Improvements in Apparatus for the Treatment of Sewage.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Treatment of Sewage.
A communication by EMILE DE HARVEN, of 32 Avenue du Margrave, Antwerp,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, Civil Engineer.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved system of cesspool designed to
solve the question of "All to the sewer" and which will bring the partisans and
the opponents of the sewer system into agreement. It has for its object the
destruction of the microbes and bacteria (the agents of epidemic maladies) and
simultaneously the preservation of the properties of a valuable manure, the products
of the cesspools. The supply of water by means of pipes which has been
established for some years in most towns, has caused inodorous water closets to be
largely adopted. Localities, which admit of the discharge from such closets of the
water together with the fecal matters it contains, directly into the sewers without
allowing them time to undergo fermentation destructive of miasma, carry the
contamination into the districts, streams, rivers or canals in which these liquids are
distributed; on the other hand, the localities which object to the discharge of
these substances into the sewers, hamper the use of the hygienic system of water
closets and impose the obligation of frequent cleaning out of the cesspools, which
is as disagreeable as it is expensive, and farmers object to receive the muck
and waste from such cesspools owing to the worthlessness of the product
extracted.
The double object to be attained by this invention is, firstly, to avoid all danger
of infection, and, secondly, to preserve the fertilising properties of the refuse in
question, whilst extending the use of water closets with a full flush of water.
The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in longitudinal section.
By the side of the usual cesspool A or at a certain distance therefrom, a second
cesspool B of various dimensions is constructed. The water containing the fecal
matters runs first into the cesspool A and passes out by an opening formed in the
upper part of the same, or by a pipe a, if the second cesspool B be placed at some
distance from the cesspool A. The mouth or entrance of this aperture or pipe a
is protected by a cover A¹ in order to keep back or retain solid matters, and the
water flows through this opening a into a pipe E arranged in the cesspool B.
One portion of this pipe Eis supported against the vertical wall of the cesspool B,
and the other portion is divided into two or more branches which are laid along
the bottom of the cesspool and are terminated by curved ajutages or nozzles E
with a conical end. The vertical branch is open at the top. A syphon F places
this cesspool in communication with the sewer. By the side of the cesspool B is
arranged a reservoir of disinfectants C and a hollow balancing device is pivotally
mounted on the partition wall which separates the reservoir C from the cesspool B.
The arm or branch of this balancing device, which lies in the cesspool B is curved

page_text: and carries at its end a float H and a trough D. The arm which dips into the
reservoir C may be curved or straight according to circumstances; it is shown
straight on the drawing. This latter arm carries at its end a ladle G of sufficient
capacity to contain a quantity of disinfectant proportionate to the dimensions of
the cesspool B.
The solid matters are retained in the cesspool A where they accumulate, and
undergo a natural fermentation and from whence they are removed at the end of
a more or less lengthy period in order to be utilised as manure. The liquids enter
the cesspool B by the pipes a and E, and this cesspool gradually fills until the
syphon Facts and the catch pit B discharges itself automatically at one operation
into the sewer. Whilst the cesspool B is refilling, the ladle G, owing to the lifting
of the float H, descends into the disinfecting liquid contained in the reservoir C
and takes up a charge, and when the cesspool B is emptied by the action of the
syphon, this charge passes through the hollow balance into the trough D. When
water again enters this cesspool B, the float rises and the disinfecting liquid
contained in the trough D is gradually distributed into the liquid which, by the
action of atmospheric pressure on the top of the tube E and by the action of the
curved and conical adjutages or nozzles E', will receive a whirlpool motion very
favourable to the admixture of the disinfectant with the liquid. The trough D
will be entirely emptied when the syphon again acts and will be ready to receive
a fresh charge of disinfectant. This operation is repeated automatically as long
as there is any disinfectant substance remaining in the reservoir C.
Dated this 12th day of March 1996
A communication by EMILE DE HARVEN, of 32 Avenue du Margrave, Antwerp,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, Civil Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON. F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object an improved system of cesspool, designed to
solve the question of "All to the sewer," and which will bring the partisans and
the opponents of the sewer system into agreement. It has for its object the
destruction of the microbes and the bacteria (the agents of epidemic diseases)
and simultaneously the preservation of the properties of a valuable mauure, the
product of the cesspools. The supply of water by means of pipes, which has
been established for some years in most towns, has caused inodorous water-closets
to be largely adopted. Localities which admit of the discharge from such closets
(the water together with the fecal matter it contains) directly into the sewers,
without allowing it to undergo fermentation destructive of miasma, carry the
contamination into the districts, streams, rivers or canals, in which these liquids
are distributed; on the other hand, the localities which object to the discharge of
these substances into the sewers, hamper the use of the hygienic system of water-
closets, and impose the obligation of frequent cleaning out of the cesspools, which

page_text: is as disagreeable as it is expensive, and farmers object to receive the muck and
waste from such cesspools owing to the worthlessness of the product extracted.
The double object to be attained by this invention is, firstly, to avoid all danger-
of infection, and, secondly, to preserve the fertilising properties of the refuse in.
question, whilst extending the use of water-closets with a full flush of water.
The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 being a longitudinal section through a cesspool constructed according
to this invention;
Figure 2, a horizontal projection; and
Figure 3, a perspective view of the same; and
Figure 4, being a view on a larger scale of the balancing device by which the
disinfecting liquid is automatically discharged into the cesspool.
By the side of the usual cesspool A, or at a certain distance therefrom, a second
cesspool B of varying dimensions is constructed. This second cesspool may be
common to a certain number of dwellings and its dimensions vary accordingly.
The water containing the fecal matters runs first into the cesspool A and passes
out by à pipe C fixed in the upper part of the same. The mouth or entrance of
this pipe C is protected by a cover C¹ in order to keep back or retain solid matters,
and the water flows through this cover and the pipe C into the cesspool B. This
cesspool B is divided into several subdivisions B B2 B3 B4, by means of
partitions D D D. The middle one of these partitions reaches from the bottom
of the cesspool B to the lowest waterlevel indicated by the line X, the two other
partitions not reaching down to the bottom, but on the other hand reaching up to
the highest water-level indicated by the line Y. The pipe or pipes C enter the
cesspool B in the first subdivision B¹.
Close to the top of this first subdivision B¹ is a receptacle E, into which the
disinfecting liquid is poured. On the wall or partition which divides this
receptacle E from the first subdivision B' of the cesspool B, is a balancing device
composed of a curved iron tube F carrying at the end which dips into the
receptacle E a ladle G of sufficient capacity to contain a quantity of disinfectant
proportionate to the dimensions of the cesspool B and at the other end a trough I
and a float K. At the other end of the cesspool B is a syphon H, the lower end
of which communicates with the sewer.
The system works as follows:-
The solid matters are retained in the cesspool A where they accumulate and
undergo a natural fermentation, and from where they are removed at the end of a
more or less lengthy period in order to be utilised as manure. The liquids entering
the subdivisions B' are prevented by the partitions D D' D2 from spreading over
the whole surface of the cesspool B, but they are kept in the subdivision B', until,
pressed down through the weight of the ensuing charges of liquid, they are
obliged to circulate under the partition D, above the partition D' and under the
partition D', until they reach the syphon H. As soon as the water-level has
reached the line Y, the syphon acts and discharges a quantity of liquid corre-
sponding to the space contained between the lines X and Y into the sewer.
circulation of the liquids from one end of the cesspool to the other lasts several
days, and it will thus be seen that the successive charges of liquid remain in the
cesspool B for a space of time long enough to allow the disinfectants, which are
poured into them in the manner described hereafter to destroy all the miasms and
to thoroughly disinfect the liquids before they go to the sewer, river or canal,.
which takes them away.
This
When the level of the liquid in the cesspool B is at its highest, the ladle G of
the balancing device dips into the disinfecting liquid, contained in the receptacle E
and is getting filled as shown in full lines on Figure 1, but as soon as the
cesspool B is full to the line Y and the sy phon H takes a portion of the liquid out
of it, the device takes the position shown in dotted lines on Figure 1 and the whole
quantity of disinfectant contained in the ladle G passes through the hollow stem F
into the trough 1. As the level of the liquid rises in the pit B, this trough.

page_text: empties its contents by degrees into the liquid of the pit so as to be completely
empty when the liquid again reaches the level Y. The stem F of the balancing
device is curved in order to take up less height.
In order that the pit B should have the necessary discharge, in case the
syphon H should be stopped up, or otherwise out of order, an overflow pipe L is
fitted above the highest water level, through which pipe the liquid, in an emergency
can go directly into the sewer. A scale M, which may be fitted into the
receptacle E, can show how many times the balancing device has worked, and this
device not working if the syphon should not act, and the liquid run out through
the pipe L, obstructions of the syphon will be noticed, and may be remedied.
A hydraulic closure J provided in the pipe leading from the syphon to the sewer,
and into which the pipe L also leads, prevents bad smells from the sewer entering
the dwellings. A funnel N may be used to introduce extra disinfectants into the
cesspool in case of epidemic diseases, and a perforated receptacle O may be put
into the subdivisions B' in order to intercept solid matter which may have been
carried along through the pipe or pipes Č. This receptacle may be taken out
from time to time and emptied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
A cesspool composed of two separate pits, the first one (A) to receive the
whole of the liquid and solid substances, to retain the solid ones, and to deliver
the liquid ones from or near its top to the second pit (B), this second pit being
divided into different subdivisions (B1 B2 B3 B*) by means of partitions of different
height (D D D³) in combination with a syphon to discharge the liquid into the
sewer after it has circulated through all the subdivisions of the pit (B) and an
automatic device composed of a hollow curved stem (F) with a drawing ladle (G)
for the disinfectants at one end, and a float (K) and a spilling trough (I) for the
disinfectants at the other end, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of October 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.