IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING GASES AND FOUL AIR PROM MINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Johann George Böhringer, of Cannon Strec
Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING GASES AND FOUL AIR PROM MINES
TY
33
Sealed the 27th May 1873, and dated the 3rd December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Johann George
.Böhringer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd December 1872.
I, JOHANN GEORGE BÖHRINGER, of Cannon Street Road, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING GASES AND
FOUL AIR FROM MINES AND OTHER UNDERGROUND EXCAVATIONS," to be as
follows:
This Invention relates to apparatus by which an intermittent with-
drawal of gases and air from mines and underground workings can be
effected by animal, steam, or other power.
The apparatus consists of one, two, or more pairs of rising and falling
vessels arranged within fixed vessels, the lower portions of which are
double for the reception of water or other liquid, and into which the

page_text: movable vessels are partly submerged. Valves are arranged at the tops
and also at the bottoms of the fixed vessels, for the ingress and egress
of the gases and air therein and therefrom while the movable vessels are
in action; I arrange each pair of vessels in proximity so that they may
rise and fall alternately through chains and pullies, or a rock beam, as
desired.
The apparatus is preferably fitted on or in the mouth of a shaft
or opening, and in such a manner that every lift and every down
stroke of the movable cylinders draw the gases and the foul air
into them through the inlet valves, and the return stroke discharges
the gases and foul air into the atmosphere or into a furnace to be
burnt.
By the employment of this Invention a vacuum is created in an
up shaft, which can only be supplied with air from a lower level, such
as from galleries, drifts, and adits, in which foul air and gases are
known to originate, fresh air being admitted to them by the cage shaft
or other opening.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Johann George Böhringer in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHANN
GEORGE BÖHRINGER, of Cannon Street, East, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Johann George Böhringer, Her
special licence that I, the said Johann George Böhringer, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Johann
George Böhringer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term 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
:

page_text: of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING
GASES AND FOUL AIR FROM MINES AND OTHER UNDERGROUND EXCAVATIONS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Johann George
Böhringer, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Johann George Böhringer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to apparatus by which an intermittent with-
drawal of gases and air from mines and underground workings can be
effected by animal, steam, and other power.
The apparatus consists of one, two, or more pairs of rising and
falling vessels arranged within fixed vessels, the lower portions of
which are double for the reception of water or other liquid, into which
the movable vessels are partly submerged. Valves are arranged at
the tops and also at the bottoms of the fixed vessels for the ingress
and egress of the gases and air therein and therefrom while the movable
vessels are in action. I arrange each pair of vessels in proximity so
that they may rise and fall alternately through chains and pullies, or a
rock beam, as desired.
The apparatus is preferably fitted on or in the mouth of a shaft
or opening, and in such a manner that every lift and every down
stroke of the movable cylinders draw the gases and the foul air
into them through the inlet valves, and the return stroke discharges
the gases and foul air into the atmosphere or into a furnace to be
burnt.
By the employment of this Invention a vacuum is created in an
up shaft, which can only be supplied with air from a lower level,
such as from galleries, drifts, and adits, in which foul air and gases are
known to originate, fresh air being admitted to them by the cage shaft
or other opening.

page_text: My Invention will be well understood from the accompanying
Drawings and the following detailed description thereof.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus, in which A, A¹, are a
pair of rising and falling vessels, shown separately in section at
Figure 3, while B, B', are the corresponding fixed vessels in which they
rise and fall. The lower portions b, b, of the fixed vessels are double
and filled with water in which the lower parts of the movable
vessels are at all times submerged, so as to form an air-tight joint.
Valves D, D', are arranged at the upper and lower parts of the fixed
vessels B, B', for the ingress and egress of the gases and foul air
which enter and are forced out through the valves in the direction
shown by the arrows as the movable vessels rise and fall by means of
'the chain E, and the pulleys F and F¹ supported upon the frame-
work K.
In Figure 1 the motive power is supplied by a steam engine, shown
in dotted lines, which actuates a lever G centred and moving upon
the point H and rocking through the arc a, c, H being attached
to the chain E at the point c. At each stroke of the piston the
lever G is made to move through the arc a, e, H, and drawing the
'chain E operates the raising of the movable vessel D¹ and the falling
of the movable vessel D, the two vessels being so arranged in
relation to one another that their rising and falling is produced
alternately.
The double apparatus is placed at the mouth of or in the shaft of
a mine or other excavation, and every up and every down stroke of
the movable vessels draws the foul air and gases from below into the
fixed vessels, while every reverse stroke discharges them into the
surrounding atmosphere, into a furnace conveniently placed to consume
them, or into any receptacle prepared to receive them.
It is evident that as many pairs of the fixed and movable vessels may
be used in an apparatus as will effectually fulfil the purpose for 'which
they are intended, namely, to create a vacuum in the mine or other
excavation by the exhaustion of the impure air and gases therefrom,
which can only be filled by the pure air from above rushing in to
'supply their place, although in the present instance one pair only are
shown.

page_text: Figure 2 shows so much of an apparatus as will explain its action
when actuated by a rocking beam instead of by means of a chain and
pulleys, as described with reference to Figure 1. In this case the
beam L is centred upon a standard M raised for the purpose upon the
framework of the vessels B, B¹. It is actuated from the steam engine
directly by means of the link N attached to it at the point n, at a
convenient distance from the centre and one of its extremities. The
movable vessels are attached directly to the extremities of O, P, of the
rocking beam by means of the rods Q, R, connected to short
links o, p, depending from each end of the beams. The other parts of
the apparatus and its action are precisely as described with reference to
Figure 1.
Figure 3 as already stated shows separately in section through the
line x, y, of Figure 1, the lower parts b, 61, of the fixed vessels B, B¹, and
the movable ones A and A¹.
The motive power has hitherto been spoken of as derived from a
steam engine, and no doubt in a great number of instances that
means will be found the most convenient and economical, but it is
evident that animal, manual, or other power may with equal readiness
be applied.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
apparatus whereby gases and foul air are withdrawn from mines and
other underground excavations, by means of one or more pairs of
rising and falling vessels arranged within corresponding fixed vessels, as
described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I, the said Johann George Böhringer, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in
the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
JOH CG
BOHRINGER
1
JOH GO BOHRINGER. (L.S.)