed.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now.
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in both views.
Fig. 1 is a plan of my new or improved method or means employed for extracting
the water during the operation of sinking through water bearing ground or
strata and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the same.
At a convenient distance from the pit A is or are made one or more boreholes B
through the water bearing strata D sufficiently deep to drain the strata in advance
of the sinking and of a size large enough to contain pipes or pumps of suitable
capacity to deal with the water of the said strata or the said borehole or boreholes
may be made completely through the said aqueous strata and into the impervious
beds beneath in the first instance. In these boreholes B are placed pumps H
preferably made of wrot iron or steel or of some other tough and strong metal and
joined or connected together by screwed sockets or spicket and faucet joints so as
not to occupy too much of the area of the borehole with the material of the pipes
forming the pumps H and which pumps may be operated in the usual manner by
means of the ordinary bucket and clack lifting apparatus as will be well understood.
The water flows by gravitation through the borchole and crevices of the strata to
the wind bore at the lower extremity of the pumps and entering there is pumped to
the surface to the depth required to drain the strata in advance of the sinking thus
enabling the sinking to proceed in comparatively dry ground. It will also
allow the water to be pumped clean and free from grit thereby obviating the wear
and tear of pumps due to the pumping of gritty water which has heretofore
occurred in sinking operations.
Any water percolating through the strata into the pit or shaft is collected into
the water rings E in the usual manner which are made in the ordinary way with
their lowest or delivery point nearest to the borehole B and at suitable distances
apart and from the lowest points of the said water rings E small boreholes C are
made sloping downward to convey the water from the rings into the boreholes B
containing the pumps H there to be pumped to the surface and if water collects on
the pit bottom a borehole C as just described is made from the said pit bottom to
convey such water. into the borehole B. When the pit is sunk into strata
capable of holding back some of the water given off in or percolating through the
strata above, a drift or small tunnel F is made or driven from the pit A to the

page_text: borehole B and around the said borchole B in the impervious or retaining strata
is formed a floor or bed to take an iron or metal bed plate 1 which may be
made in two parts and having a circular hole in the centre of sufficient size to
admit the pumps passing through when being inserted or withdrawn and said
bed plate shall be securely fixed and made water tight all around its exterior
periphery by wooden wedges or other material in order to prevent the water from
above passing downward and on the aforesaid bed plate I and closely surrounding
the pumps His placed an annular ring J composed of india rubber gutta percha or
other pliable substance which will make a water tight joint between the sides of the
pumps H and the bed plate I and to which latter the said annular ring J is fastened
by means of the bolts and nuts L and an iron annular ring K in order to prevent it
the aforesaid annular ring J becoming attached to the pumps H and jambing them
in the borehole on being withdrawn therefrom and this ring J may also be made
in two parts for convenience of being placed in position having the vertical joints
overlapping or crossed and the upper part may be fastened around the pumps by
means of weak cord or elastic band in order to keep it in position until the pressure
of the water from above and surrounding it presses it firmly in its place making it
perfectly water tight. A bed or surrounding layer of good plastic brick clay or
inixture of pitch and grease or their equivalent is next placed on and around the bed
plate and the ring J to prevent any leakage of water into the under part of the
borehole and when this is done the water is tubbed back in the usual way in the
pit and the water encountered below can be raised to the surface without pumping
that at the back of the tubbing care however must be taken to fasten or weight
down the pumps H at the surface or some other convenient place so as to counteract
the buoyancy of the water so tubbed back.
When the pit shaft or well is sunk through the hole of the water bearing strata
into the impervious strata underneath, the whole of the water is tubbed back and
the pumps are withdrawn from the borehole leaving the bed plate 1 in its place and
the ring with its plastic surrounding will yield sufficiently to allow the withdrawal
of the said pumps leaving the water in the boreholes and surrounding strata but
excluded from the pit.
Where desired said borehole or boreholes B may be put down to deliver the
water into tunnels drifts headings or other such like excavations which may have
previously existed or subsequently be made to convey the water to any other
suitable place say a preexisting shaft at some distance to be pumped or otherwise
dealt with there. In which case also the water draining or percolating into the pit
during sinking will be collected in the water rings E and conveyed through the
sloping boreholes C into the vertical boreholes B as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1.
claim is
1st. In sinking or forming pits shafts wells or the like excavations in aqueous
strata the method of extracting the water from the said strata through pumps or
their equivalents placed in approximate vertical boreholes in advance of .the
sinking thereby keeping the pit comparatively free of water providing sloping
boreholes C to convey any surplus or drainage water made in the pit shaft or well
into the borehole B. The discharging of all water collected in the water rings E
into the said vertical boreholes to be pumped or otherwise dealt with there keeping
the pit shaft or well free from pumps and their connections and fittings during the
sinking operations. The water tight joint at F preventing the water made in the
upper portion of the strata flowing down through the borehole when tubbed back in
the shaft. The raising of the water from the lower portion of the strata through
that tubbed back in the upper portion as hereinbefore described with reference to
the accompanying sheet of drawings.
2nd. The improved method of extracting the water and sinking or forming shafts

page_text: pits or wells in or through aqueous strata or ground substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Dated this 4th day of August 1891.
RICHD. SUTCLIFFE,
Barnsley.