April 25, 1913.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

873

two additional plates could be employed suspended from
the centre pin of the hook on either side (not given a
reference letter) intermediate the pins E and the shackles
at the top of the hook and extending to below the bottom
of the existing plates, with distance pieces inserted between
same, or otherwise similarly secured, when, on either side
of the existing bottom load shackle, holes are drilled
through the plates and the distance pieces, to receive the
pin of one, two or more auxiliary shackles, and these latter
carry bullrings, or a balance chain block sometimes used in
lieu of bullrings, to receive the bridle chains of the cage at
any desired point; thus, when overwound, the cage would
have additional support in suspension from the catch plates
or cylinders, and also in high-speed winding when in the
shaft. Fig. 1 is a drawing showing a safety hook in
elevation, and fig. 2 is an elevation of the side view. (One
claim.)

16283 (1912). Improvements in Colliery or Pit Corves or
Tubs. R. Sandham, of Audenshaw-road, Audenshaw, Lanca-
shire.—This invention consists essentially of a block which
is mounted between the wheels, and provided with an
extension or extensions which carry a catch or pawl to
engage with the spokes of the wheels of the tub, so adapted
that when the tub is running in the required direction the





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catch allows the spokes to pass, but when the tub commences
to move in the opposite direction the spokes are locked by
the catch, and at the same time the block is swivelled about
its centre to cause a brake or slipper to act on the rails.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a colliery tub or corve with the inven-
tion applied thereto; fig. 2 plan of same; fig. 4 enlarged side
view ofbrake block A; fig. 5 section on line x—x, fig. 4;
fig. 6 section on line y—y, fig. 4. (Four claims.)

22269 (1912). Improvements in Safety Devices for Mine Cages
and the like. M. Nesztor, Hartford, Washington County,
Connecticut, U.S.A.—Fig. 1 is aside elevation of an elevator
safety device in accordance with this invention; and fig. 4
is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of
the safety device. In the operation of the elevator safety
device, the spring 36 immediately lowers the pin 20 rela-
tively to the angle bars 17, when the cable 22 is displaced,
and such movement of the pin 20 causes the links 25 to push
inwardly upon the cranks 27, partially rotate the shafts 28
and swing the gripping members 29 into engagement with





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the guides 1. As the outer ends of the cranks 27 move
downwardly, the locking members 38 are pulled outwardly,
and are held by the angle stops 40 and the keepers 41, thus
preventing the cranks 27 from assuming their normal
position after the gripping members 29 have been thrown
into engagement with the guides 1. The gripping members
are looked in their adjusted position, and can be only
released by manual elevation of the keepers 41, and the
locking members 38. Then the cable 22 can be repaired
and the pin 20 restored to its normal position to swing the
gripping members out of engagement with the guides.
(Three claims.)

27281 (1911). Improvements in and Relating to Detectors
of Combustible Gases. A. Philip, B.Sc., and L. J. Steele,
M.I.E E., both of his Majesty’s Dockyard, Portsmouth.—
In earlier Patents No. 22129 of 1906 and No. 5142 of 1910
there is described an apparatus dependent upon catalytic
action for the detection of combustible gases. The catalytic
action has the effect of heating a wire, and the desired
indication results from the consequent change in the resist-
ance of the wire. In an application divided from the
present (No. 3002 of 1913) there is a description of how
the sensitiveness of such apparatus may be increased to
the extent necessary to make a successful portable detector
for the purpose now in view. It has been found very
important that the apparatus shall be thoroughly protected
from the draught in the mine. The patentees have made
a successful portable detector in which the indication
results from a change in the resistance of a wire by
enclosing the wires in a portable casing which has its
inlet and outlet on the same side. Nevertheless it is
preferable to enclose the active wires so completely that
their heat cannot produce any appreciable passage of the
external mine atmosphere into their casing. It is then
necessary to provide for filling the casing with the gas to
be tested, and that without causing a variable draught over
the wires. This may quite readily be done by any simple
form of hand pump which forces air through layers of gauze
and the like by which the stream is baffled into a chamber
or relatively large cross section in which the active wire is
mounted. By this means a sample atmosphere, as it were,
is created in the chamber, and from this sample atmosphere
heated the catalytic material is supplied by its own natural
draught independently of any fluctuations in the supply from
the pump, and independently also of any draught in the mine.
It has to be remembered that the user of the apparatus will
need to carry the ordinary miner’s lamp which will be the
light by which he will read his instrument. It is therefore
advantageous that the instrument shall take its electrical
supply from the lamp. Fig. 1 is a vertical section, partly
diagrammatic, of one form of detector; fig. 2 is a detail
showing the mounting of the wires in this form of detector
partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 4 is a
diagram of the electric connections of this construction;
fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section of an alternative
construction £ of detector ; fig. 6 is a side elevation of the

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same partly in section on the line VI—VI of fig. 5; fig. 7
shows a further form of detector and indicator combined,
partly in elevation and partly in section ; fig. 8 is a plan of
this form. In the arrangement shown in figs. 1 and 2 four
wires arranged as a Wheatstone bridge are mounted in
pairs in tubes through which the atmosphere to be tested
can be caused to pass as a natural draught arising from the
heating of the wires. Two of the wires are catalytically
active, and these are preferably in the upper tube 1 and the
inactive wires in the lower tube 2. The supports 4 and 5
are insulated from the junction section 3, the outer ends of
the supports being electrically connected and joined to insu-
lated wires which pass downwards outside the tube 2. For
the sake of mechanical protection and for protection from
draughts the wire mountings and their protective tubes 1
and 2 are enclosed in an outer casing 6, which is provided
with caps 7 and 8. These make joint with the tubes 1 and
2 respectively, and open through lateral tubulures 9. The
actual air channel in these tubulures is formed by tubes 10,
the purpose of these being to prevent ingress of moisture
into the interior of the apparatus. Any moisture which
enters the tubulures 9 will fall to the bottom and drain out
through the openings 11 outside the casing. Sheets of wire
gauze 12 at the ends of the tubes 1 and 2 and at the
openings of the tubes 9 and 10 serve to remove all possi-
bility of the gases outside the instrument being ignited as
the result of combustion within. The lower cap 8 of the
instrument is prolonged into a tubular handle 14 ; one of
the insulated wires connected with the supports 4, 5 is
passed through the switch 15 in this handle which can be
closed by pressure on a button and opens automatically
when the pressure is removed. There may be provided on
the upper cap a standard 17 supporting a pith or celluloid
ball 18 or other form of wind vane which will serve to
indicate the direction of the draught. In this construction
of instrument the indicator shown diagrammatically in

fig. 3 is formed separately from the detector above described,
the two being connected only by flexible conductors. In
the form illustrated the detector, as described in the con-
current application No. 3002 of 1913, comprises a galvano-
meter or milliammeter 19 (fig. 4) which is connected across
the Wheatstone bridge formed of two catalytic wires 20
and two non-catalytic wires (i.e., wires not catalytically
active) 21. Current is supplied to the Wheatstone bridge
through the switch 15 from one or more cells of the battery
22 which supplies the miner’s lamp 23. As this battery
varies in voltage it is necessary to provide some means for
bringing the instrument into some standard condition in
which its indications will have a definite significance. This
is best done by providing means for regulating the voltage
so that a current of given or standard value may always be
passed through the Wheatstone bridge when the testing is
carried out. The dotted lines in fig. 4 serve to indicate the
extent of each of the three mechanically separate parts of
which a complete apparatus is made up. These are (1) the
ordinary miner’s lamp and battery, now provided with a
contact socket and hinges, (2) the indicator part which
includes the galvanometer and the adjusting devices con-
tained in the casing behind it, and (3) the detector which
is protected mounting with the bridge connected wires.
An alternative construction of the detector is shown in
figs. 5 and 6. In this case the active and inactive wires are
mounted not one above the other, but side by side. Each
pair is mounted in a sheet metal casing 33 which is pro-
vided with a flanged edge upon which a flat cover can
be fastened. In the form shown the cover consists of a sheet
of mica 34 secured in place by a metal ring 35; this allows
inspection of the wires. The two casings may be separated
by layers of asbestos or like heat-insulating material 36, or
merely by an air space. They have openings 37 at the
bottom and top for the admission and escape of gas. The
chambers are arranged in an outer casing which has an
inlet and outlet with respect to which the chambers are
precisely symmetrical. (Four claims.)

27949 (1912). An Improved Method and Apparatus for
Discharging Vertical Coking Chambers. Stettiner Chamotte-
Fabrik Aktien-G-esellschaft vormals Didier, of Schwarzer
Damm 13a, Stettin, Germany.—According to this invention,
the closing device, after having been moved vertically
downwards a certain distance in the well-known manner, is
tilted in such a manner that the coke escaping from the
chamber in the form of a column falls on the coke-receiving
truck. Thus the contents of the chambers are discharged
with a comparatively small amount of power and with great
speed, as, with the tilting of the closing device, which is
effected for the purpose of throwing the coke on to the coke
receiving truck, no further movement of the truck used for
lowering the closing device of the chamber, and of the
coke-receiving truck, is required. Further, the vertical
downward movement and the tilting of the closing device
can be effected in a single operation by moving downwards
the device for manipulating the closing device. The
present method has, moreover, the advantage that the
upper surface of the closing device supporting the column of
coke is exposed to much less wear than in the old arrange-
ment. The acceleration in the discharge of the chambers,
obtained by the present invention, has the further advan-
tage that the emptied chamber remains for a shorter time
open at the lower end, and therefore can be brought into
use again more quickly than in the well-known arrange-
ment. A reduction in the time during which the chamber
remains open at the bottom end has a great economical
advantage, as in that way the output of the furnace is
increased, and there are less losses of heat by radiation
which take place whilst the chamber is open. The time

during which the emptied chamber remains open can be
still further reduced, by providing the truck carrying the
hoisting device for lowering the closing device of the
chamber to be emptied with a second hoisting mechanism,
on which is placed an auxiliary closing device. This
auxiliary closing device may be made ready for placing on
the said chamber before the closing device of the chamber
to be emptied is lowered—that is to say, it can be provided
on its packing or joint surface with some such substance as
loam or the like. When the closing device of the chamber
to be discharged is then moved vertically downwards, and
thereupon tilted in order to discharge the coke on to the
coke-receiving truck, the truck carrying the hoisting

Continued on page 876.