AN IMPORTANT MINING INVENTION.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1775, 10 September 1874, Page 3

AN IMPORTANT MINING INVENTION.

Yesterday we were shown an invention by Mr. David Milliken, engineer, of this city, which will be found to be of great importance to those connected with mining machinery. It has been found that a great deal of labor was incurred, and risk run of damage to machinery, in disconnecting, and, especially, connecting the pumps of the mine to the machinery, besides the impossibility of regulating the pumping to the exact quantity of water to be raised. Mr. Milliken has given the subject a considerable amount of attention for a number of years, and has succeeded in bringing out an invention of a very simple character, which promises to simplify these difficulties. It is known that the pumps of mines are worked from a crank. Instead of this crank a wheel, proportionate to the power of the engine, is substituted. With this wheel is cast a circular projection around which a wrought-iron ring, joined in two parts by two clamping bolts, is fixed. From this ring a pin, to which the pump rods are attached, protrudes. After the rods are joined to the pin,*the stroke may be regulated as necessity requires, from either a short to a long one, or vice versa ; in fact, all that is required to change the stroke, so a« either to pump up only a few gallons of water per hour, or the full capacity and power of the pump, is simply to unscrew the two clamping bolts about half a turn each, and move the engine round to the length of the stroke required to re-screw the bolts, and the change is completed If necessary, by the changing of the ring as above stated, the pumps may be stopped drawing water altogether without the labor of disconnecting them being incurred. In the event also of the "'bob ''" becoming jammed while the engine is in motion, the danger of a breakage of machinery may be obviated by the bolts gripping the ring being only screwed up sufficiently to secure the ordinary weight of the rods, so that upon any extra pressure the ring will slide round the projection and relieve the engine or pump of the additional strain. Another object of the invention is to provide an easy and efficient means of regulating the pumping to the exact quantity of water to be raised without interfering with the speed of working of any other machinery attached, such as winding and crushing. And also an easy means of guarding against risk or breakages, which occur in changing the stroke by the old method, and the trouble and necessity of using sliding pillowblocks, and their connection or disconnection of the rods or brasses. The invention has been fitted up at the Great Extended Hustler's Company's mine, and has been found to work admirably, and to the entire satisfaction of the manager.—Bendigo Advertiser, 7th. August.