A New or Improved Method of Boring Coal or other Minerals, and Apparatus therefor, whereby Danger to Life by the Escape of Confined Gas or Water is Prevented.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th May, 1891-Accepted, 20th June. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Boring Coal or other Minerals, and
Apparatus therefor, whereby Danger to Life by the Escape of
Confined Gas or Water is Prevented.
I, JOHN COWEY of Lowland Cottage, near Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to enable holes to be bored in coal or other
minerals without danger to life by the issue of gas, or of water, from places, such as
old workings in which they have accumulated and are confined.
Accidents of this kind, sometimes ending fatally, are of frequent occurrence in
coal mines and only very recently lives were sacrified in a Durham colliery by the
boring tool suddenly "holeing" into a place in which deadly gas was confined
which lives, by my method and apparatus would have been saved.
In ordinary emergencies caused by the sudden outrush of gas (or water or both)
as in the instance just referred to, the only resource is to withdraw the boring tool
and plug the hole but this is at best only a precarious operation attended with
great danger, and in many instances is impracticable.
According to my invention the hole in the coal or other mineral is made gas and
water tight from the first operation of the boring tool which works within a tube
casing first inserted in a hole bored a foot or two from the "face" to receive it and
made gas and water tight, both at the inner end and also against the face by
packing so that even should the casing tube be damaged between these points no gas
or water will issue at the "face." The outer end of the casing tube is secured to a
timber frame as a fulcrum and beyond has bolted to it a sleeve nut tapped to
receive the screwed length of the feed screw of the boring bar which is operated by
manual or other power.
At some convenient portion of the casing tube outside the
"face" a downward branch is provided which is closed by a straight through valve
such as the "Peet" valve which, being opened, allows the débris from the boring
tool to fall downward to the floor of the seam. A gauge will also be provided
which will indicate the presence and pressure of gas or water.
The apparatus having been fixed the casing tube is tested by a pump attached to
the outer end with a pressure considerably above what would be due to any
possible head of water likely to be met with. The test pipe is now removed and
the sleeve nut bolted to the outer end of the tube and the required lengths of
boring tool rods are inserted to reach to the inner end of the tube the screwed feed
rod entering the outer end of the sleeve nut. Boring now goes on until the length
of screw on rod is through the nut which is then disconnected the screwed feed rod
drawn out and another length of boring rod inserted when the nut is again replaced
and the further boring proceeds and so continues until either the total desired
extent of the bore hole is reached or until the boring tool "holes" into old
workings or spaces in which gas or water is confined the presence of which is first
indicated on the gauge.
The miners now cease boring and report to the manager
who, in the case of gas, taps a test sample from a cock provided in the tube for the
purpose, or finding only water proceeds to lead it away by a hose or pipes to a
convenient place to be pumped to the surface or to a drift. If gas is found it will
be similarly taken away by pipes to a safe exit and there discharged.
Dated this 7th day of January 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Boring Coal or other Minerals, and
Apparatus therefor, whereby Danger to Life by the Escape of
Confined Gas or Water is Prevented.
I, JOHN COWEY, of Lowland Cottage, near Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to enable holes to be bored in coal or other
minerals without danger to life by the issue of gas, or of water, from places, such
as old workings in which they have accumulated and are confined.
Accidents of this kind sometimes ending fatally, are of frequent occurrence in
coal mines and only very recently lives were sacrified in a Durham colliery by the
boring tool suddenly "holeing" into a place in which deadly gas was confined
which lives, by my method and apparatus would have been saved.
In ordinary emergencies caused by the sudden outrush of gas (or water or both)
as in the instance just referred to, the only resource is to withdraw the boring tool
and plug the hole but this is at best only a precarious operation attended with great
danger, and in many instances is impracticable.
According to my invention the hole in the coal or other mineral is made gas and
water tight from the first operation of the boring tool which works within a tube casing
first inserted in a hole bored a foot or two from the "face" to receive it and made
gas and water tight, both at the inner end and also against the face by packing so
that even should the casing tube be damaged between these points no gas or water
will issue at the "face." The outer end of the casing tube is secured to a timber
frame as a fulcrum and beyond has bolted to it a sleeve nut tapped to receive the
screwed length of the feed screw of the boring bar which is operated by manual or
other power.
At some convenient portion of the casing tube outside the "face"
downward branch is provided which is closed by a straight through valve such as
the "Pect" valve which, being opened, allows the debris from the boring tool to
fall downward to the floor of the seam. A gauge will also be provided which will
indicate the presence and pressure of gas or water.
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The apparatus having been fixed the casing tube is tested by a pump attached
to the outer end with a pressure considerably above what would be due to any
possible head of water likely to be met with. The test pipe is now removed and
the sleeve nut bolted to the outer end of the tube and the required lengths of
boring tool rods are inserted to reach to the inner end of the tube the screwed feed
rod entering the outer end of the sleeve nut. Boring now goes on until the length
of screw on rod is through the nut which is then disconnected the screwed feed rod
drawn out and another length of boring rod inserted when the nut is again replaced
and the further boring proceeds and so continues until either the total desired
extent of the bore hole is reached or until the boring tool "holes "into old workings
or spaces in which gas or water is confined the presence of which is first indicated
on the gauge. The miners now cease boring and report to the manager who, in the
case of gas, taps a test sample from a cock provided in the tube for the purpose, or
finding only water proceeds to lead it away by a hose or pipes to a convenient place
to be pumped to the surface or to a drift. If gas is found it will be similarly taken
away by pipes to a safe exit and there discharged.

page_text: view of the flange F¹ on end of nut G with the method of disconnecting from bolts
in F.
"
The apparatus is fixed to a timber frame wedged between the "floor" and
"roof," and consists of a tube A inserted in a hole previously drilled a few feet
from the "face," the inner end of the tube being fitted with an india-rubber sleeve B
projecting slightly beyond the tube end, and secured from slipping back by a
ferrule. On the tube A outside the "face" is a flange C, and the outer end is
screwed into a branch
C
upon a cross socket E, the opposite branch of which
carries another length of tube D with a flange F screwed upon it having 3 studs
projecting from it to engage with corresponding holes in a flange F¹ upon the
end of a gun-metal sleeve nut G tapped to receive the threads on the feed
screw S, to the inner end of which the boring rods L and drill M are attached,
and pass through the tube A to its inner end. The upper branch of the "cross
socket carries a pressure gauge, and the lower branch is connected by a short length
of tube to a gun-metal "Peet" valve V opened or closed by a handwheel. The
apparatus is secured to the timber frame between two clamping plates H H' by
bolts J; two other bolts K in these plates acting against the flange C to force the
india-rubber sleeve B on end of tube against the coal at inner end of the hole,
making it gas and water tight, the flange C being at the same time forced against
the "face," and when the coal is much broken an india-rubber washer may be
inserted between so that, even should the casing tube A be damaged, no gas or
water can issue at the "face."
"
The apparatus having been fixed, the casing tube A is tested by a pump attached
to the outer end with a pressure considerably above what would be due to any
possible head of water likely to be met with. The test pipe is now removed, and
the sleeve nut bolted to the outer end of the tube, the required lengths of boring
tool rods having been inserted to reach to the inner end of the tube; the screwed
feed-rod S entering the outer end of the sleeve nut G. Boring now goes on until
the length of screw on rod S is through the nut, which is then disconnected by
turning the flange F' clear of the studs in F, the screwed feed-rod drawn out and
another length of boring-rod inserted, when the nut is again replaced and the
further boring proceeds, and so continues until either the total desired extent of
the borehole is reached or until the boring tool "holes" into old workings, or
spaces in which gas or water is confined, the pressure of which is first indicated on
the gauge.
The miners now cease boring and report to the manager, who, in the
case of gas, taps a test sample from a cock provided in the tube for the purpose;
or finding only water proceeds to lead it away by a hose, coupled to the pipe under
the valve V, to a convenient place to be pumped to the surface or to a drift. If
gas is found it will be similarly taken away by pipes to a safe exit and there dis-
charged. The lengths of the boring rods being screwed act as creepers to
bring the "debris out to the cross socket E where it will fall down to the valve V
and be discharged from time to time by opening the valve.
"
66
"
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 :-
1st. In boring coal or other minerals the use of an apparatus having a tube
inserted and made gas and water tight in a hole, previously bored to receive it, and
encasing the boring rods, and adjustable from a fixed point outside the face
substantially as described and shewn.
2nd. In combination with such a gas and water tight tube encasing the bore rods
a tapped nut, or equivalent fitting, readily attached to or detached from the outer
end of said tube in which works a feed screw to which the lengths of boring rods
are connected substantially as described and shewn.
3rd. In combination with a gas and water tight tube encasing the bore rods, and
a tapped nut, or equivalent fitting, a downward branch to a valve which can be

page_text: opened to discharge the debris worked out by the boring drill or closed when gas
or water is "holed" into substantially as described and shewn.
4th. The apparatus for boring coal or other minerals comprising the various
parts in combination, constructed and operating substantially as described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Deted this 8th day of May 1901
T. J. DANSON, F.Inst.P.A.,
2, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Agent for Applicant.