IMPROVEMENTS IN RAISING AND REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Binks, of Wentworth, in the County of
York, Plumber and Glazier,. for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAISING AND REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS."
Sealed the 30th March 1855, and dated the 29th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Binks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th January 1855.
I, THOMAS BINKS, of Wentworth, in the County of York, Plumber and
Glazier, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAISING AND REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS" to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
pumps and air vessels for obtaining a regular discharge, whereby they are
rendered more convenient and effective than the present existing pumps, while
their first cost is greatly reduced. The improvements consist in the appli-
cation of a closed top to the pump, with sunk parallel guide bracket standard,
the working parts being no larger than absolutely necessary, whereby a saving
of materials is effected. The interior of the working part of the pump is
constructed of or coated with earthenware, glass, enamel, gutta percha, or
other suitable non-corrosive material, by which means the quality of the water

page_text: or other fluid is undeteriorated. An air vessel, composed of earthenware or
other suitable material, is attached to the tail pipe. in lift pumps, and a similar
air vessel is also attached to the forcing or raising pipe in force pumps, by
which means the size of the pipes is greatly reduced, and a less amount of labor
is required to work the pumps, and a saving in the cost of materials effected.
The valves are composed of metal with metal faces, or faced with leather, gutta
percha, or other suitable materials. The tail and raising pipes in lift or force
pumps are composed of iron or other suitable material, and may be coated
internally and externally with earthenware or glass, enamel, gutta percha, or
lead piping. A simple and economic filter may be applied to the pumps
if found desirable. These pumps, which are exposed to the action of the
weather, are made impervious to frost, thereby rendering them particularly
applicable as fire engines, garden engines, and other similar apparatus. The
air vessel is applicable as a store and regulator for the supply pipes of
reservoirs, cisterns, water-closets, and rams. Any convenient mechanical
arrangement may be employed for working these pumps, whether by vertical
horizontal levers, or by a rotatory motion, as found most convenient.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Binks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BINKS, of Wentworth, in the County of York, Plumber and Glazier, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Binks, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Binks, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or. such others as I, the said: Thomas
Binks, my executors, administrators, or 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 RAISING
AND REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Binks, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Thomas Binks, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying. Drawings, and to the letters and.
figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
pumps and air vessels for obtaining a regular discharge, whereby, they are:
rendered more convenient and effective than the present existing pumps, whilst
their first cost is greatly reduced. The improvements consist in the appli-
cation of a closed top to the pump, with sunk parallel guide bracket,, the.
working parts being no longer than absolutely necessary; whereby a saving of
materials is effected. The interior of the working part of the pump is con-
structed of or coated with earthenware, glass, enamel, gutta percha; or other
suitable non-corrosive material, by which means the quality of the water or
other fluid is undeteriorated. An air vessel, (composed of earthenware.or other
suitable material, is attached to the tail pipe in lift pumps, and a similar air
vessel is also attached to the forcing or raising' pipe in force pumps, by which
means the size of the pipes is greatly reduced, and a less amount of labor is
required to work the pumps, whilst a great saving in the cost of materials.
is effected. The valves are composed of metal faced with leather, gutta percha,
or other suitable material: The tail and rasing pipes in lift or force pumps are
composed of iron or other suitable material; and may be coated internally and
externally with earthenware or glass, enamel, gutta percha, or lead piping. A
simple and economic filter may be applied to the pumps if found desirable.
Those pumps which are exposed to the action of the weather are made imper->
vious to frost, thereby rendering them particularly applicable as fire engines,
garden engines, and other similar apparatus. The air vessel is applicable as a
store and regulator for the supply pipes of reservoirs, cisterns; and rams. Any
convenient mechanical arrangement may be employed for working these pumps,
whether by vertical or horizontal levers, or by a rotatory motion, as-found most
convenient...
And in order that my said Invention' may be more properly understood, I
shall now proceed to describe and refer to the several Figures on 'the' Sheets of

page_text: Drawings hereunto annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corre-
sponding parts of the Figures on each Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1; on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, represents an external side elevation of
my improved lift pump, drawn half size; Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan of the
same; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the pump, taken at right angles to Fig. 1;
and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the same, taken along the centre of the spout.
The rest of the Figures on this Sheet are details, which I shall herein-after
more particularly describe and refer to.
The barrel A of the pump may be composed of galvanized iron, with a copper
lining B covering the working part of the barrel, as shewn in Fig. 3. This
pump is entirely closed at the top by the cap C, which may be soldered on to
the barrel A. This cap has a sunk well or cup D cast upon it, as well as the
bracket standard E. The bottom of the cup D serves as a guide to the bucket
rod F, which passes through and fits accurately a hole formed in the bottom of
the cup. By thus sinking the guide of the bucket rod, a great saving in the
length of the working parts is effected, as will be obvious on referring to
the Drawing. The bucket rod is connected to the lever G of the pump by the
short link or connecting rod H, which is almost entirely concealed in the cup
when the bucket is down. The bucket I and its valve J is represented by the
details, Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. It is made of brass, having a groove or
recess cast or formed round its periphery to receive the requisite packing K,
which for rain water pumps may consist simply of a strip of gutta percha heated
and lapped round the bucket, the gutta percha projecting slightly beyond the
edge of the metal of the bucket, which is made rather smaller than the bore of
the barrel of the pump. For other pumps the packing may consist of a strip
of leather placed loosely round the bucket, the abutting ends of the leather
being slightly bevelled off, and made to form a flush joint. The bucket is
screwed on to the end of the bucket rod, and has suitable openings or water
passages L, L, cast therein, as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8 of the details. The valve
J of the bucket, shewn detached at Figs. 5, 9, and 10, of the details, consists
simply of a disc of metal M, faced on the under side with a corresponding disc
N, of leather, gutta perchia, or other suitable material, which is secured to the
metal disc by means of leaden pins or rivets, so that when the packing of the
valve is worn, it may be easily removed by cutting away the leaden rivets, and
a fresh piece of leather or other packing applied. A central opening O is made
in the valve, through which the bucket rod is passed, the valve thus resting
upon the top of the bucket, and being allowed to rise and fall freely along the
bucket rod, its motion being controled by the small transverse stop pin P
passed through the bucket rod at a proper height above the valve. The foot

page_text: valve Qof the pump is of a similar construction to the bucket valve, the short
rod or guide R for the valve to work upon being made in one piece with the
metal seating S of the valve. Immediately below the pump, or in any other
suitable and convenient situation, is fitted the air vessel T, represented in
section at Fig. 11. This air vessel may be composed of metal or other
suitable material, but I prefer to have it constructed of earthenware, as that
is the cheapest material which can be employed in its manufacture. This
air vessel is connected either at its top or bottom with the barrel of the pump
by the pipe U, which is represented in Fig. 11 as entering the top of the
air vessel, and passing down to within a short distance from the bottom of
the same, the joint at being rendered air-tight by surrounding it with clay
The tail pipe W of the pump may be connected
either with the lower portion of the air vessel itself or with the pipe U, which
connects the air vessel and the pump, as shewn at Fig. 11. This pipe passes
down into the well or cistern, and is turned up at its lower end X to receive
the valve Y, the object of which I shall herein-after more particularly refer to.
when describing the mode of working the pump.
or other suitable luting.
Fig. 1, on Sheet 2 of my Drawings, represents an external side elevation
of my improved lift and force pump, half size; Fig. 2 is a corresponding
plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the pump; Fig. 4 is a
sectional plan of the same, taken along the line 1, 2, in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is
a general sectional view of the entire apparatus, shewing the mode of putting
the same into action. The working part of the barrel A of the pump is
constructed similarly to that of the lift pump on Sheet 1, the barrel being
lined with copper at B. An air vessel C is soldered on to the top of the.
barrel, and has a sunk well or cup D cast in it, for the purpose of guiding the
bucket rod E, which is passed through a stuffing box F in the bottom of
the cup D. A link or connecting rod G serves to connect the bucket rod
with the working lever H, which works on a fixed centre in the top of the
bracket I, cast on the top of the air vessel. A spout or nozzle J is fitted on
to the air vessel, and a bent pipe K descends from this spout to the lower
portion of the air vessel. The bucket L and foot valve M may be of the
same construction as those illustrated on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, and herein-
before described. A second air vessel N, Fig. 5, composed of earthenware
: or other suitable material, is placed in any convenient situation between the
pump and the well or reservoir, the tail pipe O being connected either with
the lower portion of the air vessel N, or with the pipe P, which connects the
air vessel and the pump. The spout or nozzle J may be constructed with two
outlets, as shewn in the Drawings, the outlet Q being used when the water is.

page_text: not required to be forced or elevated; and the outlet R, which is in communi-
cation with the pipes for carrying the water upwards, is used for forcing the
water to great elevations. A flexible pipe or hose. may be readily attached to
the outlet Q, and the pump may then be used either as a fire engine or as a
garden engine. The communication through the outlet R with the forcing
pipes remains always open, but by turning. the hollow conical plug S inside the
nozzle, the passage through the outlet Q will be closed when the water is to be
elevated through the outlet R and force pipes. The key T for turning the
plug S is pointed at one end U, in order to afford means of indicating when
the outlet is open or closed, the pointed end being down when the outlet is
open, as shewn in the Drawings.
In order to start the pumps after they have been put up, a little water is
poured into the. barrel, and thé bucket is then worked until the water in the
well is raised sufficiently high in the tail pipe O to completely fill it. The
small valve V, corresponding to the valve Y, in. Fig. 11, on Sheet 1 of the
Drawings, is then placed on the mouth of the tail pipe by means of a cord or
wire W, by which it is suspended,.and which passes up to the top of the well.
The mouth of the tail pipe being thus closed; the bucket of the pump is again
worked to exhaust a certain amount of air from the air vessel N, which being
effected,. the valve V is raised from off the mouth of the tail pipe, and the
water is immediately forced by the atmospheric pressure in the well into the.
air vessel, and rises therein until the pressure of.. the compressed air in the air
vessel prevents the water from rising any further. The pump is now in com-
plete working order, and as fast as the water is drawn from the air vessel by
the pump, fresh water rises up the tail pipe O to take its place; thus the water
is kept constantly up to the pump, as shewn at Fig. 5. By this arrangement
the tail pipe may be considerably: smaller than usual, and I propose. that it
should always be of an area proportionate.to the depth of the well and the size
of the pump barrel, in place of using one size of.tail pipe for various depths of
wells, by which means' very great loss and useless expenditure of material iss
often incurred, greatly increasing the first. cost. of the pump: For deep wells,
of, say fifteen and twenty-five yards in depth, these pumps will be 'found
particularly applicable, the sizes of the working parts and pipes; and arrange-'
ment or position of the lower air vessel, varying of course according to the
depth of the well. The size of the working part and the length of stroke
will of course be in proportion to the quantity of water to be raised. The:
sectional area.of. the tail pipe should be about eight times less, and that of the
raising pipe six times less than that of the working part or barrel of the pump..
The bucket rod may be made tubular, but the bucket and valve will be of the:

page_text: same construction as those nerein-before described and illustrated on Sheet I
of the Drawings.
3'
'
.70
When the depth of the well is two lifts, or twice twenty-eight feet, and the
pump is required to work with the smallest amount of labor, I use two atmo
spheric lifts, by having two pumps one above the other, namely, at the top of the
upper lift.. I may here observe that I do not confine. or restrict myself to any
particular system cr mode of driving or working the pumps, as these may be
of course varied according to circumstances, the motion being either. rotatory
or reciprocating, as the case may be. In order to render these pumps.weather-
proof, or impervious to frost, I propose to lap the barrels with coarse tow or
other similar material which has been previously steeped in tar or other good
non-conductor of heat, and round this I fill in the pump casing with sawdust,
dry sand, or other suitable non-conductor of heat, the top of the pump being
also entirely closed; in all cases there will be no chance of the water becoming
frozen in the upper part of the barrel, so injurious and of such frequent occur-
rence in pumps of the ordinary construction; I propose in some cases when
found desirable to apply a porous stone filter to the pumps. And I propose
also in some cases to use pipes for lift and lift and force pumps composed
entirely of earthenware, so that the water. may not be liable to deterioration,
as is frequently the case with the lead pipes at present in use, whilst the first
cost of such piping will be considerably less than the ordinary metal piping.
The earthenware air vessels herein-before referred to are equally applicable
in all cases where metal ones have hitherto been used, as, for example, for
hydraulic rams, or as stores or regulators for reservoirs, cisterns, &c.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,—
First, the general construction and arrangement of lift pumps and lift and
force pumps, as herein-before described, and illustrated on the Drawings.
Second, the application and use of pumps fitted with a closed top, having
a sunk cup or guide cast thereon or fitted thereto, as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of earthenware pipes for pumps of all
kinds.

page_text: Fourth, the application and use of air vessels for pumps, rams, and other
similar purposes composed entirely of earthenware.
Fifth, the peculiar application and use of air vessels composed of carthen-
ware or other suitable material adapted to lift and lift and force pumps, as
herein-before described, and illustrated on the Drawings.
Sixth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of buckets and valves for
pumps, as herein-before described.
Seventh, the application of a porous stone filter to pumps, as herein-before
mentioned.
Eighth, the system or mode of rendering pumps weather-proof, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Binks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
THOMAS DINKS. (L.S.)