IMPROVEMENTS .IN MECHANICAL FOUNTAINS FOR DRAWING ROOMS AND OTHER APARTMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Guy Wilson, of 71, Market Street, in the City of
Manchester, and 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the City of London,
Mechanical Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
.IN MECHANICAL FOUNTAINS FOR DRAWING ROOMS AND OTHER APARTMENTS."
A communication from abroad by Woldemar Finsch, Engineer, of Bromberg,
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 28th February 1879, and dated the 29th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Guy Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th August 1878.
JOHN GUY WILSON, of 71, Market Street, in the City of Manchester, and 8,
Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the City of London, Mechanical Engineer and
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL FOUNTAINS FOR DRAWING ROOMS
AND OTHER APARTMENTS." A communication from abroad by Woldemar Finsch,
Engineer, of Bromberg, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a portable
mechanical fountain for drawing and other entertaining rooms which occupies little
room and requires only a small quantity of water, the same being contained within
the apparatus and being constantly pumped over and over again, and so as to
produce a jet of constant height.
This fountain affords facilities for being combined with a flower stand and
aquarium, and also serves as a means of cooling the temperature and laying the
dust in any apartment where it may be used.
Now these improvements consist in the employment of atmospheric pressure
as a means of actuating the pump mechanism employed in this description of
fountain instead of employing a heavy falling weight or spring for the purpose as
heretofore.
In carrying out the Invention I employ a cylinder mounted upon pivots at its
lower extremity and fitted with a piston to which a pulley is connected.

page_text: A cord secured at one extremity to a fixed point is passed round this pulley and
has its other extremity affixed to the drum of the actuating or pumping mechanism,
and thus when such actuating mechanism is wound up the cord coils round the
drum and lifts the piston to the top of the cylinder. A vacuum being thus formed
beneath the piston the atmospheric pressure upon the top of such piston will serve
as a motive power for uncoiling the cord, and thus of imparting the required
motion to the pump mechanism.
The piston in the cylinder is fitted with a suitable spring valve, so that in case
of the cord breaking such valve by opening suddenly allows the air to enter beneath
such piston, preventing any destructive shock, being produced.
A float is also provided for stopping the pumps self-actingly when the highest
required level of the water is obtained; it is also preferred to have the piston rods of
the pumps arranged like plungers and to be half the area of the inlet and outlet
valves, so as to ensure the same quantity of water being raised by the rising and
falling of such pistons.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Guy Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
*February 1879.
JOHN GUY WILSON, of 71, Market, in the City of Manchester, and 8, Quality
Court, Chancery Lane, in the City of London, Mechanical Engineer and Patent
Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL FOUNTAINS FOR DRAWING ROOMS
AND OTHER APARTMENTS." A communication from abroad by Woldemar Finsch,
Engineer, of Bromberg, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a portable
mechanical fountain for drawing and other entertaining rooms, which occupies little
room and requires only a small quantity of water, the same being contained within
the apparatus and being constantly pumped over and over again, and so as to :
produce a jet of constant height.¸
This fountain affords facilities for being combined with a flower stand and
aquarium, and also serves as a means of cooling the temperature and laying the
dust in any apartment where it may be used.
Now these improvements consist in the employment of atmospheric pressure.
as a means of actuating the pump. mechanism employed in this description of
fountain instead of employing a heavy falling weight or spring for the purpose as
heretofore.
And in order that the said. Invention may be more readily understood and
carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings upon
which Fig. 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a front view; and Fig. 3 a plan, all partially
in section of a mechanical fountain embracing the said improvements; Fig. 4 is a
side view; Fig. 5, a front view; and Fig. 6, a plan (all upon a larger scale than
Figs. 1, 2, and 3) of the mechanism employed in actuating the said fountain, and
the other Figures represent details of the same mechanism.
;
In all the views A is the basin in which the fountain works as illustrated, and
which basin may also serve as an aquarium or receptacle for marine animals,.
whilst the surrounding space c is capable of being used to contain mould or earth
in which to grow plants or seeds. B is the casing containing the actuating:
mechanism, and b, b, are shelves upon which ornaments may be placed, or which
may constitute stands for flower pots. D is a cylinder fitted with a piston P, and*
to the upper side of which the pulley R is affixed as herein-after described.
A cord,
S secured at one extremity to the bracket i is passed round the pulley R as illus-
trated, and its other extremity is affixed to the drum T which acts by a train of
wheels and levers on the water pumps p.
This mechanism is wound up by means of the winch handle a when the cord S.
coils round the drum T and thereby lifts the piston P to the top of its .cylinder.
A vacuum being thus formed beneath the piston P the atmospheric pressure upon,
the top of such piston will serve as a motive power for uncoiling the cord S, and
thus of imparting the requisite motion to the pumping mechanisın.
It will be apparent that in this Invention the apparatus is more portable, being
only about half the weight of similar apparatus driven in the ordinary manner, and
that no destructive shock can occur as in the case of a weight being employed and
accidentally falling to the floor:-
The driving cylinder D oscillates at the bottom upon an axis h in order that it may
follow the winding up of the cord S upon the drum T, and such cylinder is guided
to the vertical position again as the cord becomes unwound by the action of the
spiral springs s¹. The small piece fixed at the top of the cylinder is designed to
limit the upward traverse of the piston P and prevent the same rising out of the
cylinder when the apparatus is wound up."
The pulley R is so connected to the piston P that when the cord S.becomes
accidentally broken air can be admitted beneath the piston, and so prevent such

page_text: piston suddenly falling to the bottom of the cylinder. For this purpose the swivel
of the pulley R is attached to the upper extremity of a spindle S going through
the centre of the piston, and the lower extremity of this spindle is formed as a
valve V, which whilst the strain is upon the cord S remains closed against a
seating formed at the bottom of the piston P by atmospheric pressure, but in case
of a cord S breaking the spiral spring S1 causes the valve V to suddenly open and
thus allow the air to pass through the annular- space n to the under side of the
piston and so to equalise the pressure on both sides of such piston. The piston P
is packed with an india-rubber ring. The small screw g at the bottom of the
cylinder D serves to admit air to the under side of the piston when it becomes
necessary to remove such piston, for instance, in case of requiring to apply a new
cord, and which can be effected by means of a hook applied to the pulley R.
By the revolution of the druin T caused by the pressure of the atmosphere upon
the piston P, and by the train of wheels which transfer the motion to the cranks K;
and multiply the revolutions the water pumps p are driven. The connecting rods
and are connected to and actuate the levers H, H', and H"; oscillating on the
axle x.
The pumps are stopped by the float S¹, cam A¹, and anchors A" and A; when
the highest desired level or column of water is obtained and are put in motion when
the water falls below such level. The inlet and outlet valves V₁ and V₁ of the
water pumps are of exactly the same area, and thus require the same force for
operating them, and the piston rods are formed like plungers and have half the
area of the valves so as to ensure the same quantity of water being raised by each
upward and downward movement of such pistons. Half the pressure upon the
pump pistons is balanced by the counterbalance weights P¹ and P":
If the pumps are out of order the float s¹ also serves to stop the pumps and to
prevent the unwinding of the cord S and consequent falling down of the motivé
piston P by closing the small valve V₁₁, so interrupting the water spout.
•
By lifting the knob d the stopping anchors are removed from contact with the
cam A when it is required to re-start the apparatus.
.
The basin A is so arranged that its contents may be discharged, and any mud or
sediment removed by opening the screw e.
The wooden casing in which the whole apparatus except the basin A is enclosed
is arranged to be opened upon all sides to allow of an inspection of the internal
parts, particularly of the motive piston P, wheelwork, water pumps, and valves.
Instead of a crank handle to wind up the apparatus a ratchet wheel and catch
may be used and worked by a treddle placed in the lower part of the casing.
I claim as new in the improved apparatus herein-before described.
1st: The use and application of a piston working in a cylinder by atmospheric
pressure, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described, and illus-
trated on the accompanying Drawing:
2nd: The general arrangement and construction of apparatus for actuating a pair
of pumps and producing a fountain jet of constant height; substantially as and
for the purposes herein before described, and illustrated on the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Guy Wilson, have hereunto set my
i T