IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATES POR BORING. WINDING. AND LIFTING FOR MINING PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Clark, of Langloan, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATES POR BORING. WINDING. AND LIFTING FOR MINING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 9th June 1863, and dated the 11th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
December 1862.
I, ROBERT CLARK, of Langloan, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING, WINDING, AND LIFTING FOR MINING
PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to certain mechanical arrangements for effecting the
several operations of boring, winding, and lifting as connected with mining
operations in a more expeditious, effective, and economical manner than has
hitherto been accomplished.
Under one preferable modification the machinery or apparatus consists of
an open rectangular framing built low to insure stability. This framing carries
one or more horizontal steam cylinders which actuate a first motion horizontal
crank shaft set in bearings on the framing. This first motion shaft has fixed
upon it a spur pinion which gears with a large spur wheel on a second motion
horizontal shaft also carried in bearings upon the main stationary framing.
The first motion shaft in addition to the spur pinion, carries a lever, arm, or
cam piece, arranged to work upon a catch or projecting stud piece upon a
vertical connecting rod which is connected to one end of the main boring lever.
This main lever is set upon a fixed overhead centre carried by the framing,

page_text: and to the other end of it is jointed or suspended the boring bar which thus
receives an up and down boring motion. The pedestal or journal carrying
this lever is adjustable laterally so that the parts can be set clear away from
the line of bore whenever access is required for cleaning or other purposes.
The vertical connecting rod is fitted with a collar or shoulder piece for the
support of counterweights to be added as may be necessary for counter-
poising the weight of the boring bars and appurtenances.
To the lower
end of this connecting rod there is also jointed a horizontal connecting rod,
the opposite end of which is jointed or linked to a crank or lever arm
set on a horizontal shaft carried by the framing; and which shaft also
carries another short lever with a nut for being worked by a screw spindle.
By turning this screw spindle the catch of the vertical connected rod can be
set in or out from the path of the operating cam or lever upon the first
motion shaft, and thus the stroke of the boring apparatus can be regulated or
adjusted with the greatest nicety, or can be entirely disengaged from the
operating cam. The second motion shaft also has upon it two winding
barrels for the ordinary winding purposes of the mine, and for raising
and lowering the pumps and boring rods.
pumps and boring rods. Both these barrels are fitted with
conical or other shaped frictional clutches for engagement and disengagement
at pleasure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
CLARK, of Langloan, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Robert Clark, Her special license that I, the said Robert
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Robert Clark, my executors, administrators, or 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING, WINDING, AND LIFTING,
FOR MINING PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 Robert Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
.
My said Invention relates to certain mechanical arrangements for effecting
the several operations of boring, winding, and lifting as connected with mining
operations in a more expeditious, effective, and economical manner than has
hitherto been accomplished.
Under one preferable modification the machinery or apparatus consists of
an open rectangular framing built low to insure stability. This framing
carries one or more horizontal steam cylinders which actuate a first motion
horizontal crank shaft set in bearings on the framing. This first motion shaft
has fixed upon it a spur pinion which gears with a large spur wheel on a
second motion horizontal shaft also carried in bearings upon the main stationary
framing. The first motion shaft in addition to the spur pinion carries a.
lever, arm, or cam piece, arranged to work upon a catch or projecting stud
piece upon a vertical connecting rod which is connected to one end of the
main boring lever. This main lever is set upon a fixed overhead centre
carried by the framing, and to the other end of it is jointed or suspended the
boring bar which thus receives an up and down boring motion. The pedestal or
journal carrying this lever is adjustable laterally, so that the parts can be set
clear away from the line of bore whenever access is required for cleaning or
other purposes. The vertical connecting rod is fitted with a collar or shoulder
piece for the support of counterweights to be added as may be necessary for
counterpoising the weight of the boring bars and appurtenances. To the
lower end of this connecting rod, there is also jointed a horizontal connecting
rod, the opposite end of which is jointed or linked to a crank or lever arm
set on a horizontal shaft carried by the framing, and which shaft also carries
another short lever with a nut for being worked by a screw spindle. By

page_text: turning this screw spindle the catch of the vertical connecting rod can be set
in or out from the path of the operating cam or lever upon the first motion
shaft, and thus the stroke of the boring apparatus can be regulated or adjusted
with the greatest nicety, or can be entirely disengaged from the operating
cam. The second motion shaft also has upon it two winding barrels for the
ordinary winding purposes of the mine, and for raising and lowering the
Both these barrels are fitted with conical or
pumps and boring rods.
other shaped frictional clutches for engagement and disengagement at
pleasure.
And in order that my said Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or
Apparatus for Boring, Winding, and Lifting for Mining Purposes" may be
properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the Figures on the two
Sheets of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of
showing certain modifications under which my improvements may be judi-
ciously carried out in practice, that is to say, Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the
accompanying Drawings is an elevation of my improved apparatus for
boring, winding, and lifting; Figure 2 on Sheet 2 is a plan of the same, and
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the arrangement for supplying the steam
cylinders, by means of which the weight of the boring rods is counteracted.
The whole of the machinery or apparatus is arranged on a rectangular
framing A, which is laid upon the ground to ensure stability. Extending up
from this frame is a lofty framing B, hinged at B', and carrying the pulley C,
over which the rope or chain used in the winding operations is passed; the
upper part of this framing is shown broken off in Figure 1. Parallel with and
carried by one of the longitudinal timbers of the framing A, is arranged the
cylinder D of a horizontal steam engine, the piston rod E of which is attached
to the forked connecting rod F. The other extremity of the rod is connected
to the pin of the crank on the main driving shaft G, which is arranged in
pedestal bearings carried on the framing A. This shaft has keyed upon it a
pinion H, which gears with a large spur wheel I keyed to a second horizontal
shaft arranged parallel to the first. The shaft G carries on its outer extremity
the fly wheel J, and at the central part of the shaft is fitted the cam or
snail K, by means of which an intermittent motion is communicated to the
boring rods. When the machine is in motion the cam K during its rotation
comes in contact with the antifriction roller L, which is carried upon a
laterally projecting stud fixed in the connecting rod M; this rod extends
upward, and is attached to the inner end of the lever N. This main lever is
carried in the pedestal bearings O, which are supported on the inwardly
extending part of the framing B. These bearings O are arranged in a sole

page_text: plate P, which is made with a curved dovetail groove, and the bottom face of
the pedestals are made to correspond thereto, so that the bearings and lever N
may be moved aside, when required, to admit of the bore being cleaned out,
or to afford access to it for any other purpose. The outer end of the lever N
projects out a short distance beyond the framing B, and to it is attached the
swivel and the brace head R carrying the boring rods S. Thus as the
cam K: comes round, the backward end of the lever N is depressed and the
boring rods are raised, and when the lever is liberated the rods descend with
considerable force into the bore, and are then turned round by the attendant
workman who is in charge of the brace head, the compound action of the fall
and the rotatory movement of the boring tool serving to cut through the stratum
with rapidity. To the lower part of the connecting rod M is jointed the
link T, which connects it to the lever arm or crank U, which is set on the
horizontal shaft V. This shaft is carried in the brackets W, which project.
out from the framing B, and it is fitted near one end with the lever X,
carrying at its free extremity the nut Y. The lever and nut are arranged in
such a position to admit of the screw Z working through it; the screw being
carried in a bracket bolted to the framing B or other convenient part. The
outer end of the screw is fitted with a hand wheel a, by which the screw is
turned and caused to traverse the nut Y and its connected parts to and fro.
With this arrangement the connecting rod M may be set to or from the
cam K, so that the latter produces more or less effect on the lever N, or the
connecting rod M may, if desired, be removed, so as to be wholly beyond
the reach of the cam K. In this way the height to which the boring rods and
tool are raised, and consequently the force of the fall, may be adjusted with
the utmost ease and accuracy. In order to regulate the force with which the
boring tool descends, and so adjust it to the nature of the stratum that is being
bored, the machine is provided with an arrangement for counteracting to a
greater or less extent the weight of the boring rods S.. This consists of a pair
of steam cylinders b, arranged below the framing A, and one on each side of
the connecting rod M. The piston rod c of each cylinder works out through a
stuffing box in the cylinder cover, and is connected to a rod d, which extends
upwards, and is jointed to a cross head e, carried on the inner end of the
lever N. These cylinders are supplied with steam from the boiler. The main
steam pipe f, Figure 3, which conveys the steam to the main cylinder D,
branches off into the pipe g, which conveys the steam to the cylinders b; a
loaded valve h is fitted in the branch of the pipe f, so that the admission of
the steam may be regulated, and the pressure which it is desired should be
exerted on the pistons may be adjusted as required. The steam is admitted

page_text: to the upper part of the cylinders b, so that its pressure on the upper surface
of the pistons serves to counteract the weight of the boring rods, and so lessen
or regulate the force with which the rods S and the boring tool descend. In
this way both the height to which the tool is raised and the force of the blow
on its falling is under the perfect control of the operator in charge of the
machine. The spur wheel I, which derives its motion from the pinion H on
the main shaft, is keyed to the shaft i, which is arranged in bearings carried
on the framing A, and running paralled the shaft G. The spur wheel I
has upon either face of it a conical coupling j, the corresponding parts of
which are respectively carried or formed on the inner faces of the winding
drums k and l. Both of these drums slide to and fro on the shaft, and they
are each connected by an annular groove formed on their bosses, or other
convenient part, with the two hand levers m and n. These levers are centred
on studs carried in brackets projecting out from the framing A, and by
moving these levers up or down the winding drums are put into or out of
gear with the conical couplings, or with that of the segmental brake blocks o.
The drum k may be used for the wire rope used for lowering or raising the
pump, or for other generally similar purposes. The drum being used for
winding on the chain, by means of which the boring rods are raised when
required. In this way the whole of the operations connected with boring and
winding in searching either for minerals or for other generally similar pur-
poses, may be accomplished with facility and with a considerable saving of
labour as compared with the ordinary hand labour system.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the arrangement, construction, and
combination of parts forming the machinery or apparatus for boring, winding,
and lifting in mining operations, as herein-before described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification of the said arrangement.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.
ROBERT CLARK. (L.S.)