484

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

Augfdst 28, 1914.

ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS
RECENTLY ACCEPTED.

10298 (1914).—Improvements in Fluid Operated Per-
cussive Tools. W. J. Mellersh-Jackson, 28, Southampton
Buildings, London. (Communication from Ingersoll-Rand
Company, 11, Broadway, New York, U.S.A.).—Relates to
percussive tools having constant fluid pressure in one end
of the cylinder and a passage for conveying fluid to the
other end of the cylinder, which is opened by the piston
near the end of its forward stroke, and has for its object
the increasing of the effective length of this passage during
the rearward stroke of the piston, so that the fluid admis-

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sion.to the front end need not take place until the piston
has practically reached the end of its forward stroke, but
will continue during a sufficient portion of the stroke to
produce a full back stroke, the result being a heavier blow
of the piston with no greater fluid consumption. This
result is accomplished 'by a valve mechanism, a practical
embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying draw-
ings, in which figs. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sections showing
the piston and the auxiliary controlling valve in different
positions. (Four claims.)

16491 (1913).—Improved Scraper for Shot Holes in Mines
and Quarries. 0. Lewis, The Green, Trebanos, Swansea
Valley, Glamorganshire.—Relates to scrapers of the kind
used for removing drillings from shot holes in mines and
quarries. The invention consists of a timber shaft of suitable
diameter and length, and a piece of copper or copper alloy
strip inserted at the one end and bent over at right angles,
a portion of the shaft is cut away to provide clearance. The
accompanying drawing is a view of a scraper constructed
in accordance with the invention. (One claim.)

16599 (1913).





16599 (1913). Improvements in Regenerative Coke Ovens.
E. Lecocq, of 23, Avenue Albert, Forest, Brussels, Belgium.
—Has for its object a regenerative coke oven permitting
the simultaneous heating of the air and the combustible
gas and their distribution in the chambers with a view of
utilising, for the heating of the oven, gas from blast furnaces
or other gas of low heating power. The arrangement has
for its end the permitting of the heating of the gas and the
air by means of regenerators for the air and regenerators
for the gas, and assuring by practical and simple
means the distribution of the air and gas in each
heating wall, and also the independent regulation of the
air and gas therein. For this purpose each oven is provided
with four conduits underneath it. These conduits are
separate throughout their length, and are connected to the
regenerators in such a way that one pair of conduits is
traversed by the air and the other by the combustible gas,
whilst all the four channels under the adjacent oven are
traversed by the burnt gases. The accompanying drawings
show by way of example an application of the invention to
a regenerative oven constructed as described in Application
No. 10253 of 1913, i.e., in an oven in which the regenerators
are placed between columns of masonry connected by
longitudinal and transverse walls. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal
section of an oven, fig. 2 is a vertical section on a larger
scale. (Four claims.)

16953 (1913). Improved Pushrods for Brakework on Rail-
way Wagons. H. Green, 15, Ivy House, Hill-road, Neath
Abbey, South Wales, and J. H. Spruce, Pleasant-hill, Cry-
nant, near Neath, South Wales.—The object is to secure
greater wear of brake blocks with much less trouble than is
possible with existing pushrods, which are adjusted by

means of staggered holes, also to ensure safer braking, it
being capable of adjustment when a wagon is in motion,'
and the block worn to such an extent, that a readjustment is
necessary. The invention can be fitted to any railway
wagon at present in use, without altering the principle on
which the brake is applied. The invention relates to brake
rods of the kind in which the rod is made in two relatively
adjustable parts, one of which carries a pawl engaging a
ratchet on the other part, and is shown on the accompanying
drawings, of which fig. 1 shows an elevation of the rod
when applied to a wagon; fig. 2 shows an elevation in
detail detached from a wagon ; fig. 3 shows a plan in detail;
fig. 4 shows a sectional elevation on line a b. The rod is
constructed on a ratchet and pawl principle, to be worked
with one pawl or a number of pawls, and is made up with
four bars, A, B, C, D. The inner pair of bars, A, B, form
the ratchet, E, and are kept in position by the brake block,
F, at the end, and by the distance pieces, G, H, which
also act as sliders working in the slots, I, provided in the
bars, C, D, when a forward movement of the block is
required. These distance pieces also contribute to keeping
the outer pair of bars, C, D, in position, by means of the
washers, J, and the split pins, K, and the ends of the bars
are secured by a bolt to the lever, L. This pair of bars,
C, D, holds the pawl, M, which prevents slipping back when
pressure is applied. N shows corners of the pawl brackets
on bars, C, D, turned in slightly to prevent jumping of
pawl from possible jarring of wagon -when in motion. The
number of teeth in the ratchet is governed by the amount of
wear required from the blocks. The improvement is that



each of the two relatively adjustable parts is formed of a
pair of bars spaced apart, the inner pair being formed with
ratchet teeth engaged by a pawl carried by the outer pair,
requiring no mechanical aid to bring into operation. The
method of operation is as follows :—The rod is connected up
to a new block, and the pawl set in the first tooth of the
ratchet, and when the block has worn beyond its power by
the ordinary application of the brake lever, the block can be
pushed forward, and the pawl will automatically engage
with the next tooth, bringing the block again in good con-
tact with the wheel, thus an adjustment is made without
disconnecting any part of the brake gear. (One claim.)

17205 (1913). Improved Manufacture of Gelatine Explo-
sives. A. E. Verge, of 1, Rue du Midi, Vincennes (Seine),
France.—In a previous specification No. 17128, filed on
July 25, 1913, was described, together with the process of
its manufacture, a class of new liquid nitrates constituted
by compound liquid nitrates of toluene, comprising two
series : one, called series I., constituted by liquids exactly
binitrated, the melting points of which are comprised
between the ordinary temperature and — 3 degs. or
— 4degs., and the other, called series II., comprising
liquids, the proportion of nitrogen in which is comprised
between 15’3 and 16 per cent., and the points of melting
between 0 deg. and —30 degs. In the same specification
was also mentioned the application of these new liquid
nitrates to the manufacture of explosives generally. This
invention relates to new gelatine explosives obtained by
means of these new liquid nitrates. These explosives are
all gelatine explosives—that is to say, they are constituted
by oxidising salts in the form of powder, incorporated by
mixing with gelatine obtained by dissolving collodion cotton
in one of the liquid nitrates described in the above men-
tioned specification, the said liquid being used alone or
mixed with nitroglycerine. As oxidising salts are
preferably used chlorates, perchlorates, nitrates, or mix-
tures of these salts, except, however, mixtures of chlorates
with perchlorate of ammonia, the danger of which is known.
As liquid nitrates will be used, one of the compounds of the
series II., in preference to the liquid nitrates of the series I.,
owing to their greater proportion of nitrogen, and among
them, those which have the lowest point of fusion, so as to
obtain gelatine explosives freezing with the greatest pos-
sible difficulty. The most suitable for this purpose is the
liquid nitrate obtained by dissolving 20-25 per cent, of solid
trinitrotoluene in liquid binitrotoluene obtained by nitration
of a mixture of about 60 (parts) of meta-mononitrotoluene
and 40 parts of ortho-mononitrotoluene. Owing to the
special properties of the new liquid nitrates entering into
their composition, desciibed in the above-mentioned speci-
fication, these new gelatine explosives have the character-
istic property of retaining indefinitely their plasticity and
their stability whatever be the length of time during which
they are stored for temperatures varying from 30 degs. Cent,
below zero to the highest temperatures to which they may
be exposed in the practical conditions in mines (40-50 degs.
above zero). They are, moreover, very little sensitive to
mechanical action, and their power approaches that of the
high blasting explosives. If it is desired to obtain explo-
sives of a still greater force, absolutely, comparable to, if
not greater than, that of the most powerful dynamites, but
having over the latter the valuable advantage of a lower
cost price, smaller sensitiveness to mechanical action, and
more particularly considerable greater resistance to cold,
and at the same time to increase their sensitiveness to
primers, it is sufficient to mix the said liquid nitrates with
suitable quantities of nitro-glycerine. The most important
of these liquid nitrates from that point of view is again that
already mentioned, that is to say, the compound 60-25. It
has been found, in fact, that a mixture of 30 (parts) of the
said liquid nitrate and 70 (parts) of nitro-glycerine does not
freeze even at 35 degs. below zero. (Two claims.)

17722 (1913). Improvements in or relating to Retorts
or Distillation Apparatus. H. Sykes, of Hanley, Bideford,
.Devon.—Relates to improvements in retorts, and has for

its object to provide a portable apparatus particularly
adaptable for the distillation of wood and other material
whereby, as in the case of wood, for example, instead of
conveying the latter to the retort or distillation apparatus,
the apparatus can, by the present invention, be taken to
the supply of wood, thus reducing the cost of treatment.
The type of retort apparatus to which the present invention
applies is that comprising in combination a retort or furnace,
a condenser for the products distilled from the retort or
furnace and a wheeled carriage supporting both the retort
and the condenser. Suitable conduits connect the retort
and the condenser, and preferably there is provided a
receptacle for the condensed products, and means to lead
uncondensed products from the condenser. According to
the invention in an apparatus of the type above referred

to, the condenser is disposed above the retort chamber or
furnace and comprises a plurality of separated tubes, which
open at or near their extremities into conduits or headers,
each of the latter being common to all the tubes. A further
feature of the invention consists in the provision of a casing
surrounding the condenser tubes and spaced from them so
as to provide a chamber wherein the material to be treated
may be preliminarily heated. Fig. 1 is a part sectional
elevation of the apparatus; fig. 2 is a plan of fig. 1; fig. 3
is an end view looking from the right of fig. 1; and fig. 4
is an enlarged view in section of the upper part of the
apparatus on the line 4—4 of fig. 1. (Four claims.)

18166 (1913). Improved Means for Detecting Inflammable
Gases, especially adapted for use in Mines.—J. W. Manley,
A.M.I.E.E., of Woodbury, Woodville-road, New Barnet,
Herts, and W. J. L. Sandy, M.I.M.E., of 16, Caledonia-
street, King’s Cross, London, N.—According, to the inven-
tion a wTire or plate of a common metal, not of the platinum
group, is coated with granular palladium. The granular
palladium is not the pure material, but the chloride. In
detectors in which a heated metal acted upon by the gases
is used, the metal is heated by means of an electric current,
and preferably it is not heated to so high a temperature that
it incandesces, but is slightly heated and the variation

of the resistance measured, the latter varying according to
the percentage of inflammable gas present, by means of a
meter of any ordinary construction. In fig. 1 a is a wire
coated, at b, with granulated palladium, which portion
surrounds the bulb of a thermometer c. A battery d
and switch e are provided in the circuit. In fig. 2 the
coated portion b does not surround the bulb, which is sur-
rounded by a portion of uncoated wire. When in use the
thermometer in the first arrangement rises when inflam-
mable gases are present, whilst the thermometer in the
second arrangement falls. In some cases a galvanometer
may be used in place of a thermometer. (One claim.)

26871 (1913). Improvements in Rope Grips and the like
for Haulage Purposes. M. E. Aspinall, trading as Joseph
Aspinall and Company, of Bella-street, Daubhill, Bolton.—
Relates to rope or cable grips for use in overhead haulage
of tubs in coal and other mines, and other haulage systems,
where there is a more or less continuously running rope.
The invention relates to the type of grip which comprises
an open sided jaw and a movable jaw, the latter being
pivoted on an operating lever carried by the open sided
jaw, and on a different centre to that on which the lever is
pivoted. A portion of the open sided jaw which embraces

the haulage rope is made concave for its entire length,
except at the two ends, while the movable or swinging
jaw is shorter and is either straight or slightly convex, so
as to deflect the rope when the pivoted lever is operated