IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING FLUIDS AND LIQUIDS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Works,
Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING FLUIDS AND LIQUIDS."
Sealed the 19th April 1872, and dated the 24th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Sugg
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th October 1871.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Works, Vincent Street, in the
5 City of Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING FLUIDS AND LIQUIDS, "
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of movable joints to
pipes so as to render more expeditious and convenient the conveyance
O and distribution of fluids and liquids in various directions; but has been

page_text: specially devised to increase the advantages attending the adoption of
my plan for filling under a pressure not exceeding that ordinarily found
in the mains of the gas companies, the gas holders of railway carriages
with gas, and for which plan Letters Patent, No. 58, dated January 9th,
1867, and No. 438, dated February, 1868, were granted to me.
The present Invention consists in attaching to the gas supply main
under or near to the platform a curved pipe or bend with its open end
turned upwards. This open end is formed with an annular recess
partially filled with mercury, and receives within it the lower end of
another curved pipe which dips into the mercury and may be called the
top bend. To the upper part of the top bend is attached a spindle which
projects on the outside, and.turns either in the collar of an arm affixed
to a flange or lug on the lower curved pipe or in a collar fastened to the
platform or other suitable support. The other end of the spindle works
upon a piece of glass or other suitable material in a step cast on to the
top of the interior of the lower bend. The top bend to which the hose
is fixed is thus free to turn in any direction, while the joint remains
perfectly gas tight. Consequently a much shorter hose is necessary for
filling, besides the greater general accommodation.
By increasing the depth of the mercury joint or seal the same arrange-
ment may be made applicable to the crane neck pipes used for supplying
locomotives with water, and in fact in almost any situation and for any
purpose where the conveyance or distribution of fluids or liquids not
acted upon by mercury are required to be varied in direction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said William Thomas Sugg in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Works, Vincent Street, in the City of West-
minster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the:
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
3

page_text: thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas Sugg, Her special
licence that I, the said William Thomas Sugg, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas
Sugg, my exccutors, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING FLUIDS AND LIQUIDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Thomas Sugg,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 William Thomas Sugg, 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 accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the construction of movable joints to
pipes so as to render moro expeditious and convenient the conveyance
and distribution of fluids and liquids in various directions; but has been
specially devised to increase the advantages attending the adoption of
my plan for filling, under a pressure not exceeding that ordinarily found
in the mains of the gas companies, the gas holders of railway carriages
with gas, and for which plan Letters Patent No. 58, dated January 9th,
1867, and No. 438, dated February 8th, 1868, were granted to me.
The present Invention consists in attaching to the gas supply main
under or near to the platform a curved pipe or bend, with its open end
turned upwards. This open end is formed with an annular recess
partially filled with mercury, and receives within it the lower end of
another curved pipe which dips into the mercury and may be called the
top bend. To the upper part of the top bend is attached a spindle which
:
.
:

page_text: projects on the outside and turns either in the collar of an arm affixed
to a flange or lug on the lower curved pipe, or in a collar fastened to
the platform or other suitable support. The other end of the spindle
works upon a piece of glass or other suitable material in a step cast on to
or near the top of the interior of the lower bend. The top bend to which
the hose is fixed is thus free to turn in any direction, while the joint
remains perfectly gas-tight. Consequently a much shorter hose is
necessary for filling, besides the greater general accommodation.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood, Drawings
are attached hereto of which the following is a description :-Fig. 1 is
a vertical section through the line Y, Z, Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a plan of
the curved pipe, showing the annular recess B and bracket to support
the arm.
* In Fig. 1, A. is the curved pipe, and B the annular recess partially
filled with mercury; C, the top bend, and D the outlet which may be
placed at any suitable angle thereto and to which the hose is attached ;
E, the spindle working in the step F, in which a piece of glass G is
inserted, the other end of the spindle working in a collar H of the
arm I; J is a bracket for supporting the arm I; K is a nut for securing
the spindle to the top bend. Similar letters denote the same parts of
the apparatus in each of the Figures.
For large pipes these joints are preferably made of cast iron, the
spindle and nut being of wrought iron; but as the usefulness of the
joints does not depend upon the substance of which they are made they
may be constructed of any suitable material.
The foregoing description has reference especially to the arrangement
for supplying railway carriages with gas; but it is obvious that by
deepening the mercury seal, and by otherwise slightly modifying the
form, this joint may be adapted to almost any situation where a bracket
joint is required, the curved pipe A and arm I or its equivalent being a
suitably fastened to the wall or other support, and the arm carrying the
burner being attached to the outlet end of the top bend.
By increasing the depth of the mercury joint or seal the same arrange-
ment may be made applicable to the crane neck pipes used for supplying
locomotives with water, and in fact in almost any situation and for any 3
purpose where the conveyance or distribution of fluids or liquids not
acted upon by mercury are required to be varied in direction.

page_text: Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is 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 described or
referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of this 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, the con-
struction of joints substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
WILLIAM T. SUGG. (L.S.)