116 



COALFIELDS AND COLLIERIES OF AUSTRALIA. 



system, and that has a separate tail rope. A main rope has. 

 lasted five years. The old main ropes are utilised as tail ropes. 

 At a junction, the rails are given a slight downward grade in- 

 bye, so that when the tail rope is unshackled the skip with but 

 little help will pass over the points without the rope. There 

 are 30 skips in a set, each averaging 19<jcwt. of coal. At a 

 curve, tw r o bell sheaves are placed at either end, while drum 

 sheaves are in the middle. The drum sheaves are 18in. in 

 diameter, while the bell sheaves are 12in. in diameter at the 

 bottom and 9in. diameter at the top. The object of the bell 

 sheaves is to cause the rope to keep down, as it is well known 

 that a circulating belt tends to climb the greater diameter. 

 At curves, also, a rail is fastened to a board at the side, so as 

 to keep the skips in an upright position. In case a truck 

 should become derailed, a diamond (Fig. 55) is placed be- 

 tween the rails just before a curve, and an iron plate outside 



Fig. 56. Greaser. 



either rail, just opposite the diamond. The diamond is an 

 iron-bound block of wood pointed at either end. If a skip in 

 a set gets off the line, those on either side help! to bring it 

 more or less in position. The "kip" near the pit's bottom is 

 about five chains long two chains up and three chains down. 

 It has a brick facing, capped with old railway sleepers, 

 which are checked for the main sleepers to fit in. The incline 

 is given a grade of T in 59. The greasers for lubricating the 

 skip axles are smooth iron wheels mounted on carriage springs 

 (Fig. 56). The lower part of these wheels dip into troughs 

 of oil. As the axle of the skips come in contact with the 



