IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAINS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SANDERS
TROTMAN, of Clarendon Road, Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of February,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Sanders Trotman, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Sanders Trotman, my exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Sanders Trotman, my exors, admors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAINS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Sanders
Trotman, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Sanders Trotman, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My improvements in fountains are represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, of
the Drawings annexed. Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a sectional
elevation of a table fountain constructed according to my Invention. Figure 3
is an under side view of the same. A is the plate or table on which the fountain
revolves. B, B, the box or casing. C is a valve plate in the interior of the
casing. D is a ring of leather, or other suitable material, one edge of which
is attached to the periphery of the valve plate C, while the other edge is
fastened to the under side of the top of the casing B, thus forming a hydrostatic
bellows, by the action of which the water from the fountain is forced up through
the jet E. F, F, are valves in the valve plates C, by which water is admitted
to the interior of the hydrostatic bellows. G, G, are springs for raising the valve
plate and expelling the water. H is a chain attached to the bottom of the valve
plate, by means of which the valve plate is drawn down and water admitted
to the interior of the hydrostatic bellows through the valves F, F, in the valve
plate C. I is an orifice in the bottom of the casing, through which the chain H
passes, and i is a friction roller for the chain to run over. K is a tubular
piece of vulcanized india rubber, which is fastened at bottom around the
orifice I, and at top to the valve plate, by means of the metal rings k, k. k² is
another ring for keeping the tubular piece distended. The chain H passes
through this tubular piece, which serves to keep the water in the casing of the
fountain from coming in contact with the chain. L is a lever centred on the
pin attached to the under side of the casing of the fountain. The end M of
this lever is formed into a quadrant, as shewn, and the end of the chain H is
attached thereto. N is a chain, by which the lever is actuated. O, O, are
friction rollers, by which the casing B, B, of the fountain is supported on the
table A. P is the spindle, on which the fountain turns, and round which the
chain N is wound. p is a bridge, through which the end of the spindle
passes, and by which it is kept fixed in its central position in the plate A.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing the springs G, G, to
be in their expanded state, and the valve plate thereby raised to its highest
position, water is poured into the casing B through the aperture 6 until the
casing is full. The casing B is then turned round, which causes the lever L

page_text: to be inoved by means of the chain N, and the valve plate C is thereby drawn
down through the intervention of the chain H. The downward motion of the
valve plate compresses the springs G, G, and causes the valves F, F, to be
raised from their seats and the water to be admitted to the interior of the
hydrostatic bellows. When the valve plate has been brought to its lowest
position the pressure by which this had been effected is removed, and by
releasing the end of the chain N the compressed springs being freed begin to
extend themselves, and by their resilient force raise the valve plate C, which
causes the expulsion of the water contained in the hydrostatic bellows through
the jet E with a velocity proportionate to the orifice of the jet and power of
the springs. The water thus projected upwards falls again on the top of the
casing B and returns to the interior through the aperture b. When the
fountain ceases to act, owing to the water having been expelled, it is only
necessary to again turn the casing B, and so draw down the valve plate C by
means of the chain N, lever L, and chain H, when the hydrostatic bellows
will be again filled with the water that has returned into the casing B, and
on the pressure being removed the springs which had been compressed by the
forced descent of the valve will again begin to act, and the water will be
expelled through the jet E, as before described.
Figure 4 shews a view in section of another method of actuating the
bydrostatic bellows of artificial fountains. B, B, is the box or casing, within
which is the valve plate C, C, with its valves F, F, as in the former arrange-
ment. b, b, are flanges formed on the under side of the lid of the casing,
and around the edge of the valve plate D, D, is a circular band or belt of
vulcanized india rubber, the upper edge of which is secured to the flange on
the lid of the casing, and the lower to that on the valve plate, by wire or
other fastening. The india rubber serves, connecting the valve plate with
the lid of the casing, to form the hydrostatic bellows, and by its elasticity
allows the use of springs for raising the valve plate and expelling the water
to be dispensed with. The valve plate is drawn down (when the casing is
turned) by an arrangement of chains and lever, such as before described.
This action (the drawing down of the valve plate) causes the india rubber to
be stretched, and the resilient force exerted by it on the removal of the
pressure from the valve plate effects the raising of the latter, and consequent
expulsion of the water contained in the fountain through the jet E. The
used water returns into the casing through an aperture in the lid, as before
described.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is, the

page_text: actuating of the hydrostatic bellows in artificial fountains by means of the
systems of compound leverage before described.
In witness whereof, I; the said Sanders Trotman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.