IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MINE AND OTHER PUMPS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Allan, of Kilburnie, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH
MINE AND OTHER PUMPS." A communication from abroad by William Paris
Barclay, of Virginia, in the State of Nevada, United States of America.
Sealed the 19th November 1878, and dated the 5th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPÉCIFICATION left by the said William Allan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th June 1878.
WILLIAM ALLAN, of Kilburnie, in the County of Ayr, North Britain. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MINE AND OTHER PUMPS." A communication
from abroad by William Paris Barclay, of Virginia, in the State of Nevada, United
States of America.
This Invention relates to apparatus for economically raising water from. mines or
deep shafts, and it consists in combining hydraulic forcing pumps and wire rope
connections as herein-after described.
In carrying out the Invention as many force pumps as may be required in the
mine or shaft are placed one above the other at convenient distances apart, and the
plungers are connected by cross heads to the wire ropes, which pass down on each
side of the pumps. The force pumps have the usual inlet and discharge valves
placed one above the other. The first length of the discharge pipe, or that which
is bolted to the delivery valve chamber of each force pump, has a double pipe
casting bolted to it, part being in the same axial line, and forming a part of the
discharge pipe, whilst that other part is the working barrel for the upper half of
the force pump plunger. This auxiliarly working barrel, as it may be called, has a
stuffing box at its lower end, through which the upper half of the pump plunger
works, this part of the plunger being considerably reduced in size. To the upper
end of the auxiliarly working barrel is connected the pressure pipe leading down
from a ram chamber at the surface or top, and from the side of the auxiliarly
working barrel a branch pipe connects to the upper end of the auxiliarly working
barrel of the next lower plunger pump, this auxiliarly working barrel also having
ID 221

page_text: connected to it the pressure pipe for the third lower plunger pump, and so on to
the required number.
In mines having a considerable number of force pumps in connection it would
be advantageous between every fourth and fifth pump to place another ram; this
ram would have its upper half reduced in size, both the lower and upper half
passing through stuffing boxes, and working into barrels kept at proper distances
apart, and the ram secured to the wire ropes by a cross head.
The upper end of the top working barrel is connected to the pressure pipe, which
leads down from the auxiliarly working barrel. Immediately above and from the
Jower working barrel of the ram is led the pressure pipe, which connects to the
upper end of the auxiliarly working barrel for the next plunger pump below. By
this arrangement the pressure pipes can be kept of moderate size throughout with-
out giving to the water in them any great velocity.
To the side of one of the cylinders of the engines which work the pumping
apparatus there is secured a barrel, in which a ram works, passing through a
stuffing box at its upper end, and secured to the engine beam by a pair of links.
The piston rods for the steam cylinder and the ram are given a true, or nearly true,
vertical motion by parallel motion radius bars or by slides. From the same centre
to which the ram is connected are hung a pair of links, one on each side of the
engine beam, and to these links are attached the wire ropes, which go down and
connect with the cross heads that are secured to the force pump plungers. When
the pistons of the engine are making their upward stroke the column of water in
the pressure pipes is also made to ascend through the connection of the cross heads
with the plungers and wire ropes. When the pistons of the engine are making
their downward stroke the force is communicated through the column of water in
the pressure pipes to the force pump plungers, causing the force pump plungers to
descend and force up the water that has entered their barrels.
The piston rod of the large cylinder is made to pass out through both ends of
the cylinder, and to the lower end is attached a weight for the balancing the
power of the engine, so far as may be necessary, as with this system of pumping
moving parts can always be kept less in weight than the column of water forced up
from the mine.
A small branch pipe from the ram chamber is connected to a force pump for the
purpose of putting a greater tensile strain on the wire ropes than the actual weight
of the water in the pressure pipes, and whatever may be connected with these wire
ropes. This putting of the ropes under a greater strain is designed to keep the
rams and plungers always close to the face of water in the pressure pipes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Allan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th December
1878.
WILLIAM ALLAN, of Kilburnie, in the County of Ayr, North Britain. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MINE AND OTHER PUMPS." A communication
from abroad by William Paris Barclay, of Virginia, in the State of Nevada, United
States of America.
The object of this Invention is to provide apparatus for economically raising
water from mines and deep shafts, and it consists in a novel construction, arrange-
ment, and combination of hydraulic force pumps, wire rope connections, and in
certain other details, as herein-after more fully described.
In pumping machinery, such as is commonly employed in freeing mines from
water, heavy rods of wood, joined and bolted together by iron plates, are used,
causing a greatly reduced tensile strength for the sectional area of pump rods by
the unavoidable boring of the rods and plates for bolts, so that necessarily the
pump rods become excessively heavier than the power required to overcome the
weight and friction of water when being forced up, causing engineers to have
resort to the balancing of the pump rods by balance bobs or beams loaded with
weight equal to whatever the pump rods and connections may be heavier than the
column of water raised, thus putting in motion a mass greatly in excess in weight
of what is actually required to do the work. By the present improvements
these difficulties are obviated, and the pumping is accomplished effectively and
economically.
In carrying out this Invention I use as many force pumps in the mine or shaft as
may be required; the pumps are placed one above the other at convenient distances
apart, and the plungers are connected by cross heads to steel wire ropes that pass
down on each side of pumps. The force pumps are supplied with the usual inlet
and discharge valves, placed one above the other. The discharge pipe of the lower
pump delivers the water to a receiver, from which the suction pipe of the next
pump above takes it, and it is delivered to another receiver, and so on, until it
reaches the top of the shaft.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus
illustrating one mode of carrying out this Invention. Figure 2 is a front elevation
of same; and Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line X-X,
of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of an apparatus illustrating another mode of carrying
out the Invention; and Figure 5 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating still another mode of carrying out the
Invention; and Figure 7 is an end elevation of the same.
Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A is a pump barrel having the solid plunger B
and valve chest C, which contains the usual supply, and discharge valves placed one
above the other. The plunger B passes through a stuffing box in the upper end of
the pump, and its upper end is reduced in diameter and extended upward into a
working barrel D, which is placed axially in line with the pump barrel A, and is
supported by brackets attached to the delivery pipe E that is bolted to the top of
the valve chest C. The delivery pipe E extends upward, and is provided with a
discharge spout F; and the valve chest C is provided with a suction pipe G, which
takes water from the bottom of the mine or from a tank H, which receives it from
the next pump below. The working barrel D is provided with a pressure pipe I
that extends upward and with a pipe J that extends downward, and is connected
with the top of the next working barrel below.
At the mouth of the shaft or mine in which the pumping system is employed
there is a steam cylinder K, whose piston rod L is connected with the working
beam M, which is provided with any of the well-known devices for producing

page_text: parallel motion. The longer end of this beam is pivoted at a, and the shorter end
thereof projects over the axial line of the pressure pipe I, and is connected by
links b (one at each side), with wire ropes N, which extend downward one upon
each side of delivery pipe E. At the centre of the length of each plunger B is
secured a cross head O, which is provided with clamps c that securely bind the
wire ropes.
To one side of the steam cylinder K is attached a hydraulic cylinder P, which is
connected with the upper end of the pressure pipe I, and is provided with a branch
pipe e, which is connected with a force pump for supplying the pressure pipe with
water, and increasing the pressure therein if required. The plunger, which is
fitted to the cylinder P, and works through a stuffing box in the upper end thereof,
is connected with the end of the beam M by links g. The piston rod of the steam
cylinder K extends through a stuffing box in the lower head of the cylinder, and is
provided with a weight box Q, in which weights are placed to increase the pressure
on the plunger f, and thus increase the pressure in the pipe I.
The operation of the pump is as follows:-Steam being admitted to the cylinder
K so as to act upon the under surface of the piston, the beam M is forced upward,
carrying with it the wire ropes N, and all of the plungers connected with it, also the
plunger f. The upward movement of the plunger B draws the water from the
bottom of the mine or shaft, also from the tanks H. When the steam piston
descends the pressure created by the downward movement of the plunger fin
addition to the weight of the column of water contained by the pressure pipe I
forces the upper and smaller ends of the plungers out of their working barrels, and
thus operates the plungers B in their cylinders so as to force water up the delivery
pipe E. The lowest pump in the series delivers water to the lower tank H, and the
next above draws the water from the tank H and delivers it to another tank above,
and so on to the upper pump in the series, which delivers the water to a sluice or
conduit that conveys it away from the mouth of the shaft or mine.
It will be observed that the wire rope may always be kept under more or less
tension by the pressure of the water in its pipe, and that the weight of the rope
and the water in pressure pipe is less than the weight or power required to operate
the plungers.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, C¹ is a hydraulic cylinder with inlet and
outlet valves at each end: P1, P1, are the chests containing the inlet valves; and
E, E, are the chests containing the outlet valves. The chests containing the inlet
valves to hydraulic cylinder are connected together by pipes P2, P2, and the chests
for the outlet valves are connected by similar pipes E2, E2. These same valve
chests are also connected to valve chest V¹, which is secured on to cylinder C¹ by
pipes a', a², d, and ². The valves in chests P1, P1, and E', E¹, are subjected to
and relieved from the pressure of water from pipe P³ by the action of the slide
valve working in the valve chest V. The pipes from this valve chest are so
arranged that when the water pressure in the valve chest is transmitted to the top
side of one inlet valve, the opposite inlet valve is relieved of the pressure on its top
side, while the reverse takes place with the outlet valves. P³ is the pressure pipe
leading to valve chest V₁; E³ is the exhaust pipe from the same valve chest ; P' is
the pipe conveying the water that gives motion to the piston of hydraulic cylinder;
E is the exhaust pipe from hydraulic cylinder; V2 is the valve rod that is secured
to tappet rod y; D₁ is the piston rod of hydraulic cylinder, and R' the ram which
works into the barrel S¹. A cross head Q' is secured to piston rod of the hydraulic
cylinder for receiving the upper ends of the wire ropes W; H¹ is a valve chest con-
taining a small valve opening upwards; and H2 is a pipe supplying a head of water
under pressure to under side of valve in chest H, for the purpose of supplying the
pipes T with water when the wire rope connections stretch, so that the strain on
the wire ropes may always be constant; T'is the pressure pipe, which contains
water, and through which is transmitted the power of the engine to the pumps in E
the main or shaft; R is the discharge pipe from the pumps in the mine or
shaft. When water is admitted under pressure to the hydraulic cylinder C¹

page_text: through the lower inlet valve the piston of the hydraulic cylinder is forced up,
causing it to lift the wire ropes W₁, W₁, and the plungers of the force pumps. These
plungers being secured to wire ropes by a cross head, the smaller and upper end
of the plungers forces up the water that is in the pipes T¹, T¹. When the piston
of the hydraulic cylinder has completed its stroke upwards it is then made to
descend. The arm on cross head Q¹ coming in contact with the upper collar a³, on
tappet, rod y reverses the action of the inlet and outlet valves, and the water
pressure from pipe P³ is now admitted on to top side of hydraulic cylinder (the
under side of piston being relieved at same time) and forces the piston of
hydraulic cylinder downward, the ram R¹ working in the barrel S¹; this ram
forces down the water in pipe T¹, T', and the power in the engine is transmitted
thereby to the force and other pumps in connection therewith, causing the force
pump plungers to descend and force the water that entered into their working
barrel on the up stroke; F' are the working barrels of force pumps; and F*, the
plungers for the same. To the cross head on plunger of the lower force pump
is secured a pair of tubular distance pieces a*, which go down and connect with
cross head b', which joins the lower ends of wire ropes; to this lower cross head
b is fastened a spear c¹, to which is bolted a wooden rod that works a bucket.
lift or sinking pump V; this bucket lift pump is supplied, with a discharge
valve in the chest G³, and at the lower or bottom end is placed the inlet
valve d³.
Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, A³ are two steam cylinders with a crank
shaft B and fly wheel Co between, and arranged, as shown in the Drawing, to
oscillate the two bell cranks D at the mouth of the pit, and by them operate the
pumps. For this purpose the rams E³ are connected by links Fs to the bell
cranks D, and reciprocate in their working barrels G³ and through stuffing boxes at
the upper
ends. The lower ends of the barrels G³ are connected by the pressure
pipes H to the upper ends of the working barrels I³ of the smaller diameter of
force pump plungers J³. Placed in the pit at any convenient distance down are the
double force pumps K³, with the working barrels for the smaller diameter of force
pump plungers Jō secured to the rising main column L³. The pressure pipes M
leading from branches on the upper working barrels 15 go down and connect with
the upper ends of the working barrels next underneath, and so on till the required
number are joined together. The column of water inclosed in the barrels Ĝ³, 1³,
and pipes H, M, etc., propels the motion of the downward stroke of the rams E³ to
effect a downward stroke of the plungers of the force pumps K³, etc., and the said
plungers are raised on the upward stroke of the rams E³ by the wire ropes Q5
secured to the cross head P5 on the ramis E³ and to the cross head R' on the upper
end of the plungers of the force pumps K³, etc. The main central discharge pipo is
divided in sections suitable to the working height of each set of force pumps, the
second set discharging through the section Le into the receiver N and the first
set K³, pumping the water from the receiver N³ through the upper section L³ into
the receiver 0. By a similar repetition of parts the water can be raised by this
apparatus to any desired altitude.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The combination of the steam cylinder K, beam M, and hydraulio cylinder P,
having the plunger f, pressure pipe I, and auxiliary cylinders D for operating the
water-forcing plungers, as herein shewn and described.
2nd. The wire ropes N and plungers f connected by one and the same pivot
with the pump driving motor, in combination with the plungers of a series of pumps,
as herein shewn and described.
3rd. A series of auxiliary working barrels and a pressure pipe connecting the
same, for operating a series of mine pumps, as herein shewn and described.
4th. The combination of a force pump with the cylinder P or pressure pipe I
for increasing the strain on the wire ropes, as herein shown and described.

page_text: 5th. The combination of an hydraulic engine with the ram R', when arranged
to force down a column of water, by which the power of engine is transmitted to
the pumps in the mine or shaft, substantially as herein shewn and described.
6th. The barrel S₁ containing the ram R¹ combined with and supported from
the upper end of discharge pipe R2, substantially as herein shewn and described.
7th. The cross head on the end of hydraulic cylinder, piston rod, and the
wire ropes W, W₁, in combination, substantially as and for the purpose herein
shewn and described.
8th. The valve chest H' on the supply pipe H2 in combination with the pump
barrels F, S, and pipes T', T', whereby the pressure in the pipes is made self-
adjustable, so that as the ropes may stretch the valve in chest opens and admits
more water from the pipe connected to under side of valve, thus keeping the strain
on the wire ropes always constant, substantially as herein shewn and described.
9th. The tubular distance pieces a, a, secured to upper and lower cross heads,
substantially as and for the purpose herein shewn and described.
10th. The combination with the engine As or other motor of the double system
of force pumps K³, etc., rams E³, J5, wire ropes Q, cross heads P³, R, etc., and bell
cranks D³, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Allan, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM ALLAN. (LS.)