Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Miners Cages, lifts, hoists and the like and the means or apparatus for operating the same
Year: 1887

page_text: THOMAS PENN & ALFRED EDWARD PENN of No. 40 Westbury Street Wandsworth
Road in the County of Surrey Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Miners Cages, lifts, hoists and the like and
the means or apparatus for operating the same, which apparatus is especially adapted
for the prevention of loss of life & property and to ensure safety against all risks
incidental to the use of this kind of machinery, but is also applicable to other
purposes.
Our said Invention has reference to the construction of apparatus for prevention of
accident through the rope or chain breaking in such manner, that when the upward
strain of the rope or chain is withdrawn, two movable guides are made to press
against the sides of fixed guides in mine, by the action of levers (actuated by spiral
or other suitable springs) working on their fulcra, one end being connected to movable
guides and the opposite end to connecting rods attached at any suitable position on
sides or corners of cage. On the cage top we employ two novel constructed bent
rods (or their mechanical equivalence) fixed and attached to same, working in sockets
to which are attached the connecting rods and the four chains usually used for suspen-
sion. The tension of the ropes or chains, draws the bent rods in a semi-vertical
position and the connecting rods upwards, which turns the levers on their fulcra and
allows the movable guides to work clear of the fixed guides, but when this tension is
withdrawn, the connecting rods and levers return to their normal position, pressing
the movable guides against the fixed guides in the pit. Thus stopping downward
motion.
To
We construct our apparatus to prevent overwinding in the following manner.
the connecting rods at the corners of the cage and the four suspension chains is
secured a clasp or grip, such for instance as the apparatus described in the Specifi-
cation filed in persuanco of Letters Patent No. 1500 dated the 31st day of January

page_text: A.D. 1887, which clasp has one side movable but closed by a spring. The end of the
rope is attached to a loop fitted with a running wheel The loop is inserted into the
spring clasp so that the running wheel moves along the inner surface of the clasp.
While the cage is being raised or lowered no pressure is excited upon the movable
side. A certain distance above the pits mouth is fixed a projection or projections
which when the loop has reached this height, pushes it against the movable side of the
clasp and then releases the rope.
We also provide means to enable an occupant of the cage to stop it at any desired
point, by an arrangement of arms or brakes applied by lever action or other suitablo
method, within or without the cage to act on the fixed guides similar to the apparatus
described in the before mentioned Specification, but we prefer at times to work it
automatically or in conjunction with the apparatus employed to prevent accident
through the breaking of rope.
To prevent the cage falling down the pit, when it has been raised above the pits
mouth, we at the bottom of the cage provide bolts which normally project beyond the
cage. At the top of the shaft are placed striking plates, in such a position that as the
cage rises the bolts strike the plates, are forced in and the cage allowed to pass up.
When the cage has passed the pits mouth the bolts shoot out or go in automatically
and prevent the cage from descending till they are withdrawn by machinery actuated
at any convenient part of the cage.
We also construct our miners cages, lifts, hoists and the like with a false top and
bottom to allow of the working of such apparatus as extending arms and automatic
bolts as declared in our before mentioned Specification.

page_text: Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Miners' Cages, Particularly
Applicable to Lifts, Hoists, and the like.
THOMAS PENN and ALFRED EDWARD PENN of No. 40 Westbury Street Wandsworth
Road in the County of Surrey Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Our said invention has for its object to improve various details of Safety Apparatus
for Miners Cages, lifts, hoists & the like and the means or apparatus for operating
the same in order to prevent the loss of life & property and to ensure greater safety
against all risks incidental to the use of this kind of machinery. And in order that
our said invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed particularly to
describe the same with the aid of the accompanying explanatory drawings and on
which the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts wherever
they are repeated.
Fig. (1) of the annexed drawings is a sectional elevation and Fig. (2) a side eleva-
tion of a miners cage or lift with our improvements attached thereto. Fig. (3) Plan
of Bent Rods.
We construct our apparatus for prevention of accident through the main rope or
chain breaking in such manner, that when the upward strain of the rope or chain is
withdrawn, two movable guides a, a are made to press against the sides of the fixed
guides in mine bb by the action of levers c, c, c, c, (actuated by spiral or other suitable
springs d, d) working on their fulera, one end being connected to the aforesaid.
movable guides a, a, and the opposite end to connecting rods e, e, attached at any
suitable position on sides or corners of cage. In the present drawings we prefer to
shew them on side of cage. On the cage top, we employ two novel constructed bent
rods (or their mechanical equivalence) fixed and attached to same, working in
sockets, to which are attached the connecting rods e, e, and the four chains or ropes
usually used for suspension. The tension of the ropes or chains, draws the bent
rods in a semi-vertical position and the connecting rods e, e, upwards which turns
the levers c, c, c, c, on their fulcra and allows the movable guides a, a, to work clear
of the fixed guides b, b, but when this tension is withdrawn the connecting rods and
levers return to their normal position pressing the movable guides which will be seen
nearly run the whole length of cage against the fixed guides in the pit and thus stops
downward motion.
To
We construct our apparatus to prevent overwinding in the following manner.
the connecting rods e, e, by the means of the novel bent rods f, f, and the four

page_text: suspension chains is secured a clasp or grip G, such for instance as the apparatus
described in the specification filed in persuance of Letters Patent No. 1500 dated the
31st day of January A.D. 1887, which clasp has one side movable g, but closed by a
suitable spring g'. The end of the rope is attached in the usual manner to a loop or
sliding plate H fitted with a running wheel h. The loop H is inserted into the spring
clasp G, so that the running wheel / moves along the inner surface of the clasp.
While the cage is being raised or lowered no pressure is excited upon the movable
side. A certain distance above the pits mouth is fixed a projection or projections i, i,
which at about their middle carry a rollerj; when the loop H. has reached this height,
the bevel of the clasp & commences to run in a backward direction along the under-
side of the rollers jowing to the raising of the cage by the engine which brings the
loop H in contact with the front of projections i, i, which pushes it against the movable
side of the clasp and so releases the rope.
We also provide means to enable an occupant of the cage to stop it at any desired
point, by an arrangement of arms or brakes, applied by lever action or other suitable
method within or without the cage to act on the fixed guides similar to the apparatus
described in the before mentioned specification and for example we prefer to use a
lever on inside of cage fixed to the underneath of false top and attached to a
movable slotted holder which is connected to two arms l, l, which arms are at their
opposite ends connected to a sliding peice m, m, which acts as portion of guide on
each side of cage and is used for purpose of extension when the lever is drawn
downwards. But we may at times prefer to work this arrangement automatically or
in conjunction with the apparatus employed to prevent accident through breaking of
rope and it will be understood that any other suitable arrangement of levers may be
employed. To prevent the cage falling down the pit when it has been raised above the
pits mouth we at the bottom of the cage provide four bolts, two on each side & two
only being shewn in drawing, n, n which normally project behond the cage, and are
connected by their inner end to two connectors n³n which at their middle carry two
stays which are attached to the centre of an oval spring O jointed at its
extremities. In the centre of the cage bottom is secured a stud or standard 0* on
which works a camp to which are attached the small stays R R and the chain for
drawing the bolts in by the actuation of a lever at any convenient position on outside
of cage.
At the top of the shaft are placed striking plates s, s, in such a position
that as the cage rises, the bolts strike the plates, are forced in and the cage allowed
to pass up. When the cage has passed the Pits mouth the bolts shoot out or go in
automatically and prevent the cage from descending till they are withdrawn by the
aforesaid lever.
We also construct our Miners cages, lifts hoists and the like with a false top and
bottom to allow of the working of such apparatus as extending arms and automatic
bolts as declared in the aforesaid specification.
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 as
novel and original is
(1) The particular construction of the releasing arrangement.
(2) No obstructive woodwork or mechanism at Pit head to retard releasement.
(3) The ready means of adjustment should the cage be overwound.
(4) The inability of the retaining apparatus to in any way fracture or injure the
fixed guides when the rope breaks.
(5) The automatic movable guides being in direct communication with the releasing
apparatus (as shewn in drawings) they are brought into operation as soon as the
upward strain of the rope is withdrawn.
(6) Its adaptability to wire guides as well as wood by the substitution of concave
guide for those shewn in drawing.
(7). The automatic bolts to prevent. accident through negligence of the banksman
not shooting the bolts.

page_text: The apparatus for occupants use.
(9) The construction of cage with false top and bottom for the working of auto-
matic bolts and apparatus for occupants usc.
(10) And the combination of the whole for perfect safety as substantially described
in the foregoing specification.
In witness whereof wo Thomas Penn and Alfred Edward Penn have to this our
specification set our hands & seal this 23rd day of July One thousand eight
hundred and eighty eight.