US500017A

US500017A - Mode of excavating shafts

Info

Publication number: US500017A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 1910-06-20

Description

(No Model.)

D. N. LONG. MODE 0F EXGAVATING SHAFTS.

No. 500,017. Patented June 20, 1893.

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4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID N. Lone, on BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

MODE OF EXCAVATING SHAFTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,017, dated June 20, 1893.

Application filed February 24, 1891. Serial No. 382,412. (No model.)

' cavating shafts for mines or for other purposes and will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through a shaft partly completed. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation showing a modification of the method of excavating the shaft from the interior upward.

One of the conditions necessary to the car leading from a point at the bottom of the shaft or beyond it, and from thence out.

through the side of the hill or mountain, but Where no convenient outlet of that kind is to be had then a tunnel is required long enough to lead to an outlet.

My invention consists first, in sinking one, or more test pits, 2, perpendicularly through the rock or soil, to the full depth of the shaft, or into the outlet or tunnel, 1.

The second part of my invention consists in excavating the shaft from the bottom upwardly preferably by means of explosives, such as gun powder, or dynamite or other high explosive which is preferred, but the excavation may be made by the pick or shovel, or other well known means without the use of explosives when the nature of the material will permit, but for rock or other hard material I prefer the use of explosives. The excavation upward can be made without use of explosives when the conditions are favorable by means of the suspended bucket, 9, (see Fig. 2,) or platform, connected to a cable, or rope, passing up through the test pit and connected withawindlass for raising or lowering it. In this case protection overhead of some kind would be required to shield the workmen from falling stones or earth. A cone shaped shield, 10, of heavy sheet iron, substantially as shown, would be a suitable device for the purpose. This bucket and shield could be drawn up to any point desired to enable the workmen to remove the earth by any well known means, or to trim the sides of the shaft if required.

The explosive being placed in acan 3, is connected by a wire, 3, or its equivalent, and let down through the test pit and when down to the proper point, and secured substantially as shown in the drawings, it is exploded in the usual Way by electricity, which operation disintegrates the rock or earth and it falls to the bottom of the tunnel, 1. The explosion takes out an amount, more or less substantially as shown at 4, in the drawings. This process is continued upward until the shaft is completed.

To facilitate the removal of the material, I cut the bottom of the tunnel lower than the point, 5, Wherethe material, 6, falls and is received, so as to leave the level on which the dumping cars may run below the bottom, 5, so that the top of the car, 7, will be substantially even with or below the level, 5, from which the material can be easily shoveled or dumped into the car and then removed. WVhe'n the dbris is cleared away after an explosive being let down to a point a few feet higher than the preceding explosion, until the shaft is excavated from the bottom to the top.

When Water is abundant a valve, 8, of leather or other suitable flexible material can be secured at the top of the explosive material and the test pit filled with water which will add effectively to the downward force of the explosive material and will cause the blast to expand its force in a lateral and downward direction.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein described mode of excavating shafts for mines or other purposes,which consists in sinking a test pit to the depth required, then cutting a tunnel to intersect. the bottom of the test pit and thereby form an outlet for the dbris then excavating the rock or earth from the bottom of the test pit upward until the shaft is complete substantially as described.

,plosion the same operation is repeated the ex- ICO 2. The herein described mode of excavating shafts formines or other purposes, which consists in sinking a test pit to the depth required, then forming an outlet for the dbris at the bottom of the test pit then lowering an explosive down to the required depth in the test pit by means of a connecting wire, then exploding the same by a current of electricity,

which removesa sufficient amount of earth or rock to give the required diameter to the shaft,

then removing the dbris through the outlet, IO then repeating the operation above the removed portion of the shaft as often as may be required until the shaft iscompleted, sub-- stantially as described. 1 DAVID N. LQNG. Witnesses:

.T. M. CALDWELL,

JAMES SANGSTER.