IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXHAUSTING AIR SUITABLE TO USED FOR VENTILATING MINES AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Grafton Jones, of the Blaina Iron Works,
near Newport, in the County of Monmouth, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXHAUSTING AIR SUITABLE TO
USED FOR VENTILATING MINES AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 21st July 1868, and dated the 19th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Grafton Jones
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th February 1868.
I, JAMES GRAFTON JONES, of the Blaina Iron Works, near Newport,
in the County of Monmouth, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EXHAUSTING AIR SUITABLE
TO BE USED FOR VENTILATING MINES AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
exhausting air suitable to be used for ventilating mines and for other
similar purposes. For this purpose I construct a casing which is
mounted on a central axis, and around the axis on one or on both

page_text: sides are apertures for the passage into the casing of the air from the
mine or other place to be exhausted. The casing has two or more hollow
arms formed upon it, which spring from the central portion of the casing
approximately in a radial direction, and as they recede from the centre
they curve backwards or in a direction opposite to that in which the
casing is driven until, at the end of the arm, which is open and is the
cxit for the exhaust air from the mine or other place, the curve of
the arm is on the point of becoming concentric with the axis on which
the casing is mounted. On the leading or convex side of each arm
there is formed a hood to take in air; it has a wide open mouth which
receives the air standing in its course as the hood is carried round
with the other parts of the casing. From the mouth the air passage
in the hood gradually diminishes in area in passing outwards along the
arm, until at some distance from the outer end of the arm the hood
opens into the exhaust air passage in the arm, and the air taken in by
the hood consequently enters this passage and acts as a blast to urge
forward the current of air issuing from the mine or other place through
When the apparatus is required to work under varying con-
ditions it is desirable that the plate which separates the exhaust air
passage in the arm from the blast passage in the hood should be made
adjustable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said James Grafton Jones in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GRAFTON JONES, of the Blaina Iron Works, near Newport, in the
County of Monmouth, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Grafton Jones, Her special licence
that I, the said James Grafton Jones, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Grafton Jones, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR EXHAUSTING AIR SUITABLE TO BE USED FOR VENTILATING MINES AND FOR
OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Grafton Jones, 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 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 James Grafton Jones, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
exhausting air suitable to be used for ventilating mines and for other
similar purposes. For this purpose I construct a casing which is
mounted on a central axis, and around the axis on one or on both
sides are apertures for the passage into the casing of the air from the
mine or other place to be exhausted. The casing has two or more hollow
arms formed
upon it, which spring from the central portion of the casing
approximately in a radial direction, and as they recede from the centre
they curve backwards or in a direction opposite to that in which the
casing is driven; the end of the arm is open and forms the exit for the
exhaust air from the mine or other place. On the leading or convex
side of each arm there is formed a hood to take in air; it has a wide open
mouth which receives the air standing in its course as the hood is
carried round with the other parts of the casing. From the mouth the
air passage in the hood gradually diminishes in area in passing outwards
along the arm, until at some distance from the outer end of the arm
the hood opens. into the exhaust air passage in the arm, and the air
taken in by the hood consequently enters this passage and acts as a
blast to urge forward the current of air issuing from the mine or other
place through the arm. When the apparatus is required to work under
varying conditions it is desirable that the plate which separates the

page_text: Figure 1 shows a side elevation, and Figure 2 a sectional plan view
of a machine constructed as above described.
a is the central axis carrying the casing; one end of this axis is
supported in a bearing carried on the top of the standard and the other
end in a bearing carried by spokes or arms from a ring c fixed within
a circular opening in the upper part of the air trunk or passage d which
leads to the mine or other place to be exhausted. On the axis are
keyed two cast-iron wheels e, e, to which the side plates f.f. of the
casing are bolted; the side plate f which is furthest from the air trunk d
comes close up to the boss of the wheel e to which it is fixed, whilst
the plate which is nearest to the air trunk is fixed to the outer flange
or ring of its wheel, leaving open the central portion of the wheel
between the spokes, so that air may pass from the air trunk d into the
interior of the casing this wheel is also fitted with a flange f¹, the
side of which works against a similar flange c³ on the fixed ring c; the
external air surrounding the machine is thus prevented from entering
the casing. The side plates fare cut to such a form as not only to form
the side plates of two curved hollow arms on opposite sides of the
central axis, and which curve backwards in a direction opposite to that
in which the casing is driven, but these plates also serve to form the
side plates of the hoods g carried by the convex sides of these arms; to
the edges of these side plates are rivetted, other plates, which pass across
from one plate to the other, and form with them the hollow arms and
hoods g; the ends of the arms are however left open, as indicated by
the arrows, as also are the mouths of the hoods g; these hoods gradually
diminish in area, as shown at Figure and open into the hollow arms
of the casing at some distance from their outer ends. The casing is
caused to revolve in the direction shewn by the arrow, so that the
mouths of the hood 9 receive the air standing in their course; the air
so entering the hoods passes through their smaller ends into the hollow
arms and acts as a blast to urge forward the current of air issuing from

page_text: the mine, and the combined currents of air are discharged at the open
ends of the hollow arms. Rotary motion is communicated to the axis a
of the hollow casing by a crank a¹ keyed upon it, to which motion is
transmitted from the piston rod of a small steam engine fixed to the
standard 6 and the bed plate 6' which supports it, but other means may
be adopted for imparting a revolving motion to the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Grafton Jones, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.