IMPROVED MEANS FOR VENTILATING TUNNELS AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES AND PLACES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Dixon, of the City, County, and State of
New York, United States of America, and temporarily of Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS FOR VENTILATING TUNNELS AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES AND
PLACES."
Sealed the 9th December 1875, and dated the 24th June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Dixon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th June 1875.
I, JOSEPH DIXON, of the City, County, and State of New York,
5 United States of America, and temporarily of Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR VENTILATING TUNNELS AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES
AND PLACES," to be as follows:-
My Invention is more particularly designed for underground railways
) and tunnels in cities where openings to the external air cannot be had

page_text: without interference with the surface traffic of the street, or without
purchasing adjoining lands and using same for ventilating shafts.
In order to deal with a less body of air in long tunnels I propose to
divide the tunnels into sections of a mile, more or less, and to place
midway of these sections a suitable fan blower connected by suction &
pipes, extending right and left into the tunnel, either at the top or at
any elevation between the top and bottom of the tunnel that may be
deemed most desirable, and to place partitions by means of pivoted or
folding doors across the tunnel on either side of said suction pipes, said
partitions occupying the entire space crosswise of the tunnel, and 1
remaining closed pending the arrival of a train.
The said doors may have spring hinges connecting them with levers
lying alongside the rails, said levers extending a suitable distance from
said partitions up and down the railway line, so that the doors may be
opened by an approaching train, and closed again immediately after the 1
train has passed; but this opening and closing may be done by a signal-
man stationed at the place for this special duty, or the doors may be
opened and closed automatically by the train itself operating suitable
mechanism placed alongside the track. By thus dividing the tunnel
into sections and placing the ventilating apparatus midway outside the 2
tunnel, either in an underground vault or other structure, the fan being
set in motion by steam or other power withdraws the foul air from say
half a mile of tunnel on the left-hand side, and at the same time and by
the same operation it also acts in like manner on the length of tunnel
on the right-hand side, and discharges the foul air from both sections
through a pipe of suitable size on the opposite side of the fan, said pipe
extending to the surface of the earth, and thence continued up a suitable
height above the surface by an ornamental hollow column.
If deemed more desirable, as occupying less space on the surface of a
street, two or more small columns may be used instead of one large g
one.
The Invention herein described may be applied both to single tunnels
or to tunnels divided by partition walls longitudinally.
For the purpose of keeping up an abundant supply of fresh air,

page_text: the sections herein-before described, and connected downward by openings
in the tunnel, so that as fast as the foul air is removed by the fan
blower fresh air will rush down through these columns.
By the method herein described perfect ventilation is constantly main-
tained at small cost, and without incurring expense for land, and per-
manently devoting it to ventilating shafts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Dixon in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
DIXON, of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America, and temporarily of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Joseph Dixon, Her special licence that I, the
said Joseph Dixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Dixon, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS FOR VENTILATING TUNNELS -
AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES AND PLACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Dixon, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Dixon, 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 Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
My Invention is more particularly designed for underground railways
and tunnels in cities where openings to the external air cannot be had
without interference with the surface traffic of the street, or without
purchasing adjoining lands and using same for ventilating shafts.
In order to deal with a less body of air in long tunnels I propose to
divide the tunnels into sections of a mile, more or less, and to place
midway of these sections a suitable fan blower, connected by suction
pipes, extending right and left into the tunnel, either at the top or at any
elevation between the top and bottom of the tunnel that may be deemed
most desirable, and to place partitions by means of pivoted or folding
doors across the tunnel on either side of said suction pipes, said partitions
occupying the entire space crosswise of the tunnel, as shown in the
accompanying Drawings, pending the arrival of a train, said partition
doors to remain closed.
The said doors may have spring hinges connecting them with levers
lying alongside the rails, said levers extending a suitable distance from
said partitions up and down the railway line, so that the doors may be
opened by an approaching train and closed again immediately after the
train has passed; but this opening and closing may be done by a signalman
stationed at the place for this special duty, or the doors may be opened
and closed automatically by the train itself operating suitable mechanism
placed alongside the track. By thus dividing the tunnel into sections
and placing the ventilating apparatus midway outside the tunnel either
in an underground vault or other structure, the fan being set in motion
by steam or other power withdraws the foul air from say half a mile of
tunnel on the left-hand side, and at the same time and by the same
operation it also acts in like manner on the length of tunnel on the
right-hand side, and discharges the foul air from both sections through a
pipe of suitable size on the opposite side of the fan, said pipe extending
to the surface of the earth, and thence continued up a suitable height
above the surface by an ornamental hollow column.

page_text: If deemed more desirable, as occupying less space on the surface of a
street, two or more small columns may be used instead of one largo
one.
The Inventions herein described may be applied both to single tunnels
or to tunnels divided by partition walls longitudinally.
For the purpose of keeping up an abundant supply of fresh air,
hollow columns may be erected above the street surface midway between
the sections herein-before described, and connected downward by open-
ings into the tunnel, so that as fast as the foul air is removed by the
fan blower fresh air will rush down through these columns.
By the method herein described perfect ventilation is constantly main-
tained at small cost, and without incurring expense for land and
permanently devoting it to ventilating shafts.
In the accompanying Drawings I have illustrated my Invention. By
way of example Figure 1 is a plan view of a single tunnel showing the
application of my Invention thereto,. Figure 2 being a sectional end
elevation of the same through the line x, 2; Figure 3 is a plan view of
a double tunnel showing the application of my Invention thereto,
Figure 4 being a sectional end elevation of the same through the
line x, x.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A, the walls of the tunnel, which may be of any suitable form or
material; B, blowing machine communicating by means of pipes
Ơ, 'C', Ò³, with the interior of the tunnels; O is the discharge pipe of
the blowing machine; D is the dividing wall of the two tunnels shown
in Figure 3; E are pipes for the supply of fresh air; F, F, F, are doors
for closing one end of the tunnel. When these doors are closed as
shown in the Drawings, and the blower B set in motion, the air con-
tained within the tunnel will be exhausted and delivered through.
pipe into a chimney or other exit, while fresh air will enter at the
other end of the tunnel and through the supply pipes E.
---I-do-not-limit-or-confine-myself-to-the-exact-form-position,-or-con--
struction of any of the parts herein mentioned, as they may be varied
in many ways without departing from my Invention.
-

page_text: Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is the
combination of one or more partitioning doors and a blowing apparatus
with the tunnel, substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Dixon, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.