AN IMPROVED PUMP AND METHOD OF WORKING MACHINERY
Year: 1801

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, THOMAS
WITHERBY, of Enfield, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, sendeth
greeting.
WHEREAS the said Thomas Witherby did, by his petition, humbly repre-
sent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that, after
much study and expence, he hath invented "AN IMPROVED PUMP AND METHOD OF
WORKING MACHINERY," which he conceived would be of great public utility; that
he is the first and true inventor thereof; and that the same hath not been prac-
ticed by any other person or persons to the best of his knowledge or belief;
wherefore he, the said Thomas Witherby, most humbly prayed His said Ma-
jesty that He would be graciously pleased to grant unto him, His said petitioner,
His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom for the
sole use, benefit, and advantage of his said Invention within that part of His said
Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, pursuant to
the Statute in that case made and provided; and whereas His said Majesty,
being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which
may be
for the public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to such his request,
and therefore by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the.
Twenty-third day of June, in the forty-first year of His said Majesty's reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said
Thomas Witherby, his executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said Thomas

page_text: Witherby, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by
himself and themselves, or by his or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents,
or such others as he, the said Thomas Witherby, his 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 of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend his said Invention within that part
of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called Eng-
land, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to him, the said Thomas Witherby, his executors; administrators, or assigns,
or any of them, should, in his or their discretions, seem meet; and that he, the
said Thomas Witherby, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should and
lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage
from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said
Invention for and during the term of years therein mentioned; to have, hold,
exercise, and enjoy.tlie said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-
before granted or mentioned to be granted unto him, the said Thomas Witherby,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end
and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and
immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
Statute in such case made and, provided. And whereas in the said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that if he, the said Thomas Witherby, should not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing, under
his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within three calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, deter-
mine, and become void, any thing, therein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the afore-
said Thomas Witherby, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, in
manner following, that is to say:-
The Invention of the improved pump. and method of working machinery
consists in the invention and application of machinery for the purpose of
applying the water discharged by the pump or pumps, and using the same
water as a power whereby to work the pump; and in the application of the
same principle, and the power gained thereby, for the purpose of working
machinery; or in the invention and application of the several other things, all

page_text: which are fully described in the five several Drawings herein-before set forth
and hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Witherby, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the forty-
first year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and one.
THOMAS (L.8.) WITHERBY.
Signed, sealed, and delivered (being first
duly stamped) in the presence of us,
SAM HILL,
Stamp Office.
W WITHERBY,
Birchin Lane,

page_text: The same principle is applied in this Second drawing to work two lifting pumps by means of a Loaded Ballance Lever marked MM. this ballance must be of sufficient length that the water received in the vessel at its extremity shall be able to
bring it down with a bold stroke. The pump handles are of sufficient weight to descend of themselves and they are altanately lifted by the motion of the Ballance lever to give another stroke. the water bang discharged from the lower vessel at one
and of the lever at the same time that the vessel at the other end receives its contents NNNNN weights whereby the ballance lener is equally loaded on each side 0.0. the uprights which overturn the hanging vessels PP. these vessels are represented
as discharging their contents of themselves but the same means may be used as is described in the first drawing to discharge their contents Q2. stops to keep the loaded ballance in its sphere of action. RR. the Cards whereby the pump handles are alternately
lifted these cords must be lengthened in proportion to the height to which the water is to be lifted or freed if therefore the well being in the Cellar it is required to have the water discharged into a Cistern near the top of the house, it is manifest that
although the pumps are to be placed in the Cellar yet the hanging vessels and the loaded ballance lever or any other loner employed in its place must be at the top of the house and consequently these cords must in such case be much lengthened as
well as the conducting pipes Let it be observed that I do not daim er anggest any improvement in the valne suckers buckets or Foers of the pumps bat make use of those which are already in common use.
ine opposite pu
anrough
whereby the pumps are alternately worked. FF. weights whereby the lever is loaded to increase its power, that marked FT. so much exceeding the other as of itself to bring that end down and give a stroke
water is lifted and discharged into the Sea a few feet above the surface of the water HH. a small boat to be led or drawn after the ship: I the rope wherely it is fastened to the Ship. K two upright timbers one on each gunwale of the boat for te
support the axles of the wheels. I the boat in another position M.M. the same uprights as described at K. Na bend or arm in the axis of the wheels whereby the repe Q is put in motion when this arm is ut 0 the heavier arm Pf of the lever hath descended
but in its way from 0 to P it draws the rope Q and causes the lighter arm of the loner to descend and then in its way from P to 0 it again permits the heavier arm to descend QQQQ, the rope RRRRR, Pullies to conduct the rope. S the
wheels one in each side of the Boat with the float beards descending into the water TTTT some of the float boards as they appear when the wheels are in another position. Van axis formed to work two ripes whereby four such lifting pumps
may be worked. U un axis formed to work four repes whereby eight such lifting pumps may be worked, the float boards being made proportionably larger for that purpose. The pumps should be placed as near to the centre of the ship as possible and the

page_text: AA is the first lever the short arm of which is to perform the work. B.B the second lever, the short arm of which is as long as the long arm of the first. C.C. loads on the short arms of both levers which must be equal to lift their long arms and raise the scale L
to its highest assent whereby the hanging vessel is overturned. Da pulley under which a Cord rope or chain rolls communicating the motion from the second lever to the first. E the said Cord rope or chain. I the pulley under which the cord or rope runs which communicates motion to
the levers. G.G pullies over which the said Cord or rope rans. Hthe hanging vessel like those before described. I the pipe or cock which fills the hanging vessel. the reservoir or Cistern to which this cock belongs being supplied with water by one or more of the pumps before described
Ka Cullender or vessel with holes in its bottom to communicate the water discharged from the hanging vessel into the scale or dissending vessel with a sudden and yet equal motion thereby preventing any of it being spashed over or lost. this vessel hath also a larger hole in the
Centre of its bottom through which the Cords runs to which the scale or dissending vessel is fastened. I the scale or dissending vessel as it appears previous to its dissent overturning the hanging vessel and receiving its contents through the Cullender. M the scale or dissending
vessel as it appears when discharging its contents. N the upright affixed to the scale or dissending vessel which overturns the hanging vessel. 0.0 four upright timbers having the vessel called the Cullender at their top and having grooves inwards in which the scale moves up
and down at the bottom the grooves are enlarged which gives so much liberty to the pivots which run in the grooves that the vessel discharges its contents by the Pivots having arrived at the bottom of the grooves. the two grooves nearest the tip of the scale giving room to the
pivots which run in them to descend lower than the other two. PP. the water discharged from the descending Scale. Q.Q the uprights on which the axis of the levers turn. I a waste pipe which conveys the water which hath done its work into the well of the pump or pumps which
supply the Cistern to which the cock I is affixed. A large lever like this second lever may be employed in aid if required to the Pumps described in the first and second Drawings and the large lever and apparatus which communicates motion to it may also be employed to work
the pumps described in the fourth Drawing in which case the rope Qin the fourth drawing instead of being worked by the wheels and ships motion will be worked by the water discharged by the pumps the pipe G in the fourth Drawing being in that case to be lengthened to
discharge its water into the hanging vessel H. as described in this fifth Drawing which hanging vessel need be fixed no higher than to admit the water discharged by the scale or dissending vessel as at M to run into the Sea. The application of the power of the short arm
of the first lever A in this Drawing to raise Water out of Mines or to give motion to machinery need not be expressed as they are well known, the improvement being in the manner whereby the working lever is put in motion and not in any superior mode of applying its
power when in motion. In the construction of the Pumps and Machinery care must be taken as much as possible to avoid friction and that they work as easy as possible. The magnitude of the pumps and whether to use one two or more must depend upon the quantity
of water desired to be raised or work to be done thereby. It is manifest that the same principle which is employed to work two pumps may be employed to work four or more by the lever having cross bars extending over and applying the force of the lever to lift the pump handles
proportion to the
of the additional pumps and although a greater force will of course be required in magnitude or number of the pumps used yet the power whereby they are worked will also be proportionably greater. A large loaded Rocking lever like that described in the third
Drawing may also be employed for the purpose of working machinery the water which is to be employed to put in motion being to be supplied by one or more of the Pumps before described.
it