IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF APPLYING SEWAGE TO LAND
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hinton Bovill, of 24, Duke Street, West-
minster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF APPLYING SEWAGE TO LAND."
Sealed the 24th October 1866, and dated the 14th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hinton Bovill
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th May 1866.
I, GEORGE HINTON BOVILL, of 24, Duke Street, Westminster, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OF APPLYING SEWAGE TO LAND," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in distributing sewage to agricultural land by
means of subsoil irrigation through suitable pipes laid in the land, which
pipes are arranged to serve the double purpose of subsoil irrigation and as a
means when not so employed of draining the land; these pipes are connected
with field service mains and outfall pipes provided with suitable sluices or
valves to close or open the outfall pipes and field service supply pipes, so that
the supply of sewage for subsoil irrigation and the drainage of the land may
be regulated in respect to each section or part of the land at pleasure. The

page_text: sewage is to be applied under pressure to make it permeate the soil and rise
through the earth upwards to the surface. The sewage previous to its appli-
cation is to be deprived of its solid matter by filtration, or by subsidence in
reservoirs used in combination with this process. These collecting reservoirs,
where practicable, are to be constructed on a sufficient elevation above the
land to be irrigated, and so as to give the necessary pressure to force the
sewage water flowing through the subsoil pipes through the earth upwards
to the surface, or the requisite pressure may be obtained by steam or other
Dower
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hinton Bovill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HINTON BOVILL, of 24, Duke Street, Westminster, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Hinton Bovill, Her special licence that I, the said
George Hinton Bovill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Hinton Bovill, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein. expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF APPLYING
SEWAGE TO LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George, Hinton Bovill, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hinton Bovill, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following, statement thereof, that is to say:—
.
be
_ This, Invention consists in distributing sewage to agricultural land by
means of subsoil irrigation through suitable pipes laid in the land, which
pipes are arranged to serve the double purpose of subsoil irrigation and as a.
means when not so employed of draining the-land; these pipes are connected
with field service mains and outfall pipes, provided with suitable sluices or valves,
to close or open the outfall pipes and field service supply pipes, so that the.
supply of, sewage, for subsoil irrigation and the drainage. of the land may
regulated in respect to each section or part of the land at pleasure; the
sewage is to be applied under pressure to make it permeate the soil and rise
through; the earth upwards to the surface. The sewage, previous to its
application, is to be deprived of its solid matter by filtration, or by subsidence,
in, reservoirs used in combination with this process. These collecting reser-
voirs, where practicable, are to be constructed on a sufficient elevation above,
the land to be irrigated, and so as to give the necessary pressure to force the
sewage water, flowing through the subsoil pipes through the earth upwards.
to the surface, or the requisite pressure may be obtained by steam or other
power.
(*)
1)
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
"
.
Figure 1, is a section, and Figure 2 a plan of the works for the disposal
and utilisation of the sewage. E.(Figures 1 and 2). is a double depositing
reservoir arched over and covered with earth; into this reservoir the sewage
is collected, having previously passed through a strainer to keep back straws,
twigs, stones, and other obstructing matters. The inlet or supply culvert is
provided with a branch pipe to regulate the supply to either reservoir. When
one, compartment is filling, the other having had time to deposit the solid.
matter of the sewage, the sewage water is run off through the main delivery
pipe (h, h, Figures 1 and 2,) to the land branch pipes with sluice cocks, (d, d,),
connect the field service, mains (1, 1,) with the main delivery pipe. The sewage
can be applied to each; field. separately and regulated at pleasure. The subsoil
distributing drain, pipes (3, 3, 3, 3, Figures 1 and 2,) are connected at one end
to the field service mains (11). The subsoil distributing pipes (3, 3, 3.) I
prefer to have about 24" diameter perforated at the sides (Figures 3 and 4
enlarged scale): They are shown, about 7 inches below the surface in the
meadow land,, and, about 1.5 inches below the surface in arable land, but this
will vary with different soils. The subsoil distributing pipes are, connected at-
the lower ends with the outfall pipe (2,2, Figures 1 and 2,) provided with a
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page_text: any
"
"
:
stop valve (i,,) to shut off the outfall when the sewage irrigation is carried'
on, or to allow the pipes at other times to act as drain pipes to carry off the
water from the land into the ditch. The irrigation process is as follows:-
The reservoir is to be at a sufficient height 'above the level of the land to be
irrigated, so that by the pressure of this head the sewage water will flow to 5
farm or number of fields. When the sluice (d) is opened the fluid sewage
will at once flow into the field service mains (1, 1,), from which it circulates'
into the subsoil distributing. pipes (3, 3, 3,), and is stopped from running to'
waste by the outfall" pipe (2, 2,) being closed by the stop valve (i): The
pressure is to be kept in the pipes until the sewage is forced through 'the'
perforations in the subsoil pipes (3, 3, '3,) in a lateral direction, and permeates
the soil and rises through the soil upwards to the surface, as shewn in Figure 3,
by the blue line, when the sluice cock (d) to regulate the supply is to be shut.
Any irregularities or fall in the surface of the land may be provided for by
regulating the flow of sewage by means of extra stop valves on the field service':
mains (1; 1,). When the land has absorbed the sewage supplied to it from
the subsoil distributing pipes, the outfall valve (i) is to be opened; the
subsoil pipes then act as 'drain pipes and keep the soil dry by carrying 'off 'all'
excess of water from rain fall. a, a, a, (Figures 1 and 2) are pipes for con-
necting one reservoir with the other, provided with sluice cocks (b, b,) to s
enable the thick slub deposited in the bottom of one of the reservoirs after the
sewage water has been ran off to be stirred up by the force of the flow of
liquid sewage to be admitted from the full reservoir. This mixing of sewage
water with the thick mud or slub is carried on until the slub is reduced to'
about the thickness of cream, when the sluice 'cocks (b,'b,)
on the connecting
pipe are to be closed, and the thick sewage run off through the pipes (c, c,)
which communicate with the bottom of the reservoir. The thick sewage is to
be run through the main delivery pipe (h, h,) to the farm where water plugs'
are provided to the pipes in 'suitable situations, and these 'plugs are opened to
allow the thick sewage to flow up on to the surface of the land or to a manure
but the thick sewage is not to be allowed to enter the field' service'
mains or the subsoil drain pipes, after the thick sewage is all run off from the
bottom of the reservoir, the main pipe should be washed out with sewage
water through the outflow water plug holes, until the pipes are cleaned of
thick sewage or
sewage or mud. The mud or slub may be removed in carts from the
reservoir instead of being run on to the farm, if'preferred. The lines 4, 4, 4,
shew the direction of the farrows; the arable land is to be cultivated by deep
soil grubbers or tines to stir and open the soil down to the subsoil pipes, and
at right angles to the line of pipes, and the land is to be ploughed also in the
Беары

page_text: same direction, so as to facilitate the lateral distribution of the sewage from
the subsoil pipes and give it free circulation in the soil. The distance apart
at which the subsoil irrigating pipes are to be laid in the land, as well as the
depth, have to be regulated according to the nature of the soil. The suitable
positions of the pipes should be ascertained in each soil by laying one or two
lines of pipes and testing with water pressure similar to the sewage the
porosity of the soil, and the distance it will circulate laterally whilst rising
upwards to the surface.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hinton Bovill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE HINTON DOVILL. (..)