IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DIVERTING THE LONDON SEWAGE FROM THE RIVER THAMES, AND IN DISCHARGING IT INTO THE SEA
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Lipscombe, of the Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Water Filter Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DIVERTING THE LONDON SEWAGE FROM THE RIVER
THAMES, AND IN DISCHARGING IT INTO THE SEA."
Sealed the 20th October 1857, and dated the 14th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Lipscombe at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th August 1857.
I, FREDERICK LIPSCOMBE, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Water Filter Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF DIVERTING THE LONDON SEWAGE FROM
THE RIVER THAMES, AND IN DISCHARGING IT INTO THE SEA," to be as follows:-
The greater portion of the northern side of London has sufficient elevation
to drain rapidly away to the sea on the Essex coast, provided iron tubular
channels of only moderate bore be used in conveying the sewage from London
to the sea coast. I propose to divide, for sewage purposes, the metropolis into
several districts, as may be found convenient according to their elevation
above the river Thames; each district to drain to a certain point within its
own district, and to have entirely for its own use an iron tubular channel, say

page_text: of about three feet diameter, laid from such point down to some convenient
part of the sea coast. The more elevated the district, the smaller may be the
comparative bore of its iron tubular channel.
By this arrangement the elevated part of London will have its sewage
carried with great velocity to the sea, by reason of the hydraulic pressure
caused by the great difference in the elevation of the two extremities of the
iron tubular channels.
The sewage of the low level districts may be pumped directly upwards to a
certain elevation before entering their respective iron tubular channels, in
order to get a suitable artificial fall for its rapid passage to the sea.
I propose
that all the iron tubular channels on the north side of London should meet at
a convenient distance from London, and thence be laid side by side, and carried
to any convenient point on the Essex sea coast, and another set laid in like
manner from the southern side of London to some convenient part of the
Kentish or Sussex coast.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Lipscombe in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
LIPSCOMBE, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Water Filter Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Frederick Lipscombe, Her special license that I, the said
Frederick Lipscombe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Frederick Lipscombe, 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 THE MODE OF DIVERTING THE LONDON SEWAGE
AND DISCHARGING IT INTO THE SEA," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Frederick Lipscomb, by an instrument in writing under my

page_text: 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 Frederick Lipscomb, 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 a system or mode of diverting the house
drainage of the metropolis from the river Thames, and directing it into the
sea water, or into suitable receptacles to be used for agricultural purposes,
such sewage being at all times kept separate from the surface drainage, and
entirely excluded or nearly so from the atmosphere.
The maximum quantity of rain that falls within the metropolitan area
during any one hour exceeds, it is computed, by about thirteen times the
maximum quantity of sewage flowing from all the metropolitan houses during
any one hour in the twenty-four. The great size of the present metropolitan
sewers is therefore principally required that very heavy rain storms, which
occur perhaps only once in several years, may not flood the houses and public
ways. As storm channels they answer the purpose, but as channels for the
conveyance of house drainage, particularly during dry weather, they are very
inefficient, because, being much too large for mere sewage purposes, the rate
of motion of the sewage depends entirely upon their degree of inclination of
the sewer; this inclination being for the most part insufficient, the sewage
during dry weather flows very sluggishly through them, every facility being
thus given to deposit its heavy offensive matter, thereby tending to choke up
the sewer.
This fifthy deposit generates poisonous gases in large quantities,
which gases ascend by means of numerous openings in the public ways, and
pollute the atmosphere. Another great evil is caused by the offensive house
drainage being discharged into the Thames at London.
To remedy these two evils, I propose that the present public sewers should
be solely used for conveying the metropolitan rainfall to the river, and that
the house sewage should be rapidly drained to certain gathering spots within
the metropolitan area, as hereafter mentioned, by means of a new series of
much smaller drains, closed or nearly so to the atmosphere, whence it will
flow rapidly through iron pipes laid down in the manner herein-after men.

page_text: tioned to distant outfalls, and be there discharged into the sea water, or may
be used for agricultural purposes.
The river Thames, at London, ought decidedly to receive the metropolitan
rainfall, its rapid discharge during very heavy storms of rain through the
present numerous outlets into the river being indispensable to avoid disastrous
consequences from floods, by excessive hydrostatic pressure to the rainfall
channels, and to the public ways, inhabitants, and goods.
The discharge of the metropolitan rainfall into the Thames at London
would only assist in discoloring the river, then turbid from the surface
drainage of lands outside the metropolitan boundary.
As regards house drainage, I propose to divide, for sewage purposes, the
metropolis into several districts, according to elevation, as may be found con-
venient; the house sewage of each district should drain down to some
convenient gathering point within its own area through channels of stoneware
or other material laid at convenient inclinations, but at such a depth in the
ground as that no one part of a street drain shall be less than four feet below
the lowest inlet of the neighbouring house drains, in order that when the
quantity of sewage daily entering the street sewers is at its maximum several
feet of hydrostatic or head pressure may then be called into action, whereby
the ordinary flow of the sewage may be accelerated to such a velocity as will
enable it to scour out or flush its own channels.
The street drains should have no openings to the air, and all the house
drains connected with them should be trapped in the ordinary or any other
convenient manner, to prevent smells from entering the houses.
A considerable portion of the metropolitan sewage may thus be drained
rapidly, and without giving it an opportunity to poison the atmosphere, to
several more or less highly elevated gathering points in London, preparatory
to its draining away, in the manner herein-after mentioned, to convenient
outfalls on the Essex, Kentish, or Sussex shores, and there to be discharged
into sea water not nearer than Gravesend. The sewage of those gathering
points which may not have a sufficient natural elevation to enable such
sewage to drain away satisfactorily to sea water may be pumped upwards
to any desired elevation in order to get a sufficient artificial fall for its rapid
drainage away.
As regards the conveyance of the sewage from the metropolis to distant
outfalls, I propose to lay one or more iron pipes, perfectly closed, or nearly so,
to the atmosphere, of moderate bore, say, of about three feet diameter (but I
wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to any particular bore

page_text: as the size will depend upon circumstances,) from each of the before-men-
tioned gathering points to distant outfalls in any convenient line of route,
carrying the lower end of the said pipes down to low-water mark or there-
abouts, or two or more districts may use one pipe between them, or any
district may be connected with several pipes, but I prefer that each district
should have its sewage conveyed away by means of one pipe only.
It is of great importance, with a view to efficiency, that the sewage shall
flow while on its journey from the metropolis to its several outfalls at such a
velocity as effectually to prevent heavy matter being deposited and remaining
in the discharge pipes. It is also of great importance, with a view to
economy, that each pipe should have such a form as will elicit the utmost
amount of bydrostatic pressure due to the difference in elevation between its
two ends, in order to give the utmost velocity to the sewage, as the more
rapidly it can drain away the smaller will be the requisite bore of the several
discharge pipes, and consequently the less will be the cost of construction.
I have ascertained by experiments that the ordinary method of conveying
sewage by a gradual descent, although admirable for collecting sewage from
branch drains, is not a good one when it is intended to convey it many miles
away, in consequence of the small proportion of hydrostatic pressure an
inclined channel of many miles in length is able to elicit. I, therefore, avoid
as much as possible giving a gradual fall from end to end to any of the pipes
destined to carry the sewage from London to distant outfalls.
I have also ascertained that the greatest proportion of hydrostatic pressure
is obtained, and consequently the highest velocity is given to a liquid, when a
pipe commences with a somewhat abrupt downward direction, with the view
of obtaining at starting the utmost amount of hydrostatic or head pressure,
and then afterwards carrying it in a straight horizontal course to its outfall,
similar to Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Diagrams; and I have ascer-
tained that the velocity of a liquid is not greatly reduced when, instead of only
one fall, several smaller falls are given, as in Figures 2, 3, and 4.
I therefore propose to lay all the iron discharge pipes intended to convey
the sewage from London to distant outfalls according to the principle repre-
sented by Figure 1 aforesaid, that is to say, I obtain the utmost amount of
hydrostatic or head pressure by carrying the pipes in a somewhat abrupt
downward direction, and then guiding the rushing sewage to its destination
by afterwards giving them, as nearly as I conveniently can, a horizontal
Where it may be found inconvenient to carry any discharge pipe at
once down to a level, or nearly so, with its outlet, it may descend by means of
course.

page_text: any convenient number of falls, in a manner somewhat similar to that shewn
at Figures 2, 3, and 4, taking care that there be no abrupt angle at the
junction of a downward with a horizontal line, or at the junction of a
horizontal with a downward direction, but that there should be a suitable
curve uniting them, with the object of preventing, as much as possible,
retardation consequent upon altering the direction of the rushing sewage
from a downward to a horizontal course, or from a horizontal to a downward
direction. A moderate deviation in the course of the pipes may be given,
where necessary, without reducing to a great extent the velocity of the sewage..
The depth, number, and form of the several falls may vary according to cir-
cumstances, but I wish it to be understood that the fewer falls beyond one
the greater will be the velocity of the sewage.
It is advisable to cause the discharge pipes to empty their contents at
different points, that the sewage may be quickly mixed with a large mass of
sea water....
As the velocity of the sewage is retarded in proportion to the distance it
has to travel, it would be advisable, but not indispensable, that the lower end
of the discharge pipes should be contracted or funnel-shaped, with the view of
increasing the velocity of the sewage on leaving them.
Pipes of metal or other material may be connected with any of the dis-
charge pipes, with the object of conveying sewage to agricultural districts or
other purposes.
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 the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement or system for diverting the London sewage
from the river Thames, and of discharging it into the sea water, as herein-
before described.
Second, the laying down the whole or greater part of the proposed new
public sewers intended to receive the house drainage only, at such a depth in
the ground below the inlets of the house drains as will frequently cause the
sewage to acquire by hydrostatic pressure sufficient velocity to effect the
self-cleansing of the sewers.

page_text: Third, the laying of one or more iron discharge pipes from each one or
more metropolitan districts to the Essex, Sussex, or Kentish shores, in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourth, the manner, herein-before described, of excluding the air entirely,
or nearly so, from contact with the metropolitan house sewage from the time
it enters the house drains until it is discharged into sea water or discharged
for agricultural purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick
the said Frederick Lipscombe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
FRED LIPSCOMBE. (L.S.)