IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING MINERALS FROM MINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS LISHMAN of West Hartlepool, in the county of Durham, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING MINERALS FROM MINES to be as
follows:-
33
The invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for extracting
or bringing down from the solid rock minerals such as coal, limestone and the like
the same being applicable to other purposes.
The improved apparatus I employ may be constructed of wrought, cast or forge
iron, or other metal but by preference of malleable cast steel.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a cylindrically formed head piece which
may be in two or more parts fitted together each having internally a parallel bore
extending a certain distance and becoming conical in form towards one end, or it
may be carried parallel right through and be of any desired length.
The parts of the said cylinder at one end are held together by circular
shaped T, pieces or circular pivots dovetailed into the parts thereof the number
of which pieces or pivots are regulated by the number of parts. The cylinder is
arranged in such a manner as to allow the parts a moveable action when in
operation.
The piston or internal part of the apparatus is made to correspond in form with
the internal part of the said cylinder and may have projecting ridges or feathers
tapered to suit the travel along the cylinder. The cylinder may be provided with
frictionless rollers, which may be round like a ball, or circular the number of these
being regulated by the dimensions of the cylinder and travel required the whole
so arranged that when actuated by the screw provided at the other end of the
piston rod the conical part of the piston is drawn along the cylinder and forces
the parts thereof outwards to the required expansion.
The said piston is furnished with a rod passing from the cylinder to any desired
length and through a tube provided for the purpose, which may rest against a steel
ferrule; the rod is screwed and provided with a nut, which may be worked by an
ordinary key levered ratchet, worm and pinion or any ordinary mechanical method
of obtaining power.

page_text: The cylindrically formed piston bereinbefore described with frictionless rollers
attached thereto I may for the purposes of meeting the requirements of certain
kinds of minerals use plain and fix or place the said frictionless rollers in the
internal part or parts of the cylinder. I may dispense with rollers in some cases
and use only a plain piston with feathers as herein described.
The herein before described arrangement refers to a single apparatus only. The
same may be arranged to act double by placing two cylinders into the drilled or bored
hole in the rock (the hole being made the required depth) in an inverted position
and both worked at the same time by a screw placed between or as before described
the thread of the screw being a double one. In such case however I may place a
screw to a portion of the internal part of the cylinder, also to the external part
of the piston corresponding therewith, the said screw being so formed as to allow
the insertion of frictionless balls or rollers the screws being actuated by similar
means to those hereinbefore described.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-One or more holes are drilled or
bored into the rock to any required depth in the ordinary way, after which the
head or cylindrical part of the apparatus is inserted and may be pressed along to
the end when the nut at the screwed end of the piston rod is worked, thereby
drawing the piston into the cylinder which will by this operation be expanded and
will thus force down the mineral as required.
By the method and apparatus herein before described I am enabled to dispense
with the use of powder and other explosives in general use and which are a fruitful
source of danger to life and property.

page_text: "
I THOMAS LISHMAN of West Hartlepool in the county of Durham Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING MINERALS FROM MINES
" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for extracting or
bringing down from the solid rock minerals such as coal, limestone, and the like the
same being applicable to other purposes.
The improved apparatus I employ may be constructed of wrought, cast or forge
iron or other metal but by preference of malleable cast steel.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a cylindrically formed head piece
which may be in two or more parts fitted together each having internally a parallel
bore extending a certain distance and becoming conical in form towards one end, or
it may be carried parallel right through and be of any desired length.
The parts of the said cylinder at one end are held together by circular shaped
T pieces or circular pivots, dovetailed into the parts thereof the number of which
pieces or pivots are regulated by the number of parts. The cylinder is arranged in
such a manner as to allow the parts a moveable action when in operation.
The piston or internal part of the apparatus is made to correspond in form with
the internal part of the said cylinder and may have projecting ridges or feathers
tapered to suit the travel along the cylinder. The piston may be provided with
frictionless or anti-friction rollers, which may be round like a ball, or circular, the
number of these being regulated by the dimensions of the cylinder and travel
required, the whole so arranged that when actuated by the screw provided at the
other end of the piston rod the conical part of the piston is drawn along the
cylinder and forces the parts thereof outwards to the required expansion.
The said piston is furnished with a rod passing from the cylinder to any desired
length and through a tube provided for the purpose, which may rest against a steel
ferrule; the rod is screwed and provided with a nut which may be worked by an
ordinary key levered ratchet worm and pinion or any ordinary mechanical method
of obtaining power.
The cylindrically formed piston hereinbefore described with anti friction rollers
attached thereto I may for the purposes of meeting the requirements of certain
kinds of minerals use plain and fix or place the said frictionless rollers in the
internal part or parts of the cylinder. I may dispense with rollers in some cases
and use only a plain piston with feathers as herein described.
The hereinbefore described arrangement refers to a single apparatus only. The
same may be arranged to act double by placing two cylinders into the drilled or
bored hole in the rock (the hole being made the required depth) in an inverted
position and both worked at the same time by a screw placed between or as before
described the thread of the screw being a double one.
In such case however I may
place a screw to a portion of the internal part of the cylinder, also to the external
part of the piston corresponding therewith the said screw being so formed as to
allow the insertion of frictionless balls or rollers the screw being actuated by similar
means to those herein before described.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a
longitudinal section of an apparatus for extracting minerals from mines constructed

page_text: according to my invention the apparatus being single acting and having the parts
of the cylinder held together by circular shaped T pieces; figures 2 and 3 are
vertical transverse sections of the same on the lines A B and C D respectively of
figure 1; figure 4 is a plan view of the piston or internal part of the apparatus ;
figure 5 is a longitudinal elevation shewing an apparatus in which the parts of the
cylinder are held together by pivots or joints; figure 6 is a longitudinal section of
an apparatus in which the anti-friction rollers are arranged within the cylinder;
figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a double acting apparatus and figure 8 is a
plan of the same; figure 9 is a vertical transverse section on the line E F of
figure 7. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to figures 1 to 4.
a, is the cylindrically formed head piece constructed in two parts fitted together
as shewn and bored out with a parallel bore to a certain distance the said bore
being conical in form or increased in diameter towards one end as clearly seen in
figure 1; b, b, are the circular shaped T pieces serving to hold the two parts of the
cylinder a, together at one end and allowing the other ends of the cylinder to
move outwards from each other when the apparatus is in operation; c, is the
piston or internal part of the apparatus which slides within the cylinder a, and is
made conical in form to correspond with the conical form of the internal part of
the cylinder a; d, d, are the projecting ridges or feathers tapered to correspond
with the conical form of the piston; the surfaces of the meeting edges at the end of
the cylinder a, are inclined to receive the said feathers d, as the piston c, travels
along the cylinder a, the said inclined edges of the cylinder and the feathers d,
acting as guides to the pistons c; e, e, are the anti-friction rollers with which the
conical piston c, is provided the said rollers being let into recesses in the piston and
running one upon the other; two only of such rollers e, are shewn in these figures
but this number would be increased to suit cylinders of larger dimensions and the
travel required; instead of rollers balls may be employed; f, is the rod of the
piston c, passing from the cylinder a, to any desired length and g, is the tube or
sleeve through which the piston rod f, passes the said tube g, resting against
a ferrule or collar h, of steel or other suitable metal bearing against the inner end
of the cylinder a; i, is the nut and j, is the screw threaded part of the piston rod f,
on which the nut works, the said nut bearing against a cap or ferrule k, passing
over the end of the tube g, which forms the resistant between the screw nut and
the expanding cylinder; the nut i, is operated upon the screw j, by any suitable
means such as by an ordinary key levered ratchet a worm and pinion or any
equivalent means.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
One or more holes are drilled or bored into the rock to any required depth, in
the ordinary way, after which the head or cylindrical part a, of the apparatus is
inserted in and may be pressed along to the end of the said hole; the nut i, at the
screwed end of the piston rod f, is then operated by any suitable means as herein-
before described and the piston c, will be thereby drawn into the cylinder a, the
outer end of which will by this operation be expanded and will thus force down
the mineral as required the rollers e, c, assisting the travel of the piston c, in the
cylinder and the inner ends of the cylinder being held together by means of the
circular shaped T pieces b.
The apparatus shewn in figure 5, is substantially the same as that herein before
described and shewn in figures 1 to 4 except that instead of employing circular
shaped T pieces the inner ends of the two parts of the cylinder a, are held together
by means of pivots or joints b, in the ferrule or collar h, and the feathers d, are
dispensed with; the apparatus is shewn provided with a handle for operating the
nut i.
In the apparatus shewn in figure 6 the anti friction rollers e, are shewn applied
to the interior of the cylinder a, and the screw threaded rod or bolt f, passes
loosely through the conical internal part c, and is provided with a nut , bearing
upon the collar or ferrule h, which is conically formed in its interior to receive the

page_text: conical internal part c, when the apparatus is being operated; the apparatus is
shewn provided with a ratchet attached to the nut i, as a suitable means for
operating the same; the action of the apparatus is substantially the same as those
herein before described and therefore needs no further description.
I may sometimes form the internal part c, with longitudinal grooves in which
the rollers can run.
In the double acting apparatus shewn in figures 7, 8 and 9 a, and a¹, are the two
cylinders and c, and c¹, the two conical pistons; the cylinders a, and a¹, are
connected to the ferrule or collar h, by means of pins b; the piston c¹, is bored to
receive the rod f, of the piston c, as shewn; the tube or sleeve g, bears upon the
outer end of the piston c¹, the apparatus is operated in a similar manner to
that hereinbefore described and the two pistons c, and c¹, will be thereby caused
to approach one another and will expand the cylinders a, and a¹; in these figures
I have shewn the ferrule or cap k, provided with anti-friction rollers to form a
bearing for the nut i, to work upon; similar rollers may if required be employed
for the apparatuses shewn in figures 1 to 6 as will be well understood.
I may in some cases dispense with the anti friction rollers or balls herein before
described.
By the improved apparatus hereinbefore described I am enabled in a better
manner than hitherto to dispense with the use of powder and other explosives in
general use and which are a fruitful sourse of danger to life and property.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1) The improved apparatus herein described for extracting minerals from mines
in which the conical piston is operated to expand the parts of the cylinder by
means of a screw nut or its equivalent working on a screw thread on a rod forming
the continuation of the conical piston as herein before described and represented in
figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawing.
(2) The improved double acting apparatus hereinbefore described and represented
in figures 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawing.
(3) The modified construction of single acting apparatus in which the screw
threaded rod passes loosely through the conical piston as hereinbefore described and
represented in figure 6 of the accompanying drawing.
(4) The application to apparatus for extracting minerals from mines of the class
hereinbefore described of anti-friction rollers or balls in the manner and for the
purposes substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of October 1884.