An Improved Safety Appliance for Pit or Mine Cages or the like, to Stop and Hold same in Position in Case of Breakage of the Suspending Rope or Chain or other Accident.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1887..
Complete Left, 2nd Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th Sept., 1887.
An Improved Safety Appliance for Pit or Mine Cages or the like,
to Stop and Hold same in Position in Case of Breakage of the
Suspending Rope or Chain or other Accident.
CHARLES CROOKES ELLIOTT of 5 Clifton Street Barnsley in the County of York
Miner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
::
My invention relates to the prevention of fatal and other accidents in pit or mine
shafts, so often caused either by the breaking or giving way of the rope or chain to
which the "cage
or such like receptacle is suspended, or from overwinding or other
accident, by means of the adoption of a safety appliance attached to the cage and
operating when required in case of accident or otherwise to stop and hold the cage in
position in the shafi.
My improved safety appliance, which is substantially made of iron or other strong
metal, is constructed with four or other suitable number of sufficiently strong
elbows or such like shaped parts, to one end of each of which elbows a chain is
affixed, and also a strong metal spring on or in the inside of each elbow. A chain
is attached underneath each elbow end and the whole appliance is securely connected
to the top of the cage.
The other end of each elbow is so made and shaped as to loosely encircle or fit
round the wire or other rope conductor or guide line fixed in the pit or mine shaft.
Through this end of each elbow a bolt is passed or fitted to it and goes through or is
secured to a suitable frame in which the elbows work.
When the suspending rope of the cage acis and keeps all right,-
-on the cage
being lowered or raised the elbow end portions of the safety appliance will slide
freely down or up the conduciors or guide lines, but when the rope breaks, or other
accident happens such as overwinding, the chains acting automatically and instan-
taneously on the springs connected to the elbows will cause them to grip or hold fast
to the conductors or guides and will stop the motion of the cage, holding it suspended
in whatever part of the pit or mine shaft it may be at the time the accident happens.
Dotad this 11th day of March 1887
BRISTOW HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: An Improved Safety Appliance for Pit or Mine Cages or the like,
to Stop and Hold same in Position in Case of Breakage of the
Suspending Rope or Chain or other Accident.
I CHARLES CROOKES ELLIOTT of 5 Clifton Street Barnsley in the County of York
Miner 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying sheet of
drawings:
My Invention relates to the prevention of fatal and other accidents in pit or mine
shafts so often caused either by the breaking or giving way of the rope or chain to
which the cage or such like receptacle is suspended, or from overwinding or other
accident, by means of the adoption of a safety appliance attached to the cage and
automatically and instantaneously operating when required, in case of accident or
otherwise, to stop and hold the cage in position in the shaft.
My improved safety appliance, which is substantially made of iron or other strong
meial, is constructed with four, or other suitable number of, sufficiently strong
"elbows' or such like shaped parts, to one end of each of which a chain is affixed
and also a strong metal spring on or in the inside of each elbow. A chain is attached
underneath each elbow end and the whole appliance is securely connected to the top
of the cage.
The other end of each elbow is so made and shaped as to loosely encircle
or fit round the wire or other rope conductor or guide line fixed in the pit or mine
shaft. Through this end of each elbow a bolt is passed or fitted to it and goes through
or is secured to a suitable frame in which the elbows work.
When the suspending rope of the cage acts and keeps all right, on the cage being
lowered or raised, the elbow end portions of the safety appliance will slide freely
down or up the conductors or guide lines, but when the rope breaks or other accident
happens, such as overwinding, the chains acting automatically and instantaneously on
the springs connected to the elbows will cause the elbow ends to grip or hold fast to
the conductors or guides, and will stop the motion of the cage holding it suspended
in whatever part of the pit or mine shaft it may be at the time the accident happens.
In order that my invention and its carrying out in practice may be more completely
understood, it is illustrated on the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings, on
which Figure 1, is a diagonal elevation of the safety appliance, showing it attached
to a mine cage when the suspending rope is in proper working order before any
accident has happened.
Figure 2, is a plan of the same, one half being drawn as it would appear from
above, and the other half as below the line 1, 2, showing the division of the
Figure. And Figure 3, is a diagonal section of Figure 1, showing the appliance

page_text: after the suspending rope by reason of any accident has ceased to support the cage.
In this Figure the suspending chains and links &c., which after an accident would
naturally fall and rest upon the top of the safety appliance, are not shown.
The same reference letters indicate like parts in all the Figures.
:
A, is the frame or body of my safety appliance to which four elbows B, are secured
at C, by means of pivots or bolts (or by other suitable means) on the elbows which
work in centres or carriers attached to or being made part of the frame A. To the
inside end of each elbow a chain D. is affixed and securely linked at D', and also a
strong metal coiled spring E, which is passed or extends towards the centre of the
frame A, and is attached underneath to a suspending staple F.-(These chains D, are
not shown in Figure 2, of the drawings.) Underneath the inside end of each elbow B,
is attached a chain G, which is securely connected to the top of the cage H. The
extreme outside end of each elbow B, is so made and constructed at B', as to loosely
encircle or fit around its respective cage conductor or guide rope or line I, fixed in
the shaft of the pit or mine. Over each elbow B, is placed a suitable metal or other
guard or covering J, which is secured on each side to the frame A, by screws or
otherwise, these guards or coverings being provided to keep the elbows B, from being
shaken or jerked out of their proper positions.
When the cage H, and suspending rope K, are in proper working order, as illustrated
in Figure 1, the cage is secured to the suspending rope by means of the chains L,
attached as shown at L, and the inside ends of the elbows B, are by means of the
chains D, raised to such a position as to allow the parts of the elbows at B³, to slide
freely down or up the conductors or guides L.
When the suspending rope K, breaks, or other accident happens such as over-
winding, the cage H, being thereby released falls a little and in so doing tightens the
chains G, which automatically and instantaneously act on the elbows B, (as shown in
Figure 3) and assisted by the springs E, draw down the inside ends of the elbows B.
and working upon the centres at C, the parts of the elbows B', are thus caused to
grip or hold fast to the conductors or guides I, which action stops the downward
motion of the cage H, and it is held suspended by the chains G, from the undersides
of the elbows, in whatever part of the pit or mine shaft the cage may be at the time
of accident.
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 :-
The general novel construction and peculiar combination and action of the working
parts constituting together an improved and useful safety appliance connected with
pit or mine cages, for automatically and instantaneously operating in stopping and
safely suspending the cage in position in the pit or mine shaft, when required in case
of accident to the suspending rope or chain; the whole being substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated on the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Dated this 27th day of July 1887.
BRISTOW HUNT,
Agent for the Applicant.