Runaway Tubs – Denaby Man’s Safety Device

February 1923

Mexborough & Swinton Times, February 10th

Runaway Tubs

A Denaby man´s Safety Device.

Mr. I. Rodgers, of Annerley Street, Denaby Main, has invented a safety device, which may prove immensely useful for the greater security of working conditions in the mine. His invention is registered and patented as “The Rodger Self-Acting Runaway-Tub-Stopping Appliance”. As its name implies, its object is the out-come of 10 years study.

Much unnecessary labour and danger result from the fact that tubs which break away from their means of haulage cannot be checked: the result of Mr. Rodger´s experimenting is to have discovered an automatic check for runaway tubs. The appliance is so arranged that should a tub travel down an incline attached to the tub, or tubs, and gradually the self-acting brake is applied, the momentum, is reduced, and the tubs brought to a standstill.

An excellent feature of the invention is that there can be no sudden impact or smash. The inventor believes that Accidents will become less frequent, and production will be increased as at present, runaway tubs cause enormous delay. The working of the appliance is not affected by vibration, and it is solidly constructed so that it cannot easily be put out of order. Our representative, by the courtesy of Mr. Rodgers, was able to view a demonstration by a model, built from Meccano parts.

A model tub was made to travel down a toy railway line, the gradient being 1 in 36. When the trucks passed the mechanism at a moderate speed, no effect resulted. The tubs were then allowed to travel at an immoderate pace, when they were caught by a hook and gradually pulled to a standstill. The increased velocity of the runaway tub causes a striking arm to release a pin, which allows a platform, carrying the hook, to spring upwards. This results in the hook attaching itself to the rear axle of the first tub. When the appliance is brought into action, an electrical contact is made, which in the actual working, would immediately warn the engineman.

The invention has been examined by various colliery engineers, by representatives of the Yorkshire Miners Association, including Mr. Herbert Smith and by H.M.Inspector of Mines for Yorkshire and Derbyshire, Mr. F. H. Wynne. All were impressed by the possibilities of the appliance. We may be able, in the near future, to announce that the rights of the invention have been let to a well-known local firm. In addition to the prospects, Mr. Rodgers also hopes to win a prize of “00 from the Meccano firm, and a further prize from the “Colliery Guardian”, a weekly journal of matters concerning the working administration of the mines.

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