IMPROVEMENTS IN, MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS IN ASCENDING: AND DESCENDING SHAFTS OF MINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI- PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Owen, of Great Lever, near Bolton, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN,
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS IN ASCENDING:
AND DESCENDING SHAFTS OF MINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLI-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Owen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th January 1873.
I, JAMES OWEN, of Great Lever, near Bolton, in the County of Lan-
caster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS IN
ASCENDING AND DESCENDING SHAFTS OF MINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO HOISTING AND OTHER LIFTING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed principally to be applied to the cages used,
in the shafts of coal and other mines, but it is also equally applicable to
hoists and other similar apparatus used in warehouses, hotels, and other
buildings, for raising goods or persons from one floor or level to another.
In my improved arrangement a wrought-iron plate is fixed at or near.
the top of the cage. This plate carries four studs, one on each side of.

page_text: each wooden guide. On each of these studs inside the plate is fixed a
lever, and to the ends of these four levers are attached the four suspend-
ing rods to which the rope is connected. Outside the plate upon cach
stud is fixed a toothed lever or "dog," so arranged that when there is
any strain put upon the suspending rods the inner levers before named
will hold the toothed levers or "dogs" away from the surface of the
wood guides, but as soon as the strain upon the suspending rods is
withdrawn (as in the case of the rope breaking for instance) two springs
acting against the inner levers (one against each pair) will force the said
levers down, and press the toothed levers or "logs" against the surface
of the wood guides, so that in the event of the rope breaking the cage
will remain suspended.
It will also be evident that whenever the cage is on the "keps," both
at the top and bottom of the pit, the rope will be slack, and the apparatus
will come into action and press against the wooden guides, but as soon
as the rope begins to move, and the strain comes upon the suspending
rods, the toothed levers or “dogs are withdrawn, and the cage is free
to move.
is
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Owen in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
OWEN, of Great Lever, near Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Owen, Her special license
that I, the said James Owen, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Owen, 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,

page_text: of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS IN ASCENDING AND DESCENDING SHAFTS OF MINES,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HOISTING AND OTHER LIFTING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Owen, my exccutors 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 James Owen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention is designed principally to be applied to the cages used
in the shafts of coal and other mines, but it is also equally applicable to
hoists and other similar apparatus used in warehouses, hotels, and other
buildings, for raising goods or persons from one floor or level to another.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now
procced to describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the
same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following expla-
nation thereof:-
Fig. 1 in the annexed is an internal elevation, and Fig. 2 an external.
elevation, showing the application of my Invention to a cage for a
mine or hoist; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one of the plates.
a, a, represents part of the cage with my Invention applied thereto,
and b, b, is one of the wooden guides.
In my improved arrangement two wrought-iron plates c, c, are fixed
at or near the top of the cage, one on each side of the cage. The plates
carry two studs d, d, one on each side of each wooden guide b, b. On
each of these studs inside the plate is fixed a lever e, c, and to the ends
of these four levers are attached the four suspending rods f, f, to which
the ropo is connected. Outside the plate upon cach stud d, d, is fixed a

page_text: toothed lever or "dog" 7, 9, so arranged that when there is any strain
put upon the suspending rods ff. the inner lovers e, e, before named,
will hold the toothed levers or "dogs" J, g, away from the surface of
the wooden guides b, b, but as soon as the strain upon the suspending
rods ff, is withdrawn (as in the case of the rope breaking for instance)
two springs or a double spring h, h, acting against the inner levers e, e,
(one against each pair) will force the said levers down and press the
toothed levers or tr
dogs" 9, 9, against the surface of the wood guides b, b,
as shown in dotted lines, so that in the event of the rope breaking the
cage a, a, will remain suspended.
It will also be evident that whenever the cage is on the "keps," both
at the top and bottom of the pit, the rope will be slack, and the
apparatus will come into action and press against the wooden guides,
but as soon as the rope begins to move, and the strain comes upon the
suspending rods, the toothed levers or "dogs" are withdrawn, and the
cage is free to move.
I may here remark that in the event of wire ropes being used in the
placo of the wooden guides clips of a suitable form will have to be
adapted in the place of the Drawings g, g, but I prefer the wooden guides
fixed at frequent intervals to the wall as being much safer.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with tho manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention the improvements herein-before described and
exhibited on the Drawings annexed, and more particularly I claim the
combination of the suspending rods, levers, studs, and "dogs" or clips,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Owen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
JAMES OWEN. (L.S.)