IMPROVE- MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING PERSONS AND, WEIGHTS IN MINES, APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugène Henri Bernier, of No. 12, Rue Corbeau, Paris,
in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING PERSONS AND,
WEIGHTS IN MINES, APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 31st December 1867, and dated the 12th July 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Eugene Henri Dernier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 12th July 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EUGÈNE HENRI
BERNIER, of No. 12, Rue Corbeau, Paris, in the Empire of France, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING PERSONS AND WEIGHTS IN MINES,
APPLICABLE. TO OTHER PURPOSES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I verily believe myself
to be the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Eugène Henri Bernier, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the-

page_text: Drawing hereto annexed, and forming part of this Specification, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
My improved construction of safety apparatus is similar in principle to
that described in the Complete Specification lodged with my application for
Letters Patent on the Twelfth day of February One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven, Number 389, but differs in the mode of working and setting
up, and is of more practical utility in certain cases.
In my said application of the Twelfth day of February One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven, the safety apparatus is described as always
fixed and the chains always moveable, both for the winch chain and safety
chain.
In my improved construction, however, the safety apparatus is moveable
and travels with the weight in its ascent or descent, and the chains on which
it acts are fixed. I employ one or several. fixed safety guide chains connected
at their upper part, and if required permanently fixed at their lower extremities.
In this case a cross piece and a platform or recipient of any kind serving to
raise the materials or persons is provided, with as many supporting stop catches
as there are safety chains in the apparatus; these frames, which may be made
indiscriminately to carry one or several catches, according as required to divide
the space between two links of the chain, travel with their stop catches in
ascents and descents. During the ascents the stop catches may be let down
on the safety chains and act upon them with slight friction, producing by their
passage on the chain slight. oscillations. Besides a small counterweight fixed
on each stop catch a spring is fixed either on its axis or on the catch itself to
assist in ensuring the catching of the catch on the chain, although, if required,
the spring or the small counterweight suffices. The safety apparatus may be
used in two different ways, during ascents, either by keeping the catches
raised and not oscillating on the chains, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing,
or by letting down the levers holding the catches when the catches will oscillate
on the links; in this case the catches take at once into the safety chains at
the least slackening of the suspension tackle arising either from a wrong
working of the raising apparatus or the breaking of its.cable, and the weight
remains suspended. In the first case when the catches are raised only the
rupture of the chain allows of the apparatusz instantaneously stopping, any
wrong working in the raising apparatus producing no effect on the safety
apparatus, as a slackening of the suspension is required.. Security is so much
more complete from the stop being always instantaneous, no speed proceeding
from the commencement of a fall being able to accelerate the descent of the
load, as the fall can only be at the maximum very little, varying according to.

page_text: the number of catches employed; to subdivide the link of the chain. The
stopping catches should be forcibly held raised during the descents so that,
they cannot hook into the chains.
The Drawing shews the most simple mode of keeping the catches raised by,
rendering them part of the suspension tackle. By means of a small chain I.
raise the large levers which prevent the catches from acting; this chain is
kept fast by the suspension chain, but in case of the rupture of the cable the
chain being no longer held allows the levers to fall, and the catches immediately
clutch the safety chains; the large levers may also each have at their
extremities on the same side as the chains a small counterweight or spring to
force them to fall suddenly. The cranked part of each of the large levers serving
to work the small levers of the catches may be placed so as to force the catches
to rise when the large levers are raised, and to force the catches to clutch
when the large levers fall. back with an excess of play, the difference of which
leaves an interval sufficient for the oscillating movement of the catches on the
chain if they are required to act during the ascent. To obtain this result it.
is merely necessary to regulate the position of the large levers by the elongation
or shortening of the hook chains adapted to the suspension chain.
In my improved construction of safety apparatus with fixed chains I have
the double advantage of preventing falls of the weights, and also of having by.
means of the tightened chains a good guide for preventing any deviation of
the weights, for the frames of the catches work in grooves on the chains and
hold fast either the cross bar, the platform, or, recipient and the tub in a
regular and rigid position on a level: I have besides the advantage of stopping,
the platform of the safety apparatus at any part of its play and leave it at rest,
which allows of loading or unloading the platform or recipient without its
moving or swinging.
can fix
Besides these guides obtained by means of the frames of the stop catches,
according to the arrangement of the suspension tackle adopted,
either above or underneath the catch frames metal guides through which
the chains pass. The annexed Drawing shews in detail the construction of a
platform provided with two guides, one for each safety chain.
In the
arrangement shewn by the Drawing, the safety apparatus is mounted on the
suspension cross piece and not on the platform; if however three or four chains
were employed no deviation in the position of the platform would take place,
and the safety apparatus could be fixed directly on the platform or on the
cage, and the suspension tackle could be simplified and occupy less height.
If only one chain is employed in the safety apparatus it must be placed in
the centre, close to the chain or cable of the winch; if there are two, three, or

page_text: four chains I make them as much smaller, as there are a larger number of chains,
since they contribute together to support the whole load, and I symetrically
arrange
them on opposite sides, or at the four angles; 'the arrangement
of four fixed chains mounted at the centre of the four sides, or at the four
angles, is the best and the most convenient for working the loads.
In my improved arrangement of safety apparatiis, obtained in all cases by
a catch and spring work on a fixed or moveable chain, two conditions must
be complied with to produce a regular working, videlicet, the obtaining,
first, the greatest possible distance between the flat links; secondly, the
shortest length possible between the tops of the links of the chain. In the
first case the catches will have an action as much more certain in proportion
as the distance between the links on which they act is great, and in the second
case the possible recoil of the load will be so much less in proportion as the
before said distance between the tops of the links of the chain is shorter. To
attain this double result I have invented a form of chain composed of long
and very short links alternately; in working, the short links will be in their
flat sides and will serve for the butting place of the catches. These short links
being separated by a long link the catches would act with much greater certainty,
and in spite of the length of this link I do not materially increase the before
said distance, although I increase the distance between the flat links.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2, front and side elevations of an arrangement of two fixed
'chains A and B; C, chain of the winch; D, cross piece provided with two
pieces of framing each carrying two stop catches of case-hardened iron; E, E,
E, E, stop catches seen in their raised position; f, f, ff, small levers fixed
on the axes of the catches; G, G', large cranked levers serving to move the
small levers ff, to raise the catches; h, h, small hooks for supporting the
levers G, G¹, when the catches E, E, are hooked on the chains A and B;
i, i, small hook chains to fix the position of the cranked levers G, G', either
when it is desired to raise the stop catches so as to descend, or when it is wished
to lower the stop catches on the chains in order that they may act in them
automatically in raising the load; j,j, suspension chains uniting the chain of
the winch and the two heads of the cross piece D; K, K, K, K, chains of
the platform P; M, M, guides fixed on the platform, through which pass the
fixed chains A and B, for guiding the weights.
Figures 3, 4, and 5, details of the safety apparatus on a larger scale; the
same letters of reference in all the Figures represent similar parts. Figure 6.
large crank lever G', to serve in case it were required to force by means of

page_text: this lever the catches to clutch in falling back; this lever would also serve
for raising the catches in a similar way to the nearly similar lever G, which it
would replace.
Figures 7 and 8, shew two means of stopping the chains by the self-tightening
action of a brake. One of these means, Figure 7, consists of two pinions formed
from an endless chain forming a rack; on one of the two pinions a brake
pulley is placed. In this arrangement the safety chain A remains straight and
vertical in its whole length; the other means, Figure 8, consists in the
employment of two pinions with a double notched nut around which the double
safety chain B rolls, and on one of the two nuts is a brake pulley. In the two
modes, Figures 7 and 8, the brakes are loosened by the suspension chains i of
the brake levers, but should a rupture of the chain of the winch take place
the brakes would act directly from the force of the springs r, r, acting on the
levers 9'; g¹¹.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein laid down, but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the application of arrangements similar in principle to those
described in my said application of the Twelfth of February One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven, in having the chain or chains fixed while the
safety apparatus carrying the stop catches is moverh the employment of
chains with links of equal size, or with links alternately long and short, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and represented in the annexed Drawing.
. Secondly, the application of my improved apparatus, or of an apparatus,
constructed on the same principle in all cases where required to raise or lower
weights, or for the ascent or descent of persons or loads in the shafts of mines,
for lowering boats, for raising apparatus employed in building, for working
capstans, for raising anchors, and in general wherever any danger may arise
from the breaking of the draught chain or cable, as herein-before described
and represented in the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eugène Henri Bernier, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
E. H. BERNIER. (L.S.)