IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OR RAISING WATER.OR OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OR RAISING WATER.OR
OTHER LIQUIDS.”—A communication from abroad by Philibert Vabe
and Hippolyte Cuan, both of Paris, in the Republic of France,
Engineers.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th November 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OR RAISING
WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS," a communication to me from abroad by
Philibert Vabe and Hippolyte Cuan, both of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineers, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the drawing or raising of water or other

page_text: liquids to the height of ordinary pumps, or the height of a column of
water balanced by the atmospheric pressure, and to the "fetching" or
charging instantaneously with such water or other liquid of injectors,
suction apparatus, liquid elevators, and the like, and consists of a
peculiar arrangement of apparatus whereby the before-mentioned appa-
ratus, which are only capable of drawing from a slight depth, are enabled
to operate by suction in lieu of by forcing, and consequently to be placed
within reach of the attendants in charge of them.
According to one mode of carrying out this Invention the apparatus
is composed of a vertical suction pipe, the lower end of which dips into
the water or other liquid which is to be elevated, whilst the upper. end
of such pipe is surmounted by or in communication with a cock, on the
upper flange of which the apparatus which it is required to "fetch" or
charge is supported. The cock is formed with a branch. tube or passage
extending from it at right angles or horizontally to which a steam pipe
is attached. The plug of the cock is provided with a through passage,
placing the lower part of the vertical pipe in communication with the
apparatus above, and has also formed in it an aperture leading into such
through passage, and capable of establishing a communication between
the steam pipe and the same. The passages in the cock above and
below the plug and leading from the steam pipe are made of a narrowed
or contracted form, and the aperture in the plug corresponding to the
horizontal passage is also made of correspondingly small sectional area,
whilst the through passage in the plug is made of greater sectional area
than its corresponding passages.
The apparatus operates in the following manner, videlicit :-Assuming
that the whole of the passages are open and in communication, steam
is introduced and diffused throughout the apparatus, the air is expelled,
and the steam becomes expanded (the sectional area of the vertical pipe
being greater than that of the steam inlet), and it is finally condensed
in the reservoir below. The communication between the steam inlet
and the vertical pipe is then almost immediately interrupted, whilst the
other passages remain in communication, and the atmospheric pressure
acting upon the surface of the liquid causes it to rise in the pipe. The
liquid by the act of rising condenses any remaining steam with which
it may come in contact in its passage, and passes into the apparatus
above which is consequently "fetched" or charged.

page_text: When it is desired to elevate a liquid to a considerable height the
suction may be accelerated by opening and closing the cock suddenly
a number of times in succession until the liquid has attained to the
height of the apparatus.
It is obvious that the arrangement of the cock may be modified to
suit the different apparatus to which it is to be applied.
In the case of injectors of the ordinary construction the following
modification may if preferred be substituted for the apparatus herein.
before described :-This arrangement consists in placing a cock upon
the suction pipe of the injector, and another upon the blow-off or
overflow pipe.
In order to effect the instantaneous suction or the "fetching
" or
starting of the apparatus the two cocks are closed and a small quantity
of steam is introduced through the steam cock into the chamber of the
injector; the two before-mentioned cocks are then suddenly opened and
the steam rapidly condensing produces a vacuum which is followed by an
instantaneous suction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the 'County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the 38th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I,
the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, admi-
nistrators; 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DRAWING OR RAISING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS," a communication to me
from abroad by Philibert Vabe and Hippolyte Cuan, of Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineers, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators,
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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :-
The said Invention relates to suction apparatus to be employed for
elevating cold or hot liquids to the same height as that to which they
may be raised by ordinary pumps, that is to say, to the height of a
column of water counterbalanced by the pressure of the atmosphere, and
for priming, fetching, or starting simultaneously the injectors, suction
liquid, elevating, and other apparatus for performing the same functions.
These various apparatus which only draw from a very small depth may
by means of an instantaneous suction apparatus be caused to operate
by suction in lieu of by forcing, and consequently be placed within the
reach of the attendant charged with working them.
.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a vertical section, and
Figure 2 is an end view showing one mode of arranging the instan-
taneous suction apparatus.
The apparatus is composed,—
.

page_text: 3rdly. Of a suction pipe C plunging or dipping in the liquid it is
desired to elevate or inject.
The apparatus D to be fetched or primed is attached to the flange E. :
The instantaneous suction apparatus operates in the following man-
ner: The ports or passages 6 and 6¹ being placed in communication
the passages K, L, M, N, O, are also in communication. The steam by
being distributed in the apparatus D as well as in the before-mentioned
passages expels the air and expands (for the section of the pipe O is
much smaller than that of the port 6), and finally is condensed in the
liquid contained in the reservoir. The communication between the
ports or passages 6 and 6¹ is then almost immediately interrupted whilst
the other passages remain in communication, and the atmospheric
pressure acting upon the surface of the liquid causes it to ascend in
the suction pipe. The liquid as it rises condenses the small quantity
of steam with which it comes in contact, and passing through the cock B.
is distributed in the apparatus D, which is consequently primed or
fetched.
When the instantaneous suction apparatus is required to lift a cold
or hot liquid to great elevations, the atmospheric pressure acting
intermittently causes the liquid to ascend to a certain height only
at first. In order to promote the suction the cock is again repeatedly
manipulated by opening and shutting the same suddenly until the liquid
reaches the apparatus D.
-
It is obvious that the arrangement of the cock B will be modified,.
and that such other appendages will be combined therewith as may be
necessary for the working of the suction apparatus, according to the
different constructions of the apparatus to be fetched or primed.
Injectors of ordinary construction may be fetched, primed, or started
either by the aid of the instantaneous suction apparatus herein-before
.described, or by means of the modification shewn in Figure 3 which
gives a similar result. According to this modification a cock R is placed
on the suction pipe A of the injector, and a cock R' is placed upon the
blow-off or overflow pipe P.
In order to effect the instantaneous suction or the priming or fetching
of the apparatus, it is required to close the cocks R, R¹, and to admit
a small quantity of steam by the cock V into the chamber of the

page_text: .
injector; the cocks R, R¹, are then suddenly opened, and the steam
condensing rapidly produces a vacuum which is followed by an instan-
taneous suction.
. The application of the cocks R and R' provides a complete remedy
for the inconvenience often experienced with injectors, and which
consists in their not fetching or priming with facility.
The various kinds of elevators and injectors already constructed may
be readily modified in accordance with the said Invention, as shewn
in Figure 4, which represents a vertical section of the instantaneous
suction apparatus combined with an injector, the steam spindle of which
is dispensed with, by which means the starting of the injector is
facilitated.
A is the water chamber communicating with a spherical chamber or
reservoir B by the pipe N, at the upper part of which air may be
introduced by the channel C, when the cock R is turned into the proper
position for that purpose; G is the suction pipe, and L, the force pipe;
S is the overflow; P, the piston which is perforated with holes p, and is
manipulated by means of the hand wheel V attached to the extremity
of the screw O;
this piston terminates in the nozzle T which enters
the cone N, a joint being formed at H by the nozzle bearing against
the seat prepared at the base of the cone; is the steam supply
pipe.
The apparatus operates in the following manner:-The piston P
being screwed down so that its conical shoulder H forms a valve com-
munication is intercepted between the water chamber A and the
overflow pipe S, and consequently with the external air. The cock's
R and K being in the positions indicated by the Drawing the cock K
is brought into the position shewn at r (Figure 5), and the steam
entering by proceeds to the supply reservoir by the pipe F, the
chamber B, and the suction pipe G. The cock K is then replaced
in its previous position, the water in the reservoir (by virtue of the
condensation) instantly rises in the suction pipe G and fills the sphere B
and water chamber A. The piston P is then drawn back and the port
of the cock R is brought into the position shewn by the red lines. Air
enters the chamber B by the channel. C, the water then passes through 3
the cone M and flows through the overflow S (the suction pipe G not
being in communication with the sphere has remained full of water). The

page_text: i
cock K is next placed in the position r of Figure 6, and the steam
passes inside the piston P, whence it issues by the nozzle T, conducting
out the water and passes through the overflow pipe .S. The cock R
being restored to its original position the flow of water continues. by
virtue of the atmospheric pressure acting upon the water in the
reservoir. It is then simply necessary to regulate the passage of the
water by means of the screw O and the hand wheel V, in order to cause
the injector to operate as required.
•
•
In some cases, such for example as when the feed water is always
at a relatively low temperature, the chamber B and the cock R may be
dispensed with. The pipe N and the suction pipe G are then placed
at N' and G³, as shewn by the red lines in Figure 4, the water is caused
to rise in the chamber A by the means herein-before described, and a
slight current of steam is admitted to the interior of the piston P. The
steam issuing by the nozzle T causes a vacuum in the cone M and
escapes by the overflow S, after which the piston is drawn back and the
water is discharged by the same overflow; the cock is then opened
completely so as to admit the steam into the interior of the piston, and
the passage of the water for the injection is regulated by the means
herein-before described.
It should be observed that in order to draw and inject from certain
depths (say from twenty to thirty feet for example) it is necessary to
interpose between the pipe a and the chamber B a cock which is closed
before opening the cock R, in order to admit of the suction being effected
under favorable circumstances, the volume of air introduced into the
upper part of the chamber B being unable to expand in order to effect
a backward flow of water in the suction pipe G by virtue of the height
of the water in the said pipe or column.
The cone M may be perforated with small holes and modified so as to
enter the water chamber A, as shewn in Figure 7, so that the water
falling in drops upon the steam produces a conderisation which augments
the useful effect of the apparatus.
As a further modification, in applying the suction apparatus to
injectors and elevators, there may be substituted for the conical port H
and the cock R, Figure 4, a three-way cock W, Figure 8, placed upon
the pipe N between the injector Z and the water chamber or reservoir B.
In this case a small air cock U is placed on the upper part of the

page_text: chamber B, and the steam producing the suction is conducted by a pipė q
leading direct from the cock K to the chamber B.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that 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, priming, fetching,
or starting injectors, and apparatus for drawing or raising liquids by the
employment of cocks arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
T HENDY TOHINSON
1