IMPROVED APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DESCENDING AND ASCENDING PITS OR SHAFTS AND RAISING MINERALS AND OTHER BODIES THEREFROM
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Winder Otway, of West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN DESCENDING AND ASCENDING PITS OR SHAFTS AND RAISING
MINERALS AND OTHER BODIES THEREFROM."
Sealed the 20th October 1857, and dated the 25th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Winder Otway
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th April 1857.
I, EDMUND WINDER OTWAY, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DESCENDING AND ASCENDING PITS OR SHAFTS AND RAISING
MINERALS AND OTHER BODIES THEREFROM," to be as follows:-
These improvements are intended to promote the safety of the miners
in descending and ascending the shaft, and to facilitate the means of com-
munication from the bottom to the top of the shaft, and vice versa.
The first part of this Invention consists in attaching to the carriage or
platform (upon which the moveable "skips" or "bowks" are placed) four
spring roller buffers, in order to prevent or lessen the concussion of the same
against the sides of the shaft in descending or ascending. The ends of the rail
on the carriage are jointed, and are provided with levers for raising the

page_text: ends into a vertical position, in order to secure the "cage" or "skip," and
prevent it from slipping. It is intended to employ a "cage" for the descent
and ascent of the miners, so as to prevent accidents, and to limit the number
lowered or raised at one time.
The second part of these improvements. relates to the moveable cover of the
pit mouth, and consists of two bolts worked simultaneously by levers and links,
so as to lock the cover when in its place (either on or off), and prevent it
from being moved without its being previously unlocked by the lever.
The third part of these improvements consists of a break acting upon a
broak pulley on the drum shaft, and connected by a lever and link to a shaft
upon which is keyed a lever. This lever is placed so near to the hand gear of
the engine that the engineer can apply or withdraw the break as required
without moving from his position.
The fourth part of the Invention applies to the apparatus for signalling
from the bottom to the top of the shaft, and vice-versa. A bell is placed at
the bottom of the pit and another at the mouth. Each of these bells is pro-
vided with a hammer actuated by a levor and spring. These levers cach
vibrate upon a centre, and are connected together by two wires, one on each
side of the centre, so that ono lever cannot possibly be moved without
"moving the other, by which means any number of blows may be struck upon
the bells with certainty by actuating the lever either at the bottom or top of
the pit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund Winder Otway in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
WINDER OTWAY, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of IIer reign,
did, for, Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edmund Winder Otway, Her special licence that I, the said Edmund
Winder Otway, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
J, the said Edmund Winder. Otway, my executors, administrators, and s
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time

page_text: 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
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DESCENDING AND ASCENDING
PITS OR SHAFTS AND RAISING MINERALS AND OTHER BODIES THEREFROM," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund Winder Otway, 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 bo
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 Edmund Winder Otway, 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 tho
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My improvements are intended to promote the safety of the miners in
descending and ascending the shaft and in raising minerals and other bodies
therefrom, and to facilitate the means of communication from the bottom to
the top of the shaft, and vice versa.
The first part of my Invention consists in attaching four spring roller buffers
to the carriage or platform upon which the moveable "skips" or "bowks"
are placed (herein-after called the skip carrier), in order to prevent or lessen
the concussion of the same against the sides of the shaft in descending or
ascending. The ends of the rails on the skip carrier are jointed, and aro
provided with levers for raising the ends into a vertical position, in orde.
to secure the "cage" or "skip," and prevent it from slipping off the
carrier; or the rails may be furnished with "scotches" for that purpose.
It is intended to employ a cage for the descent and ascent of the miners, so
as to prevent accidents, and to limit the number lowered or raised at one time.
The second part of my improvements relates to tho moveable cover of the
pit mouth, and consists of two bolts worked. simultaneously by a lever and
links, so as to lock the cover when in its place (either on or off), and prevent
it from being moved without its being previously unlocked by the lover.
The third part of my improvements consists of a break acting upon a break
pulley on the drum shaft, and connected by a lever and link to a shaft upon
which a hand lover is keyod. This lever is placed so near to the hand gear of

page_text: the engine that the engineer can apply or withdraw the break as required
without moving from his position.
The fourth part of my improvements applies to the apparatus for signalling
from the bottom to the top of the shaft, and vice versa. A bell is placed at
the bottom of the pit and another at the mouth. Each of these bells is pro-
vided with a hammer acted upon by a lever and a spring. These levers each
vibrate upon a centre, and are connected together by two wires (one at cach
side of the centre,) so that one lever cannot possibly be moved either up or
down without communicating a corresponding motion to the other, and thus
any number of blows may be struck upon the bells with certainty by actuating
the lever either at the bottom or top of the pit.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention of "Improved
Apparatus employed in Descending and Ascending Pits or Shafts and Raising
Minerals and other Bodies therefrom," I will proceed to describe more in
detail the several parts of the apparatus, and in order that the same may be
readily and clearly understood I have annexed to this Specification two Sheets
of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference correspon:ling with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say :-
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings, Figure 1 represents, in section, the mouth of a
pit or shaft, with the first and second parts.of my Invention shewn as applied
thereto; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the same with the pit cover removed.
In Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, and Figure 2 a side
view, of my improved break as applied to the drum shaft. Figure 3 shews
the apparatus for signalling from the bottom to the top of the pit, and vice
versa. Figure 4 is a side view of one of my spring roller buffers (on a larger
scale), shewing the spring box in section, and Figure 5 is a front view of
the same.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings, A, A, represents the pit mouth, and B, B, the
moveable pit cover; C, C, is the skip carrier, and D, D, is the "cage." The
pit covor moves upon small wheels a, a, running upon rails b, b. The skip
carrier is connected to the pit rope by a hook, which is passed through the
eye c, c, at the point of junction of the four stanchions d, d, d, d. The skip
carrier C, C, is provided with four spring roller buffers e, e, e, e, (see also
enlarged views, Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 2.) The rollers e, e, are mounted
upon forked levers f, f, the other end of which is acted upon by a spiral spring
9, 9, which decreases or absorbs any shock occasioned by the rollers coming into
contact with the sides of the pit, and the surface of tho rollers is to be covered

page_text: with wood or india-rubber for the same purpose. The use of these rollers also
prevents the signal wires from being cut through by the skip carrier, an
accident of almost constant occurrence hitherto, and attended with much danger..
The "skips" and the cage D, D, employed in the descent and ascent of the
miners are mounted upon wheels with flanges outside, and the rails h, h, upon
the skip carrier are curved inwards at the ends, so as to facilitate the running.
on or off of the "skips" or cage should the skip carrier not be landed exactly
opposite to the rails i, i, upon the embankment. k, k, are catches or "scotches":
to prevent the cage or "skip" from slipping off the skip carrier during the
ascent or descent of the same, or the ends of the rails.h, h, may be jointed so
as to turn up into a vertical position (being acted upon by a lever) for the.
same purpose, in which case they may be made longer, so as to overlap any
space that may be left between the skip carrier and the rails on the embank-
ment or the pit cover. The pit cover B, B, is furnished with two bolts 7, 7,
connected by links m, m, to a lever n, n. By moving the lever n, n, these
bolts are acted upon simultaneously, so as to lock the cover when in its place
(either on or off), and prevent its being moved without being previously
unlocked by means of the lever n. o, o, is a cover or shield to prevent injury
to the miners from any thing falling down the shaft during their descent or
ascent.
In Sheet 2 of the Drawings (Figures 1 and 2), a, a, represents the drum
round which the rope or chain b, b, passes. This drum is mounted upon
the drum shaft c, c, upon which a break pulley d, d, is also keyed. e, c, is a
lever break, connected by a link and lever f,f, to a shaft g, g. The other end
of this shaft g, g, extends to near the hand gear of the engine, and is there
furnished with a hand lever, by means of which the engineer can apply and
withdraw the break as required and stop or start the engine simultaneously
without moving from his position.
.
Figure 3 (Sheet 2) shews my improved apparatus for signalling from the
top to the bottom of the shaft, and vice versa. a, a', are the bells; b, b, the
hammers; and c, c', the levers. These levers are mounted upon centres at d, d',
and are connected together by two wires e, c', one on each side of the centre.
By this means of connecting the levers by two wires instead of by one (as
heretofore), their action is much more perfect and certain, and any number of
blows may be struck on the bell, and consequently any desired signal can be
transmitted from one to the other with certainty, and thus accidents arising
from the imperfect transmission of signals will be avoided.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of
"Improved Apparatus employed in Descending and Ascending Pits or Shafts

page_text: and Raising Minerals and other Bodies therefrom," together with the manner
of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that
I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the general construction and arrangement of the skip carrier as
shewn in the Drawings, and above described; and more especially the applica-
tion thereto of spring roller buffers, for the purpose before mentioned.
Secondly, I claim the bolts worked simultaneously by a lever and links for
locking the pit cover in its placo. either on or off.
. Thirdly, I claim the construction and arrangement of the break so that the
engineer can apply and. withdraw it without leaving his post by the hand
gear of the engine.
And, fourthly, I claim connecting the signal levers by two wires (one on
cach side of the centre), in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
particularly set forth, and shown in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Winder Otway, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.