IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN PIT OR SHAFT SINKING."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Russell Beith, of Crumlin, in the County of
Monmouth, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN PIT
OR SHAFT SINKING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Russell Beith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th February 1881.
WILLIAM RUSSELL BEITH, of Crumlin, in the County of Monmouth.
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN PIT OR SHAFT SINKING."
" IMPROVE-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used in pit or shaft
sinking.
For this purpose I use a ring frame either circular, square, oval, or other form,
according to the form of shaft to be made, and of somewhat smaller dimensions
than this shaft. This ring frame may be in segments which can be rivetted or
bolted together, and in cross section may be of an H or T girder or box or
cylindrical or of other suitable form. Upon the frame are mounted any number
of saddles which can be clamped to the frame in any desired positions. Each saddle
has pivotted to it (by a horizontal pivot which is tangential to the ring frame) the
straight bed of an ordinary power drill along which the cylinder of the drilling
apparatus can be moved upwards and downwards. The pin or pivot of the bed
passes through horizontal slots in plates or brackets, which stand up from the
saddle crosswise of the frame so that the pin or pivot can be moved inwards or
outwards away from the centre of the ring frame along these slots for convenience
of setting, and can be clamped and held to the plates at any desired distance from
the centre. Projecting from the back of the bed are also quadrants which can be
locked to the plates by locking bolts, and the bed can so be held either in a vertical
position or inclined somewhat in either way from the vertical, according to the
direction in which it is desired to form the bore holės. Some of the power drills
may be carried on the outside of the ring frame and some on the inside. The frame
is suspended by ropes or chains in any approved manner, and when required for
work it is firmly held in place by jacking screws.
The advantages obtained from the use of apparatus formed in the above manner
are that all the holes necessary for one depth of work may be bored with one setting
of the frame, and that the middle of the pit or shaft is always free, so that rubbishi
may be cleared and winding operations carried on whilst the holes are being
drilled, so that a great saving of time is effected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Russell Beith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th August 1881.
WILLIAM RUSSELL BEITH, of Crumlin, in the County of Monmouth.
.MENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN PIT OR SHAFT SINKING."
"IMPROVE-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used in pit or shaft
sinking.
For this purpose I use a ring frame, either circular, square, oval, or other form,
according to the form of shaft to be made, and of somewhat smaller dimensions
than this shaft. This ring frame may be in segments which can be rivetted or
bolted together, and in cross section may be of an H or T girder or box or
cylindrical, or of other suitable form. Upon the frame are mounted any number
of saddles, which can be clamped to the frame in any desired positions. Each
saddle has pivotted to it (by a horizontal pivot which is tangential to the ring
frame) the straight bed of an ordinary power drill along which the cylinder of the
drilling apparatus can be moved upwards and downwards. The pin or pivot of
the bed passes through horizontal slots in plates or brackets which stand up from
the saddle crosswise of the frame, so that the pin or pivot can be moved inwards or
outwards away from the centre of the ring frame along these slots for convenience
of setting, and can be clamped and held to the plates at any desired distance from
the centre. Projecting from the back of the bed are also quadrants, which can be
locked to the plates by locking bolts, and the bed can so be held either in a
vertical position or inclined somewhat in either way from the vertical, according to
the direction in which it is desired to form the bore holes. Some of the power
drills may be carried on the outside of the ring frame and some on the inside. The
frame is suspended by ropes or chains in any approved manner, and when required
for work it is firmly held in place by jacking screws.
The advantages obtained from the use of apparatus formed in the 'above manner
are that all the holes necessary for one depth of work may be bored with one
setting of the frame, and that the middle of the pit or shaft is always free, so that
rubbish may be cleared and winding operations carried on whilst the holes are
being drilled, so that a great saving of time is effected.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a vertical section of apparatus
made as above described; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same; Figure 3 shows a
side elevation, and Figure 4 an end view on a larger scale of one of the saddles
which carry the power drills.
A is the ring frame suspended at four points by two U shaped suspending rods B
each of which is itself suspended by a rope or chain from the mouth of the pit or
shaft. On the under side of the inner top flange of the frame is a toothed rack C
passing all around the frame; D, D, are saddles mounted upon the top of the frame.
On each saddle is a pinion E gearing with the toothed rack; this pinion can be
turned by a crank handle on its axis, and the saddle can thus be traversed in either
direction. It can also be locked to the frame by the lock nuts D¹. Standing up
from each saddle are two parallel brackets F. In each bracket is a horizontal
slot F through which passes a pivot which carries a plate G* to which the straight
bed G of any ordinary power drill is secured. As shewn at Figure 3 the heads of
the bolts by which the straight bed G is held to the plate G* enter a circular slot
in the back of the bed G, so that this bed can be set to incline to one side or
another as desired. From the back of the plate G* project arms G₁ carrying a
bolt G2 which also passes through the slots in the brackets. The inner ends of the
slots in the brackets are made to branch upwards and downwards in the arc of a

page_text: circle, so that when the bolt G2 is at the inner end of the slot the straight bed G
can be turned to any desired angle as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, and
can be locked in the position required by the head of the bolt, and by a lock nut
screwed onto the end of the bolt being made to bear against the sides of the brackets.
Or when the bolts are in the horizontal portion of the slot the straight bed can be
locked in a vertical position. Or the arms projecting from the back of the bed
might have a curved slot formed in them concentric with the pivot of the bed, and
the slots in the brackets be straight. As will be seen by the Drawings some of the
power drills are carried on the inside of the ring frame and some on the outside.
The small circles H indicate the positions in which the bore holes may be made by
the power drills; the small circles H at the centre of the pit or shaft may be
bored by drills fixed on a tripod.
I is a pipe for compressed air carried all around the bottom of the ring frame.
It is supplied with air under pressure through a pipe J, and has standing out from it
at intervals nozzles to which flexible pipes may be attached; the other ends of the
flexible pipes are coupled up to the valve chambers of the power drills. The flexible
pipes admit of the power drills being moved in either direction around the ring frame
without uncoupling them from the air supply pipe. When commencing to drill
holes the power drills are at the upper part of the straight beds, and as the holes
are formed they automatically feed themselves downwards along the beds as is well
understood. Before setting the boring engines to work the ring frame is locked
firmly in place by jacking screws K, K, as shewn; L is a bucket suspended by a
rope at the middle of the pit or shaft; the debris formed by sinking the pit or shaft
can at all times be drawn up by this bucket. The way in which I prefer to form
the saddles D is shewn at Figures 3 and 4.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim as my improvements in
apparatus for sinking pits or shafts,-
The combination of a ring frame with saddles capable of being moved around
the frame, and carrying power drills capable of being set to bore the positions
desired, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Russell Beith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
W. R. BEITH. (L.S.)