Show A NEW MINE CAGE george S rice chief mining engineer of the united states bureau of mines has dedicated to public use a patent just issued by the government for a hoisting cage which is primarily for use in rescue work but can be used for other purposes mr rice in describing his invention states that it has for its object the provision of a novel cage which shall have peculiar advantages in regard to portability and ease of assembling and disassembling he adds that although not limited to such use it is of especial utility in mine rescue work as an emergency cage it frequently happens in case of mine accidents 4 that the regular hoisting equipment may je be so damaged or disarranged that it cannot can not be used said mr rice in such cases the provision of an emergency cage which can be made ready in a few minutes w will il 1 I 1 greatly facilitate the work of rescue parties the cage comprises a collapsible frame consisting of two hat flat bars each bent into a form which may be termed approximately elliptical and the en ends ds welded together thus forming endless members which serve not only as uprights t but also as top and bottom frame parts the inclosing ine losing members bers for the cage 0 comprise horizontally arranged hoops each bolted to the upright frame members thus serving both to brace the frame and to form skeleton sides adapted to prevent falling or displacement of load it will be seen that the generally elliptical lip contour of the cage will greatly facilitate cili tate its travel past obstructions in the shaft and that the curved upright portions of the frame will serve to a certain extent as guide shoes in large cages it imay maybe be desirable to use more than two ot of these frame members |