110 COALFIELDS AND COLLIERIES OE AUSTRALIA. 



well wedged against the roof. The former serves as the bar, 

 the latter as legs. 



The endless rope system of haulage is employed. One 

 rope comes down the shaft and actuates two other ropes below, 

 which are thrown in and put of gear by Fisher's friction 

 clutches. The driving engine is a geared duplex engine of 

 Tangye's make. The empty skips go down one roadway, while 

 the full skips return by another. As the skips only travel one 

 way, there is no occasion to have double diamonds for replac- 

 ing skips on the rails when they become derailed. The dia- 

 monds in this mine are made, as shown in Fig. 45, of angle 

 iron, held down by means of bolts strong enough to withstand 

 a good shock. The skips open folding doors in the headings 

 by pushing against them. These doors (Fig. 46). when closed, 

 form an obtuse angle in favour of the direction in which the 

 skip is going. A curved iron bar (E)^ fastened at one end 

 and loose at the other, is attached to each door, and serves as 

 a buffer for the skip to push against. This shape causes least 

 friction, as the bar rubs against the sides of the skip. The 

 doors are closed again by means of weights attached to cords 

 passing over pulleys (D and C), the hinges being on the oppo- 

 site side of the doors to the weights, or in some cases the doors 

 are hung at an angle, so that they close of their own accord. 



IB 



Fig. 47. Shipper. 



The tension pulley for the endless rope runs on an incline in a 

 place where water does not accumulate. Instead of weighting 

 the trolly of the tension pulley, a skip of old iron is attached 

 to it, which serves the same purpose. 



The track is laid with 18 and 201b. rails, on iron bark 

 sleepers 4ft. by 6in., placed 3ft. apart. Where curves occur, in- 

 clined rollers, called Tommy Dodds, are arranged, to guide the 

 rope in the centre. Where the rope is apt to get off the rollers 

 a shipper shown in Fig. 47, devised by the manager, is used 

 to replace the rope easily. The projection (a) is inserted 

 under a rail on the opposite side to where the rope is ; (b) rests 

 on the top of the rail; (c) is the hook to pick up the rope, 

 which swings on a pin that connects it to the lever (d). 



The greaser consists of a wooden disc between two iron discs 

 of larger diameter; the groove left above the wooden disc is 

 filled with rope. This retains the grease that employed being 

 provided by the Vacuum Oil Company better than an iron sur- 



