AN IMPROVED METHOD OF VENTILATING SEWERS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Kennett, of No. 1, Alma Place, Eastbourne,
Sussex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF VENTILATING
SEWERS."
Scaled the 17th November 1868, and dated the 20th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Kennett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th May 1868.
I, JOHN KENNETT, of No. 1, Alma Place, Eastbourne, Sussex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF VENTILATING SEWERS," to be as follows:-
To form a connection between the sewers of a town and the public
street lamps by means of a pipe inserted in the crown of the sewer and
leading from thence to the inside of each lamp, the pipe to be opened or
closed by such valves or cocks, as may be necessary, an enlarged portion
of the pipe or the hollow lamp post to be used as a receptacle for any

page_text: substance that may be found to purify the noxious gasses drawn from
the sewer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Kennett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KENNETT, of No. 1, Alma Place, Eastbourne, Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Kennett, Her special licence
that I, the said John Kennett, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Kennett, 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 "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF VENTILATING SEWERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Kennett, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 John Kennett, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention consists in ventilating the sewers by connecting the
same with the street lamps of a town or place by inserting a tube or duct
in the crown or other convenient part of the sewer secured in an air-

page_text: tight manner with the bottom or other convenient part of the lamp post.
The hollow lamp post, so far as available, is to form the continuation of
the tube or duct which is to be extended to the lantern, so that the light
may be fed with air from the sewer. This tube may be opened or closed
by any suitable valve. An enlarged portion of the tube or the hollow
lamp post may form a receptacle for any disinfecting or deodorising
substance that may be found to lessen or destroy the noxious properties
of the sewage gases.
As this Invention is dependent on the heat force obtained from the
sun, or the combustion of coal or other gas, or other substances used for
lighting the streets of towns or other places, the object sought to be
attained being to draw off, decompose, rarify, and force upwards to a
considerable altitude the foul air to be dispersed without causing a
nuisance, therefore every inlet to the sewer should be trapped, and one-
half of the lamp posts should be made "down cast" shafts to admit
fresh air to the sewer, and the other half be "up cast" shafts. By these
means all parts of a sewer would be ventilated in short portions, and the
thoroughness of its ventilation secured by the fresh air being drawn
down every other lamp post (or any other convenient ratio of the whole
number of lamp posts) and having only to traverse it and the inter-
vening sewer to the next or other regulated lamp post up which it is
drawn by the heat. But if sufficient valved inlets to the sewer were
made independently of the lamp posts then the whole of the latter could
be made up cast" shafts. When a certain number only of the lamp
posts are made "down cast" shafts other inlets may be provided, if re-
quired, to obtain sufficient feed to the "up cast" shafts; the difference in
construction between the "down cast" and the up cast shafts is that the
mouth of the down cast lamp posts are, as now, left open to the external
air, and consequently the tube is not extended to the lamp light. The
lamp posts in ordinary use with a very slight and inexpensive alteration
can be made applicable to the purposes of this Invention. The tube that
connects the sewer with the lamp post may be of the diameter of three
inches, or any other size that may be found suitable. The valve that
opens or closes the tube may be that known as a "throttle" valve, or of
any other kind. The valve may be opened or closed by means of a rod
connecting it with the gas cock, so that the act of turning the gas on or
off would open or close the valve as required; or the valve may be self-
acting by atmospheric pressure, or opened or closed by any other

page_text: independent action. To prevent the light from being affected by sudden
puffs of air from the sewer, wire gauze or any other suitable contrivance
may be inserted in the tube, or lamp post, or lamp. The valve may be
opened when the lamp is lighted and closed when it is extinguished, or
it may also be closed in the daytime in cloudy weather, and opened in
the daytime in sunny weather, when the rays of the sun alone would
convert the lantern into a hot chamber, and so cause a eurrent of air
to pass from the sewer upwards and out through the lamp; or the valve
may be omitted and the tube left open at all times. By means of a
hollow cone placed over the opening of the tube in the lamp the air from
the sewer may be made to pass through the light; or the cone may be
omitted, leaving the light to draw the air into it in the usual way and
so decompose it, or the air from the sewer may be (at first when very
foul) made to pass out over the light. When the cone is used it will he
advisable to use a forked tap passing through the side of the cone, the
fork taking on to the T of the ordinary gas cock. The supply gas pipe
may be made to pass outside of the lamp post (when the lamp is lit by
gas) into the lamp or inside in the usual way, or partly inside and partly
outside. The gas burners may be those known as bats'-wing, fish-tail,
argand, or any other kind. The action of the valve, the velocity of the
air, and (approximately) the quantity passing per hour can be ascer-
tained in order to regulate the diameter of the tubes and passages
provided by the lamp posts, or the arrangements in connection therewith
by means of a portable lamp post constructed of iron, zinc, and glass;
squares of glass are inserted in the base of the post to show the action
of the valve, and a glass tube three inches in diameter and two feet in
length is inserted in the upper part of the post just below the lamp,
with a convenience for putting in feathers below the tube, which as they
fly upwards show the velocity at which the air is passing. If it should
be thought desirable, some of the usual lamp posts may be left un-
touched, and special lamp posts or similar shafts of sufficient size and
capacity may be used for the purposes of my Invention.

page_text: R, the roadway; S, the sewer; L, the lamp; P, the lamp post. a, a,
the shaft; b, b, the tube connecting sewer with lamp post; c, valve for
opening and closing tube b, b; d, d, rod connecting valve with gas cock;
e, gas cock; f, hollow cone placed over the opening of the tube or shaft
in the lamp; 9, supply gas pipe; h, forked tap. The arrows denote the
direction of the ventilating currents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or
put into practical operation, I hereby declare that I claim the Inven-
tion of an improved method of ventilating sewers, as herein-before
described, it being understood that I do not claim the mere consti-
tuent details, per se and apart from the objects and purposes of my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Kennett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ROBT. COOPER,
Brewer,
Eastbourne,
Sussex.
JOHN KENNETT. (L.s.)