Transactions of the Federated Institution of Mining Engineers Volume 7 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1894 Excerpt: ...of the engine, because some few years ago a serious accident was caused by an engineman taking fright. His engine was running away as he was drawing water with a single tub without a counter-balance. He could not see whether the tub had been emptied, and started back with the tub full of water instead of an empty one. The tub began to run, and instead of putting on the brake and letting the tub run and checking it as much as possible, he reversed the engine. The consequence was that the front end of the bed-plate was moved about two inches forward from the holdingdown bolts, and caused serious damage to the engine. Mr. Hassam asked how long the oldest Melling gear had been at work at any colliery? Mr. Melling said that the difference between the stroke of the reversing lever to work the steam reversing-gear, and the length of the stroke of a hand reversing-gear was considerable. The former was from 14 to 16 inches on the average, and the average stroke by hand about 30 inches, so that it took considerably more time to move 30 than 16 inches, and the steam reversing-gear could be operated faster than hand reversinggear. And in the case of a heavy winding engine the advantages of the use of a steam reversing-gear were apparent. There was always the power at hand of opening or shutting the throttle-valve which supplied steam to the reversing-gear, and there could not be a too sudden or, on the other hand, a too slow reversal, as there was means of adjustment. The first steam reversing-gear was applied to a winding engine in November, 1889, at one of the pits of the Nunnery collieries, Sheffield, and was still in use. Mr. W. Heath said there was no more complication in a slide-valve engine combined with the steam reversing-gear, than in an engine fitted with Co...