Trial of Safety Cages at Ballarat, Victoria.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3088, 10 January 1879, Page 2

Trial of Safety Cages at Ballarat, Victoria.

: , BxspmjMn f Taeadtf. The trials or safety cages commenced to-day at the City of Sandhurst OompanyV Bh»ft, before the sa(^ cage t*»tdi Iboasisting of Messrs A. K. Smith (chairman). Williams, M.L.A.'s. Major Couohman, Secretary for Mines, was also present* and the trials were watched by all the mining inspectors of, tUe. ooJmw^ who. together with a lar|e naioer^r^eMr. and their friends, w«re present on the occasioq. The arrangements were carried out under the direction of Mr Grainger, inspector of mines for the Sandhurst district, who was assisted by Mr.l}. Parks, manager of the Shenandoah Company. Eight cages were on the ground, vis., lAilatfs, (BallaraJ;, Nance.'s, Seymour's, Nancarrow's, Jackson's and'Middletbn's. all of Sandhurst; William* 1!, Stawell; Hassan's, Day lesforo 1'; and Pryor's, Egerton. A model of a safety caw and took, by White, of Stawell, wlsUso whSiLl on the ground. JJpytofiU o'dook wry little progress was made, only two surface trials of Allan's and being made, which tests they stood v well as could be desired. After an Adjournment for lunch Nance's cage wai lowered to-the 36Off. level, and a trigger catch was then attached, and Messrs Nicholas and Stewart, inspectors of mines for Castlemaine and Ballarat respectively, together witb>Mr Thompson, secretary to the board, stationed themselves at the 250 ft. level. The cage, with a fall tfack on, was then drawn up at the rate, of about 500 ft. per minute, and the rope da« tached by the trigger pitch, when opposite* the 260 ft. level, when { tfae. cage, fell 7ft, and there caught. William's cage was then subjected to a similar teat, when it fell lCft. 9in. Jackson and MiddletonVwat treated in a like manner* with'the result that the cage fell .to the bottom, 100 ft. below, without catching at all,scarcely. The cage was badly knocked about, and the truck broken. The board, then .adjourned till Wednesday, at 8 o'clock. It is probable that the series of ..trials will occupy the best part of two or more days The result, so far, is anything but) satisfactory to the inventors.—Australasias.