IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS IN MINES FOR DRAINING PURPOSES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Charles Raymond Okes, of Cambridge
Gardens, Notting Hill, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WORKING STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS IN MINES FOR DRAINING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 26th April 1872, and dated the 6th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Charles Raymond
Okes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th November 1871.
I, JOHN CHARLES RAYMOND OKES, of Cambridge Gardens, Notting
Hill, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS IN MINES FOR DRAINING
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
For economy it is now becoming the practice to place steam engines
and pumps at the bottom of mines for drawing and forcing the water
out through a pipe placed in the shaft instead of using the ordinary
pumping machinery at the top of the shaft heretofore employed, but
there are objections to this as it is possible for the engine or pump
to fail working, and in such cases the pumping machinery would likely
soon be covered with water and rendered useless, and the mine would

page_text: have to be drained out by other means. Again in deep mines the
column of water to be lifted would be heavy and its constant concussion
in the pipe, particularly by the action of one large pumping engine,
would soon loosen or break the joints and displace the pipe unless
extraordinary means were employed to strengthen the joint and secure
the pipe.
The object of my improvement is to prevent these defects which is
done by using a combination or multiplicity of suitable sized independent
engines and pumps, that is to say, each pump will be constructed to
draw its water from a common supply pipe or reservoir and made to
discharge it into a common delivery pipe, but made to work independent
of each other; the pumps are connected to the delivery or main pipe
by independent branch pipes provided with any known suitable check
valve for shutting off the water connection between the delivery pipe
and pump, so if any accident happens to any one of the engines or pumps
by breakage or otherwise it may be stoped without interfering with
the working of any of the other engines and pumps forming the com-
bination, so if one or more failed to perform their duty the remainder
would be sufficient to do the work and thereby avoid the possibility of
having the whole of the pumping machinery stopped at any time by
the water rising in the mine owing to the non-performance of a part of
the engines and pumps; again by using a multiplicity of independent
engines and pumps it prevents the severe concussion that takes place
when a single large pump and engine is employed for performing the
whole duty or work done by the multiplicity of pumps, and thereby
prevents breaking pipe joints and displacing the pipe.
The engines and pumps may be of any desired structure and arranged
in the mine to suit their convenient working and connection with the
11

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Charles Raymond Okes, Her special
licence that I, the said John Charles Raymond Okes, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Charles
Raymond Okes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING STEAM ENGINES AND PUMPS IN MINES FOR
DRAINING PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Charles Raymond Okes, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Charles Raymond Okes, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to bo performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In raising water from a depth, such as in mines or coal pits, when
the pumping operation is performed by one engine alone, whether single
or double acting, whether with the accumulative force of a fly wheel or
otherwise, there must always be a check in the stream of water upwards
during the change of motion of the pumping engine and the consequent
closing of the pump valves. The effect of checking the flow of a long
vertical column of water when once set in motion causes a pressure on
the lower part of the pipes as well as the pump valves equivalent to that
due to the head of water, and the momentum acquired by the falling
body suddenly arrested.
In long stroked engines where (as in the Cornish class) the column is
started slowly from a state of rest and a considerable velocity is gradually
acquired and thien suddenly checked by the engine coming to the end
of its stroke, a violent concussion takes place, the column dropping

page_text: every time the pump valves are closed. Now to obviate this a number
of smaller independent engines and pumps (instead of one largo one)
are employed, all forcing into the same rising main and pumping engines,
by preference having no fly wheel, are used. By this means the flow of
the column of water is continuous (or nearly so) instead of intermittant
and consequently no violent concussion takes place, more especially
when engines without fly. wheels are used, their speed being determined
by the actual resistance at all times, they having no fly wheels wherein
to store up momentum to be given out at some other part of the stroke.
Another advantage claimed by the use of a number of independent
engines and pumps instead of one large one is the obviating the great
danger in all underground pumping operations of the steam engine
being submerged in the water during any temporary stoppage for cleaning
or repairs.
In the case of a number of independant engines and pumps being
used should one require repair or renewal, the remainder can by being
run at a slightly higher speed remove the water as usual, whereas in
the case of one large engine and pump being used and any accident
occurring to it there is danger of the machinery being lost until other
means can be resorted to to reduce the water to a lower level than the
engine and pump.
A third advantage is that of being able to proportion the machinery
to the work required and having the ready facility for increasing or
decreasing the power at pleasure instead of incurring the first expense
of erecting a single large pumping engine in anticipation of the require-
ments of the mine. Should at any time fresh feeders be tapped the
number of engines and pumps can be increased, or should the quantity
of water fall off, some of the engines and pumps can be removed and
applied in other parts of the mine.
Uniformity of size of steam cylinders and pumps is advocated in
order to render the system of interchange more capable of being carried
out.
In order to give a better understanding of the improvements reference
is here made to the accompanying Drawings forming part of this
Specification and to the figures and letters marked thereon. Similar
letters refer to like parts.
The Drawings are intended to represent various views of a coal pit
with the pumping machinery applied:

page_text: Figure 1 represents a transverse sectional view of the shaft and a
short length of gallery, also a chamber or recess by the side of the
gallery for receiving the pumping machinery; this view also represents
a transverse section of the upcast or ventilating shaft.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the shaft and gallery shewn in Figure 1
and represents the arrangement of steam and water pipes connected with
the pumping machinery.
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal sectional view of the shaft and
galleries on a reduced scale showing the relative position of the galleries
for the pumping machinery and ventilating shaft. A, represents the
shaft or pit provided with a winding frame at its top as shewn. The
rising water main is carried up the shaft and is usually provided with
an air chamber at its lower end; the steam for working the pumps
may by preference be generated on the surface in the boiler E and carried
down the shaft by a main pipe, and opposite each gallery branch pipes
d, d, are attached to the main steam pipe for carrying steam to and
working the pump in the galleries as represented in Figure 3 at B and
H. The exhaust steam from the engines may be condensed or carried
to and escape into the upcast shaft D which is furnished with a stack F
as represented in Figure 3, thus improving the ventilation.
a, a, a, a, and b, b, b, b, represent four (more or less as desired)
independent engines and pumps) that is to say, any one of the engines
and pumps may be started, stopped, and worked independently of and
without interfering with any of the others. The engines in the same
combination are supplied with steam from the branch pipes d, d, cach
engine being connected to the branch by a separate steam pipe furnished
with a suitable stop-cock for regulating the supply of steam. The steam
from each cylinder exhausts into the pipe e, e, through a separate pipe
also furnished with a stop-cock for the purpose of shutting off the
exhaust steam from the other engines; c, c, represent valve chambers
for connecting the suction with the pumps and also rising main pipes
as represented in Figures 1 and 2; these valves are employed to sever
the connection between any one of the pumps and the suction main, and
rising main pipes when not at work, and may also serve as check
valves when the pumps are in action, thus rendering each engine and
pump independent in its working of the others in the combination.
The engines and pumps represented in the accompanying Drawings
are of the direct acting kind and known as the "universal" steam pump,

page_text: they are employed in preference to any other, being certain in their
action at all times and under any circumstances, they also possess the
advantage of being small and compact for the quantity of work they
do, therefore requiring but little space for their reception. However I
do not confine myself to any particular kind of engine and pump.
The ordinary fly wheel engine may be used arranged with any suitably
constructed pump and made so that each engine and pump may be
worked independently of the other in the combination.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Charles Raymond Okes, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy
two.
JOHN CHARLES RAYMOND OKES. (L.S.)