340 



M I N E. 



of am i be towered gradually as the rock is blown up and 

 wro ' J g nt away. The common practice in pits with 

 ' 



_ 



Winning a one or ^ wo sets '' P um P s > an( l where the sets are of 

 coal-field, no great size or weight, is to have two shroud-laid 

 ropes or cables, named ground ropes, of abundant extra 

 strength to meet casualties and heavy strains.. These 

 ropes are made fast below the clack-seat door, and are 

 passed up each side of the pumpt, having a piece of 

 service or lapping put round them, opposite to each 

 flange, to prevent their being chafed or cut; and a 

 strong lashing of pliable hand line acts as a collar at 

 each pump, which connects the whole pile firmly to- 

 gether. The ropes are sometimes passed over two large 

 pulleys at each side of the pit mouth, and several turns 

 are taken round a strong circular post of wood, fixed 

 deep and firmly in the ground. As the pumps sink 

 down, the ground ropes are slacked off or eased away, 

 care however being taken to keep a considerable bear- 

 ing upon them, so as to have at least a fourth or a 

 third of the weight suspended ; this is a very rude 

 and a very old plan, though still in practice. This 

 method is greatly improved by having strong five-fold 

 tackles attached to the top of the ground-ropes, and 

 the fold of the tickles passed round the post as above 

 described ; by this plan the lowering is not only per- 

 formed more correctly and easily, but the pumps can be 

 lifted up immediately by applying the tacklefolds to 

 crabs or capstans. In this process a caution is neces- 

 sary while the pumps are lowering, that their flanges 

 do not catch any of the timber-work in the pit, as the 

 weight would not only break them, but endanger the 

 lives of the men at the bottom. 



Cut the most complete and correct plan for lowering 

 the pumps in sinking, is the following, which was prac- 

 tised and brought into use by the Newcastle engineers. 

 There are attached to the wind-bore, or suction-piece, 

 PLTI two very strong ears, (see Plate CCCXCI. Fig. 1.) hav- 

 cccxci. ing counterfort brackets upon the upper side ; in 

 fig. 1. each of these is a square hole, three and a half inches 

 diameter, through which rods of iron are put and se- 

 cured by a strong cotter at the under side of the ear, 

 To these rods, U plates are attached ; these plates are 

 fixed to wooden spears, six or seven inches square, ac- 

 cording to circumstances, and are connected together 

 with side plates, in the same manner as pump spears. 

 These spears are carried up the sides of the pumps, 

 and close to the flanges, until they are as high as the 

 top of the sinking set of pumps, or a few fathoms 

 higher. Under each flange of the pumps, a lashing of 

 pliable rope is passed round both the spears and the 

 pumps ; this keeps the whole very firm and in a per- 

 pendicular direction. To the top of the spears, U 

 plates are fixed, having a large strong eye at top, to 

 each of these eyes, a five-fold tackle is hooked, and the 

 upper blocks or pulleys are suspended from strong 

 wooden beams at the top of the pit. The tackle-folds 

 pass upwards from the lower pulleys, over single 

 pulleys at each side, and are hove upon capstans 

 till there is an equal bearing on both tackles. To the 

 arms of the capstans, sledges are attached with ropes 

 or chains; these sledges are loaded with weights in 

 proportion to the weight of the column of pumps, and 

 as additional pumps are added, more weight is put in- 

 to the sledges. By this very correct and mechanical 

 arrangement, the sinking set of pumps, in the most 

 gradual manner, and of their own accord, sink as the 

 pit is sunk, and draw round the capstans. Before this 

 , method was adopted, the trouble, loss of time, and dan- 



ger attending the lowering of sinking sets were un- 



commonly great. As the sinking set is constantly go- Mines of 

 ing down, and the point for the delivery of the water al- 

 ways varying, a pipe of the same diameter, as the pumps, 

 but much lighter, is used, about eleven feet long, hav- ( 

 ing a short pipe cast near the top, to which a hose or 

 hoggar of leather is attached, of sufficient length to 

 reach the cistern where the water is delivered. Thin 

 is called the hoggar-pipe ; and in the course of sink- 

 ing, as soon as the top of the hoggar is upon a level 

 with the top of the cistern, the hoggar-pipe is re- 

 moved, a common pipe put in its place, and upon the 

 top of this pipe the hoggar pipe is again fixed. In this 

 manner the operation of sinking goes on until the co- 

 lumn of pumps has reached either the bottom of the 

 pit, or die place fixed upon for having another set of 

 pumps. A, is the sinking set of pumps, a, a, the ears 

 through which die iron rods pass connected with the 

 spears ; b, b, the spears ; c, c, the lashings ; d the hog- 

 gar-pump; e the hoggar; f,f, the tackles; g, g, the 

 single pulleys ; h, h, the tackle-fold leading to die cap- 

 stans ; i the pump spears. 



In a sinking set of pumps, the wind-bore or suction- 

 piece, is not open at the bottom as in the other sets, 

 which are fixed, but it is rounded and of a long form ; 

 it is perforated with holes of from one to two inches 

 diameter, where, besides the small holes, there is a 

 large hole for admitting a man's hand, in order that the 

 cavity may be at any time cleared of rubbish which 

 may gather within it. When the workmen are sinking, 

 the large hole is filled with a plug, having a projection 

 of such length as renders it easily drawn at any time, 

 the workmen have a number of plugs for the small 

 holes, and when the operation of sinking begins, die 

 upper tiers of holes are plugged up, and the ingress of 

 the water confined to the lower holes. By this plan, 

 as the bottom of the suction-piece is kept in the bot- 

 tom of the sump, or lowest part of the pit, the other 

 part of the pit bottom is kept dry for the operations of 

 the workmen. If the growth of water abates, more 

 holes are plugged up ; if it increases, an additional num- 

 ber of them are opened. When the operation of sink- 

 ing is suspended for any time, all the plugs are with- 

 drawn in order to give full water way to the regular 

 working of die engine; and as much depends upon keep- 

 ing the suction-piece safe, where it is exposed to vio- 

 lent strokes from the blowing up of the harder rocks, 

 it is necessary eidier to wrap it round with old ropes, 

 or to case it with staves of soft wood, which will not 

 easily split. It is further to be observed, that as in 

 sinking, a vast quantity of air enters with the water 

 every stroke of the engine, the pumps are filled with 

 air and water together. On this account, the engine 

 is wrought upon air as it ia termed ; and it is the object 

 of the engine-keeper not only to make the lifting stroke 

 very slow, but so to regulate the movement, that when 

 the stroke is completed, the engine may stop several se- 

 conds before it makes the returning stroke, to allow all 

 the air to ascend. If the engine is working as a double- 

 power engine, the same kind of halt must be made at 

 die returning stroke. This mode of working the en- 

 gine is now regulated either by water cataracts, or by 

 air vessels attached to the gear of the engine; 'or in 

 small engines, the working is regulated by a man upon 

 the hands of the engine, when the improved regulator! 

 are wanting. As the working barrels are generally 

 nine or ten feet long, and the full stroke of die engine 

 from seven to eight feet, when at regular work, it is 

 the practice to lessen the length of stroke in sinking to. 

 about six feet, because as the pumps are constantly 



