IMPROVE- MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR MINE SHAFTS AND OTHER HOISTS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smith, of 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR MINE SHAFTS AND OTHER HOISTS."-A com-
munication from M. Nicholas Joseph Jacquet, of Arras, in the Empire of
France.
Sealed the 20th November 1855, and dated the 23rd May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
May 1855.
I, WILLIAM SMITH, of No. 10, Salisbury St., Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN SAPETY APPARATUS FOR MINE SHAFTS AND OTHER HOISTS," (a com-
munication from M. Nicholas Joseph Jacquet, of Arras, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
It consists in the connection of a pair of bent levers or arms with the cage
or slings of the corve or tub, which lever arms are so arranged that their shorter
ends will press against the sides of the wooden rails or other guides within the
pit or shaft, or against which the hoist works, being held free of the guides
when the cage, &c. is properly suspended or in a perfect working state by a
long bow spring acting upon the longer ends of the levers, and so keeping them
free; but upon the working chain or rope breaking, the force of the spring is

page_text: called into action by drawing the extreme ends of the levers out of the hori
zontal position, and so bringing them closer together, causes the shorter ends
to come in contact with and press upon the rail or guide, and so nipping it as
to securely suspend the cage, corve, bucket, or other vessel or body used for
raising or lowering men or materials out of or into a mine, shaft, or for other
similar purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SMITH, of 10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Smith, Her special licence that I, the said William Smith,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Smith, 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 terin 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
SAFETY APPARATUS FOR MINE SHAFTS AND OTHER HOISTS," (a communication
from M. Nicholas Jacquet, of Arras, in the Empire of France.) upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Smith, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention of "Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Mine Shafts and
other Hoists," consists in the combination of bent lever arms with and between
the corve, tub, or cage frame and the slings which suspend such cage frame,
corve, or tub, and which lever arms are so mounted that they move, so that the
heads or grippers formed by the short ends of these arms or levers come into
close contact with the guide rails or other guides immediately that the longer
ends of these lever arms are released and left free to fall below the horizontal
position in which they are when at work, and which action is quickened and
the power of the grip increased by a long bow spring, one end of which is con-
nected by a link to the centre of the cross piece which connects together the
two lever arms, which work on the same side of the pit guides or guide rails.
This spring is held back and out of action when the longer ends of the levers
aro suspended or supported by the short chains, which are combined together
and connected to the main chain or rope, so that when the spring is in this
position the raising or lowering will go on uninterruptedly, the short ends or
gripping heads of the lever working clear of the guides; but should the pit
rope or chain break, or any of the connections for suspending the corve, tub, or
cage frame for raising or lowering them, became disconnected, the short con-
necting chains immediately fall, and permit of the spring acting upon the longer
ends of the levers, by depressing them, and causing them to bite firmly the
opposite sides of the guide rails within the pit or well, thus arresting the falling
of the corve, tub, or cage frame, and thereby averting the loss of life or damage
to property which would otherwise have occurred.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a cage with two
floors, and is suspended from the safety apparatus, as hereafter described by
the letters of reference; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a view of a tub suspended by cross chains from the safety apparatus,
which is shewn as gripping the guide rail as if after the tub had been suddenly
disengaged from the hoisting chain, and the short connecting chains were
simply suspended without taking the weight of the tub and the apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a plan taken on the top of the cage frame, Figs. 1 and 2, and
exhibit the mode of connecting the lever arms and the grippers.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A is a ring, to which the four short chains of the hoist are
connected to the main rope or chain; B, B, are four chains, having adjusting
screws or screw lanyards, by which the cage frame is suspended through the
connection with the safety apparatus; C, C, are the screws or screw lanyards;
Dis a cross shaft, extending across the top of the cage frame, and between the
inner edges of the guide rails; upon this shaft is jointed or hinged by means
eyes,
in the manner shewn in the plan, Fig. 4, and less distinctly in Fig. 1,
of

page_text: the connection between the lever arms and the cross frame, which connects
them in pairs. Three sets of these D*, D*, D*, are shown in Fig. 4. E, E,
the lever arms, connected in pairs, as already described; F, F, are the short
ends or grippers; G, the bow spring, attached to the two hinged flaps formed
by the connection of the levers E, E; H, H, are short rods with joints, to which
the
cage frame or the suspending chains of the bucket of the tub or corve may
be attached; I is the top division of the cage frame; J is the bottom of ditto,
ditto; K, K, are the wooden guide rails in the mine shaft or well; L is the
top floor of cage frame; M is the bottom floor of ditto; N is a buffing spring,
of which there may be two or more fixed to the bottom of the cage frame, O
being a stretching bar or tie rod; P, P, in Fig. 4, represent trap-doors in the
top frame or flaps connected with the safety apparatus; Q is the cross piece
connecting the lever arms E, E, and to which the chains B, B, are connected;
R, R, tram waggons; S, S, sleepers or stop blocks; T, T, moveable stops for
blocking the wheels of waggon. When metallic guide ropes are used instead
of guide rails, the grippers are suitably scored.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, I would observe that grippers of various kinds have been used for
stopping or retarding the falling of such apparatus in mine and other shafts;
and I do not claim the use of levers or grippers to nip, bind, or grip the guide
rails or guide ropes in such cases, when not connected and brought into action
in the manner herein described; but what I do claim is, the combination of
levers connected in the manner described, or any mechanical equivalent
arrangement with spring or springs of the form described herein, and as
exhibited in the Drawing hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN WILLIAM TIBBERT,
10, Salisbury Street, Adelphi.
WILLIAM SMITH. (L.B.)