Improvements in or connected with Props and Girders for Mines and other Places.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3'st May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Props and Girders for Mines
and other Places.
1, WILLIAM FIRTH, of Water Lane, in the City of Leeds, County of York,
Iron Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Props and girders hitherto employed for supporting the roofs of roads in mine,
and other places, have not been satisfactory, owing to the incomplete nature of the
union between the said props and girders.
The object of my invention is to construct props and girders in such a manner
that they may be readily fitted in position, and when so fitted they are firmly
connected together and less liable to become disconnected than props hitherto
in use.
According to my invention I construct the props and girders of H iron or steel,
and the lower end of each prop has a portion of the web cut away, and the flanges
turned inwards, in the manner described in the Specification of my Patent
No. 9127, dated 22nd June 1888. The upper end of each prop has a portion of
the web removed, and one of the flanges is turned down upon the end of the
web, thus giving a flat horizontal surface, while the opposite flange projects
upwards at right angles to the turned down flange. In this projecting flange I
cut a vertical slot of a width equal to or greater than the thickness of the web.
At each end of the girder I cut away a portion of the lower flange, thus leaving
the extremities of a T shape.
In putting up props and girders constructed according to my invention, two
props are set up in a vertical position, having their projecting vertical flanges
away from each other. The girder is then placed in position on the upper
extremities of the props, each end of the web of the girder entering the slot in
the vertical flange of the prop, the upper flange of the girder at the same time
resting on the top of the said vertical flange. The lower flange of the girder
rests on the turned down flange of the prop, where, if required, wedges may be
inserted and thus raise the girder without lessening the firmness of its union with'
the said props.
The simplicity of apparatus constructed according to my invention renders the
cost of production very small, while the safety of mines and other places, where
such apparatus is employed, is greatly increased.
Although I have described my invention as applied to props employed in a
vertical position, it is also applicable to props employed.in a slanting position, the
angles of the various parts cut away or bent being altered, to suit the required
angles of the said props.
Dated this 31st day of May 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Props and Girders for Mines
and other Places.
I, WILLIAM FIRTH of Water Lane, in the City of Leeds, County of York,
Iron Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Props and girders hitherto employed for supporting the roofs of roads in mines
and other places have not been satisfactory, owing to the incomplete nature of the
union between the said props and girders.
The object of my invention is to construct props and girders in such a manner
that they may be readily fitted in position, and when so fitted they are firmly
connected together, and less liable to become disconnected than props and girders
hitherto in use.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which similar letters refer
to like parts in all the figures.
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a front and side elevation of a prop. Fig. 3 is a
side elevation of a girder, and Fig. 4 shows their application.
According to my invention I construct the props A and girders B of H iron or
steel. The lower end of each prop A has a portion of the web a cut away, and
the flanges a' and ' turned inwards upon the web, in the manner described in the
Specification of my Patent No. 9127 dated 22 June 1888.
The upper end of each prop A has a portion of the web a removed, and the
flange a is turned down upon the end of the web a thus giving a flat horizontal
surface, while the opposite flange a projects upwards at right angles to the turned
down flange a¹. In this projecting flange a², I cut a vertical slot a³ of a width
equal to or greater than the thickness of the web.
At each end of the girder B I cut away a portion of the lower flange b' thus
leaving the extremities of a T shape.
In putting up props and girders constructed according to my invention, two
props A are set up in a vertical position, having their projecting vertical flanges a³
away from each other. The girder B is then placed in position on the upper
extremities of the props A, each end of the web b of the girder B entering the
slot a³ in the vertical flange a² of the prop A, the upper flange 6 of the girder at
the same time resting on the top of the said vertical flange a³. The lower flange
of the girder B rests on the turned down flange a¹ of the prop A, where, if required,
wedges may be inserted, and thus raise the girder B without lessening the firmness
of its union with the said props A.
The simplicity of apparatus constructed according to my invention renders the
cost of production very small, while the safety of mines and other places, where
such apparatus is employed, is greatly increased.
Although I have described and shown my invention as applied to props in a
vertical position, it is also equally applicable to props employed in a slanting
position, the angles of the various parts cut away or bent being altered to suit the
required angles of the said props.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what ]
claim is
1. The combination of the props A with the girders B, having their ends cut
or otherwise adapted so as to fit together, substantially as and for the purposes sɩt

page_text: 2. The general arrangement and construction of props and girders composed of
Hiron or steel, having their ends formed to interlock with each other, substan--
tially as and for the purposes herein set forth and as shewn in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated this 28th dow of Fabr 1801
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.