Improvements in the Sinking of Pits or Shafts by Means of Rock Drills.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Sinking of Pits or Shafts by Means of Rock
Drills.
We, WILLIAM MORGANS, of Broad Street House, Old Broad Street, in the County
of London, Consulting Engineer, and RICHARD ARTHUR THOMAS, of Tregenna,
Camborne, in the County of Cornwall, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the sinking of pits or shafts by means
of rock-drills and has for its object to greatly facilitate the manipulation of the
drills.
According to our invention we provide a stretcher bar or a combination of
stretcher bars forming a rock-drill frame for supporting the rock drills. This frame
may be of any suitable form according to the nature of the pit or shaft to be sunk
and is adapted to provide support for the rock-drills required to be used in the
sinking operations. The frame or combination of stretcher bars is suspended in
the shaft. by one or more chains or ropes so that it may be conveniently raised or
lowered as required independently of the winding rope or ropes ordinarily used for
the purpose of raising and lowering men and materials.
By means of this arrangement we are enabled conveniently to lower by one
operation the frame or combination of stretcher bars, with the whole of the drills
attached to it, into the position required for drilling at the bottom of the shaft,
and to fix the frame in that position by means of tightening screws or other
appliances fixed at the outer portions of the frame for the purpose of firmly securing
the frame between the sides of the shaft.
Our arrangement for suspending the frame effects a great saving of time and
trouble, after the holes have been drilled, in removing the rock-drills out of the
way for the purpose of blasting, as by simply releasing the tightening screws, or
other appliances, the entire frame or combination of bars is liberated, so that it may
be raised up the shaft by means of the ropes by which it is suspended to a height
sufficient to escape damage from the blasting operation without the trouble of
removing the rock-drills or their supports.
The suspending chains or ropes may be used if required for guides for one or
more skips or cages used during the sinking operations, and openings may be
provided in the frame for the passage of such skips or cages or for clearing any
pumps or ventilating pipes fixed in the shaft.
The frame or combination of stretcher bars may also be used for supporting a
shield or pent house for protecting the men employed in the shaft against falls of
rock or other substances, and it may also be used as a shield or stage for walling the
sides of the shaft or for other purposes.
The ropes or chains carrying the frame may be carried over pulleys from the drums
of a winding engine or other machine suitable for raising or lowering the rock-drill
frame as may be desired.
Means are provided for adjusting or correcting any variation in the lengths of the
suspending ropes.

page_text: As above mentioned our sinking frame or combination of stretcher bars is not
raised or lowered by means of the ropes ordinarily employed for winding purposes,
but is suspended independently on ropes provided for the special purpose of raising
or lowering the frame as required, so as to facilitate the expeditious removal of the
frame and the drills from the bottom of the shaft whilst blasting operations are being
carried out, and similarly to facilitate the expeditious return of the framing and the
rock-drills whenever necessary to the position required at the bottom of the shaft, for
resuming drilling operations, leaving the rope or ropes used for winding purposes
entirely free for raising and lowering the material and workmen as required during
sinking operations.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1896
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Sinking of Pits or Shafts by Means of Rock
Drills.
We, WILLIAM MORGANS, of Broad Street House, Old Broad Street, in the County
of London, Consulting Engineer, and RICHARD ARTHUR THOMAS, of Tregenna,
Camborne, in the County of Cornwall, Mining Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the sinking of pits or shafts by means
of rock-drills and has for its object to greatly facilitate the manipulation of the
drills.
According to our invention we provide a stretcher bar or a combination of
stretcher bars forming a rock-drill frame for supporting the rock drills. This frame
may be of any suitable form according to the nature of the pit or shaft to be sunk
and is adapted to provide support for the rock-drills required to be used in the
sinking operations. The frame or combination of stretcher bars is suspended in the
shaft by one or more chains or ropes so that it may be conveniently raised or
lowered as required independently of the winding rope or ropes ordinarily used for
the purpose of raising and lowering men and materials. The suspending chain or
chains or ropes serve as guides for one or more skips or cages employed during
the sinking operations, and openings may be provided in the frame for the passage
of such skips or cages or for clearing any pumps or ventilating pipes fixed in
the shaft.
The frame or combination of stretcher bars may also be used for supporting a shield
or pent house for protecting the men employed in the shaft against falls of rock or
other substances, and it may also be used as a shield or stage for walling the sides of
the shaft or for other purposes.
The ropes or chains carrying the frame are advantageously carried over pulleys
from the drums of a capstan, winch, or other machine suitable for raising or lowering
the rock-drill frame as may be desired.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe it by reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of our apparatus for sinking circular pits
or shafts :
Figure 2 is a plan of the rock-drill frame in position in the shaft:
j

page_text: Figure 3 is a plan of our rock-drill frame arranged for sinking rectangular or
square shafts.
a, a are the stretcher bars forming the frame for supporting the rock-drills by means
of the sleeves a°, a" which slide on the said stretcher bars a, a. The bars a, a are
arranged so as to be secured in position by means of the tightening screws a¹ in the
ordinary manner against wooden beams arranged in the pit or shaft being sunk. In
Figures 1 and 2 the stretcber bar frame is adapted to be employed in sinking a
circular pit or shaft whilst in Figure 3 it is arranged for sinking a rectangular
shaft or pit.
,,,, are the chains and ropes by means of which the stretcher bar frame a, a
is suspended in the shaft, the said chains, & being attached to eyes in rods c, e secured
to the stretcher frame at four points. The upper ends of the chains are secured to
the ropes b', which pass over pulleys d, d arranged over the mouth of the pit or shaft
and thence to the drums of a capstan, or winch or of winches or the like whereby
they can raise or lower the frame a, a.
e is an ordinary bucket or skip suspended in the usual manner by a rope which
passes over a pulley 9 to the drum of a winding engine whereby it can raise and
lower the skip e. h is a frame attached to the rope f the extremities of which frame
engage with the ropes b, from which the rock drill frame a is suspended which pass
through the said extremities in such a manner that they form guides for the bucket or
skip e as it is raised or lowered. As clearly shewn in Figures 2 and 3 the rock drill
frames a, a are so constructed that an opening or openings a, a2 is or are provided
through which the bucket or skips e can pass without the necessity for removing the
said frame and also so as to provide space for the passage of the pipes for ventilating
and pumping purposes.
i, Figure I, is the shield or pent house supported upon the rods e, e from which the
stretcher frame is suspended, the said shield being designed as above described to
serve as a protection for the men employed in the shaft against falls of rock or other
substances, and also as a shield or stage for walling the sides of the shaft or for other
purposes. When necessary props may be used for providing additional support to
the stage i.
Suitable means such as tension screws are employed for adjusting or correcting any
variation in the lengths of the suspending ropes.
By means of this arrangement we are enabled conveniently to lower by one
operation the frame or combination of stretcher bars a with the whole of the drills
attached to it, into the position required for drilling at the bottom of the shaft, and to
fix the said frame in that position by means of the tightening screws a'.
Our arrangement for suspending the frame effects a great saving of time and
trouble, after the holes have been drilled, in removing the rock-drills out of the way
for the purpose of blasting, as by simply releasing the tightening screws a', the entire
frame or combination of bars a is liberated, so that it may he raised up the shaft by
means of the ropes 6, 6, by which it is suspended, to a height sufficient for the frame
and drills to escape damage from the blasting operation without the trouble of
removing or unshipping the rock-drills or their supports.
The framing and the rock-drills can, whenever necessary be easily returned to the
position required at the bottom of the shaft, for resuming drilling operations, leaving
the rope or ropes used for winding purposes entirely free for raising and lowering
the material and workmen as required during sinking operations.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In the sinking of pits or shafts by means of rock-drills the employment of a
stretcher bar or of a combination of stretcher bars forming a rock drill frame and
suspended from a rope or ropes by which it can be raised or lowered independently of
the skips or cages, and which rope or ropes is or are arranged to serve as guides for
the said skips or cages, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.

page_text: 2. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved apparatus for
sinking pits or shafts, hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
-drawings.
Dated the 22nd day of February 1897.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.