A SELF-ACTING LIFE SAVING MACHINE FOR MINE SHAFTS AND HOISTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDRICK HOWARD SMITH, of N° 5 University Terrace Belfast, in the County
of Antrim Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for A SELF-ACTING LIFE SAVING MACHINE FOR MINE SHAFTS AND HOISTS to be
as follows:-
A new application or adaptation of the atmospheric pressure on a vacuum
cylinder or cylinders and piston or pistons and their different parts, to the
machinery of mine shafts and hoists, to prevent the bucket or cage falling down
the shafts of mines or hoists when the rope or chain breaks or unfastens from tho
load.
The Invention consists in placing one or two cylinders above the cage or bucket
with pistons working in them, to form a vacuum or air tight cylinder below the
piston; the power of the cylinders must be governed or adjusted to nearly balance
the weight of the cage or bucket when empty; this cylinder or cylinders are fixed
to a strong wrought iron frame to which the iron rods or chains carrying the load
are attached, this frame has four slots for carrying two spurs or bolts that are
attached to an iron block by bolts to form hinges, and also to attach the hoisting
rope to the cylinder or cylinders are fixed in the centre of the frame at equal
distances between the slots or guides that the pins, bolts, or axles through the
spurs or bolts roll or slide in, and under the iron block which is attached to the
piston or pistons by chains; the cage or bucket should be a little heavier than
the power of the piston or pistons will lift, to allow the piston or pistons to be
drawn to the top of the cylinder or cylinders, and ensure the bolts or spurs being
drawn in close to the frame, to prevent catching on the racks or sides of the mine
shaft or hoist, when raising or lowering the cage or bucket. Both its construction
and principal of action is very simple, it follows the laws of atmospheric pressure
and failing bodies, which is 16 feet in the first second, and atmospheric air rushing
into a vacuum is 1280 feet in a second; the atmospheric pressure trying to rush
into a vacuum is at a much greater speed than a falling body and therefore forces
the piston to the bottom of the cylinder and with it the block with the spurs,
bolts, or levers attached to it, before the bucket, cage, or load has time to descend,
leaving a large margin for friction, leakage, or imperfection in the workmanship of

page_text: the cylinder or cylinders; therefore it follows that the moment the cage or bucket
is let go, the spurs, bolts, or levers, are acted upon instantaneously by the piston or
pistons and forced or shot out and catch in the iron racks made fast to the sides
of the mine shafts or hoists, before the load has got a start to descend in the shaft
or huist. If the piston does not form a perfect vacuum in the cylinder from
imperfect workmanship or other causes, it will form its own vacuum when the
cage or bucket arrives at the bottom of the shaft or hoist, as the strain is then
taken off the rope or chain and allows the piston to fall by its own weight in the
cylinder and force up any air from underneath the piston, out by the valve and
reforms the vacuum ready for hoisting.
T
T
1004

page_text: I, FREDERICK HOWARD SMITH of No 5 University Terrace Belfast, in the County
of Antrim Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for SELF-ACTING LIFE SAVING MACHINE FOR MINE SHAFTS AND HOISTS and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The Invention consists in placing one or two cylinders above the cage or bucket
with pistons working in them, to form a vacuum or air tight cylinder below the
piston; the power of the cylinders must be governed or adjusted to nearly balanco
the weight of the cage or bucket when empty; this cylinder or cylinders are fixed
to a strong wrought iron frame to which the iron rods or chains carrying the load
are attached, this framo has four slots for carrying two spurs or bolts that are
attached to an iron block by bolts to form hinges, and also to attach the hoisting
rope to, the cylinder or cylinders are fixed in the centre of the frame at equal
distances between the slots or guides that the pins, bolts, or axles through the
spurs or bolts roll or slide in, and under the iron block which is attached to the
piston or pistons by chains; the cage or bucket should be a little heavier than
the power of the piston or pistons will lift, to allow the piston or pistons to be
drawn to the top of the cylinder or cylinders, and ensure the bolts or spurs being
drawn in close to the frame to prevent catching on the racks or sides of the mine
shaft or hoist, when raising or lowering the cage or bucket.
Both its construction and principle of action is very simple, it follows the laws
of atmospheric pressure and falling bodies, which is 16 feet in the first second, and
atmospheric air rushing into a vacuum is 1280 feet in a second; the atmospheric
pressure trying to rush into a vacuum is at a much greater speed than a falling
body and therefore forces the piston to the bottom of the cylinder and with it the
block with the spurs, bolts, or levers attached to it, before the bucket, cage, or
load has time to descend, leaving a large margin for friction, leakage, or imper-
fection in the workmanship of the cylinder or cylinders; therefore it follows that
the moment the cage or bucket is let go, the spurs, bolts, or levers, are acted upon
instantaneously by the piston or pistons and forced or shot out and catch in the
iron racks made fast to the sides of the mine shafts or hoists, before the load has
got a start to descend in the shaft or hoist.
If the piston does not form a perfect vacuumn in the cylinder from imperfect
workmanship or other causes, it will form its own vacuum when the cage or bucket
arrives at the bottom of the shaft or hoist, as the strain is then taken off the rope
or chain and allows the piston to fall by its own weight in the cylinder and force
up any air from underneath the piston out by the valve and reforms the vacuum
ready for hoisting. If the piston chains or rods should get slack by stretching or
by the washers becoming compressed they can be easily retightened in two ways,
first by screwing down the cylinder covers, second, by unscrewing the nuts of the
bolt that fastens the end of the chains or rods to the block, and unscrewing the
cylinder covers, and putting another leather washer on the under side fastened on
with red lead. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
my said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is; a new application or adaptation of the atmospheric pressure on

page_text: a vacuum cylinder or cylinders and piston or pistons and their different parts to
the machinery of nine shafts and hoists to prevent the bucket or cage falling
down the shafts of mines or hoists when the rope or chain breaks or unfastens
from the load, as herein before set forth.
411
10QA