IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT io Henry Gidlow, of Atherton, in the County of
Lancaster, Carpenter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR
STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 7th January 1859, and dated the 8th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gidlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
July 1858.
I, HENRY GIDLOw, of Atherton, in the County of Lancaster, Carpenter, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS
FOR STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:
My Invention relates to those kind of steam engines generally called
winding engines, and which of necessity require to be very frequently stopped,
as in the case of coal-pit engines: when the cage or basket arrives at the top of
the shaft the engine must be suddenly stopped to remove the cargo, for which
purpose apply a self-acting break consisting of,-
Firstly, a semicircular bar of iron lined with wood, rope, or other suitable
material to be applied to the periphery of the fly wheel, thus forming a break,
one end of which is attached to a stud or shaft. it then passes round a portion
of the fly wheel, and the opposite end is attached to a chain which is fixed to
Price Sd.1

page_text: a regulating screw. The said chain is fastened to a pulley or drum which is
driven from the fly wheel shaft and winds round it, being regulated so as to
cause the break to act on the fly wheel just as the cage or basket arrives at its
proper height.
Secondly, in a self-acting apparatus for lifting off the eccentric rod so as to
shut off the steam or close the port holes of the steam chest just as the break
applies itself to the fly wheel, consisting of a shaft which is driven from the fly
wheel or other shaft. On the said shaft is a pulley or drum, to which is
attached a chain, rope, strap, or similar contrivance, the same being fastened
to the eccentric rod, and is acted upon so as to shut off the steam or close the
port holes as already stated. Or I effect the same object by means of a screw
and tappets, the speed of which I regulate according to the number of
revolutions of the engine requisite to wind the cage or basket up or down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Gidlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GIDLOW, of Atherton, in the County of Lancaster, Carpenter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Gidlow, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
Gidlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Gidlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREAKS FOR STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Gidlow, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Gidlow, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per--
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My said Invention relates more particularly to that class of steam engines
generally called "winding engines," and which of necessity require to be
frequently stopped at certain defined positions, as in the case of mining engines
and hoists of any description.
I apply either to the fly wheel of the steam engine, or to any drum or wheel
provided for the purpose, a self-acting break, having one end attached to a
chain or band passing over and fastened to a pulley, which is either fixed to the
shaft of the fly wheel or other countershaft. The said chain or band coils.
around the pulley to which it is connected when the engine is in motion, and
being regulated to the required length, causes the break to act on the fly wheel
or drum just as the receptacle or frame arrives at its destination either above
or below.
I also apply to the aforesaid steam engine a self-acting apparatus for
lifting off the eccentric rod or rods so as to shut off the steam or close the
port holes of the steam cylinder either before or just as the break is beginning
to act.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings, with the figures and letters thereon.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a winding apparatus shewing the application of
my Invention; Fig. 2 a side clevation of the same; and Figs. 3 and 4 are
detached parts thereof; Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, are modifications of my
improvements.
In Figs. 1 and 2, representing a winding apparatus for a coal pit, the tubs
are shewn at a attached to bands b, which pass over the guide pulleys c, and
are fixed to the pulleys d on the shaft e. at the end of which is the toothed
wheel gearing into another toothed wheel g. on the cranked shaft of the
The break is shewn at
steam engine, on which shaft is fixed the fly wheel i.
le, consisting of a segment of iron lined with wood, rope, or other suitable
material. and jointed at one of its ends to a screw . which is held to the frame-
work by nuts m, in conjunction with a slightly yielding washer or spring n.
The other end of the break is connected by the regulating screw o. nuts p.
and yielding washer q, to the chain or band r, which passes over the guide
pulley s, and is fastened to the chain or band pulley on the shaft u,, which
latter is turned by means of the toothed wheel gearing into the wheel f.
The shaft
e makes a certain number of revolutions in opposite directions,

page_text: according to the distance the cargo has to be: raised or lowered." and the
shaft and chain pulley t revolve simultaneously. The chain or band r coils.
round the pulley t, and is made of a length in proportion to the number of
turns and diameter of the pulley, so that when the tubs are near the extremities
of either the up or down stroke the chain will begin to raise the break, which
continues to rise until it clips the periphery of the fly wheel. In connection
with the self-acting break I employ a self-acting apparatus (shewn detached
in Figs. 3 and 4) to lift the eccentric rod off the pin on the starting handle or
lever of the valve shaft, so that the port holes of the steam cylinder may be
closed. On the shaft u I fix a toothed wheel c gearing into another toothed
wheel, fastened to the screw y, so that it may turn alternately in opposite
directions in the small framing z. The screw is furnished with a nut a',
having a long tail, which falls downwards by its own weight when free to do
so, and also with two plates or flanges and c¹, having pins or drivers d' and e¹.
Above the screw y there is a shaft also working in bearings in the framing 2,
to which shaft I fix two levers g' and ', and a double lever ', connected
by chains or rods to the eccentric rod 1. The shaft is also furnished with
two levers m and n' working loose upon it, but held when required by pins o'
and p', fixed to flanges or plates q' and ' fixed to the said shaft f', so that the
levers may be free to move loose in one direction, but when they press against
the pins and thereby become firm, are able to move the shaft f', which latter
is furnished with a balance weight s', in order to maintain the easy action of
the parts.
The operation of this apparatus is as follows:-When the steam engine and
wheels turn in, the direction of the arrows, the screw y and flanges b' and
turn at the required speed, the screw moving the tail nut a' in the direction of
the arrow in Fig. 1, until it comes in contact with the pin e' on the flange c',
and is thereby raised against the lever h, thus moving the shaft and also
the outside lever k¹, which raises the eccentric rod off the pin on the
starting handle u' connected to the valve shaft, which operation stops the
action of the valves just before the break is required to act upon the fly wheel.
During the revolutions of the screw the aforesaid pin on the flange has been
moving the lever n loosely upon the shaft. f', but the moment the steam
engine is reversed the pin e¹ on the flange c¹ presses the lever » against the
pin on the flanger and thereby slightly reverses the position of the shaft f',
and with it the lever k¹, so as to lower the eccentric rod and put it in gear,
thereby enabling the engine and parts to proceed in the reverse direction.
Immediately after, the tail-nut a has raised the lever h', as before described,
the tail of the nut falls, in order to be able to return to. the end from whence it

page_text: started, so as to be again raised when it comes in contact with the pin d' on
the flange b¹, and thus move the other lever 9', thereby raising the eccentric
rod out of gear, which rod is lowered by the pin d¹ coming in contact with the
lever m which being held by the pin o' on the plate q', causes the shaft to
be slightly moved. The aforesaid combined movements being exactly adjusted
and timed, first raises the eccentric rod and afterwards presses the break
against the periphery of the fly wheel, thus instantly stopping the engine and
shafts at the moment required. The aforesaid arrangements may be applied
to steam engines working vertically, horizontally, or any other position, and
adapted with such gearing and strength of parts as the purposes may
require.
In Fig. 5, representing a modification of my improvements, a is the fly
wheel shaft, b the fly wheel, and c the break. On the shaft a I fix a chain or
band pulley d, to the barrel of which is fastened the chain or band e, which is
connected to a lever fixed to the shaft g, on which shaft is another lever h,
connected by a joint to the break c; the chain or band, as in the former
example, is adjusted to a certain length so that it may coil around the pulley,
and at the desired position pull the lever f, which raises the lever h, and forces
the break against the rim of the fly wheel. Or the chain e may pass over or
be connected to an intermediate pulley e', instead of the levers. The eccentric
rod i is also lifted by means of a chain or belt & passing over the guide pulley 1,
and fastened to a pulley m on the fly wheel shaft; the chain or belt is of such
length that when the break is rising the eccentric rod is lifted off, and thereby
stops the action of the valves of the engine.
In Fig. 6 shew, the mode of raising the eccentric rod when the steam
engine is geared, as in Figs. 1 and 2. On either of the countershafts o and p
I place a pulley q, to the barrel of which is fastened a chain or belt r, which
passes over the guide pulley s to the eccentric rod t, the chain or belt being
adjusted to raise the rod at the exact time required. Or instead of the guide
pulleys and s I attach the chain or belt to a pulley on a shaft giving
motion to another pulley connected by a chain or belt to the eccentric rod.
In Figs. 7, 8, and 9, I represent the method of applying my self-acting
apparatus to two eccentric rods, for the purpose of raising and lowering them
when required. They are raised to the position shewn in the Figures pre-
cisely in the same manner as described in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, except that the
chains or links u are connected to two rods instead of one, but the said rods
are lowered one after the other by placing the levers
shafts turned by the gearing x, so that when the pin
lever v, it lowers one rod on the pin z, and when the pin
and won separate
presses against the
acts on the lever 1,

page_text: the other eccentric rod is lowered, thus affording the means of raising both
eccentric rods off the valve lever near the conclusion of the revolution of the
engine, and afterwards allowing the required rod to be lowered on to the valve
lever so that the engine may pursue its course.
I may here remark that my improved self-acting breaks are worked in con-
nection with the ordinary hand breaks, which are applied to any part of the
winding as at present, and as my improved breaks are formed by simply
connecting the lined segment to a chain or band fastened to a shaft or pulley,
they may be adapted to any winding engine.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth,
as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle
thereof; but I claim as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge
and belief has not been hitherto used within the realm,-
Firstly, the application to winding engines and hoists of a break made self-
acting by connecting the segment to a chain or band of a certain required
length, having its other end fastened to a shaft or to a pulley fixed either to
the shaft of the fly wheel or other countershaft, so that the break may be
forced against the periphery of the fly wheel or other drum and instantly stop
the motion of the engine.
And secondly, the application to winding engines of self-acting apparatus
for lifting either one or two eccentric rods off the pin on the slide valve lever
so as to stop the action of the steam valves, as all such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gidlow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Henry Gidlow, in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
HENRY GIDLO
(L.S.)