Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RECEPTACLES FOR WASTE WATERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah George Jennings, of Palace Road, in the
Parish of Lambeth, Sanitary Engineer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RECEPTACLES FOR WASTE WATERS."
Sealed the 14th November 1871, and dated the 18th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah George Jennings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th May 1871.
I, JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS, of Palace Road, in the Parish of
Lambeth, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RECEPTACLES FOR WASTE
WATERS," to be as follows:-
When forming receivers for waste waters I divide them by a vertical
partition not extending to the bottom. The part so divided off is
covered, and the outlet from it may be at the bottom by a syphon or
near the top. For gulleys the latter is preferable, and I provide at the
outlet a floating valve which the water endeavouring to escape lifts by

page_text: its pressure and buoyancy. I fit in the bottom of the gulley a receiver
for the deposit, having a handle or eye with a chain for lifting it
reaching to the under side of the grating.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Josiah George Jennings in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
GEORGE JENNINGS, of Palace Road, in the Parish of Lambeth, Sanitary
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Josiah George Jennings, Her special license
that I, the said Josiah George Jennings, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Josiah George Jennings, my
executors, 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RECEPTACLES FOR WASTE WATERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Josiah George Jennings, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 Josiah George Jennings, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvement in the construction of
receptacles for waste waters, and the improvements relate, firstly, to the

page_text: construction of sinks for kitchens, sculleries, hospital wards, and for
other such like purposes.
The improvements in sinks have for their object to enable all filthy
waters, as, for example, water in which cabbages and such like vegetables
have been boiled, and other offensive waters, to be thrown at once into
the outlet of the sink without removing the trap and without allowing
the offensive waters to flow over the whole surface of the sink, as is now
frequently the case, whilst the sink can also at all times be used as an
ordinary sink. The use of gratings over the outlet passage of sinks is
also dispensed with by the employment of a partition, as herein-after
described, to divide the sink into two parts.
Figure 1 shews a longitudinal sectional view, and Figure 2 a transverse
sectional view of a sink constructed according to my Invention.
a is the bottom of the sink having an outlet hole b at one end, below
which is an earthenware slop sink o; d is the partition dividing the slop
sink from the sink proper; the partition is raised sufficiently above the
sink bottom to allow of the free escape of all waste waters, and yet low
enough to keep back all substances it is desired to retain; the partition
thus forms a substitute for the gratings heretofore employed. e is a
cover for the slop sink, which can be turned up on hinges or taken
away when it is desired to empty waste waters directly into the slop
sink; at other times this cover acts as a drainer or work bench; a tip-up
lavatory basin is shewn to be fitted at the opposite end of the sink; the
sink may, however, if desired be formed without the lavatory.
In place of the earthenware slop sink shewn at Figures 1 and 2, the
slop sink may be formed in the manner shewn at Figure 3. The general
arrangement of the sink is the same as that shewn at Figures 1 and 2.
a is the bottom of the sink; c, the slop sink at one end thereof; d, the
partition dividing the slop sink from the sink proper. The slop sink is
fitted with a siphon discharge pipe e, which permits small quantities of
water to flow freely away while any considerable discharge fills the outlet
leg of the siphon, and brings the siphon into action, which then draws
off the contents of the slop sink, after which the water in the short leg
of the siphon returns and traps the mouth of the siphon, as shewn by
the Drawing. Whenever the siphon is brought into action all accumu
lation of sediment around the mouth of the siphon is sucked up and
carried away, so keeping the trap clear.

page_text: At Figure 4 is shewn a housemaid's slop sink, in which the upper
part of the sink is divided from the lower part by a horizontal partition
capable of being turned up on hinges at the back; the waste waters
thrown into the sink pass down through the space left between this
partition and the sides of the sink, whilst all substances it is desired to
retain are kept back by the space being too narrow to allow of their
passing. When slops or offensive waters are to be thrown away the
partition is turned up on its hinges and the slops are thrown directly
into the slop sink below without soiling the partition, which at other
times forms the bottom of the sink. This slop sink is similar to the
one shewn at Figures 1 and 2.
In all cases where hydraulic traps are employed to trap the outlets
from sinks and other receptacles the action of such traps is liable to be
impaired by the evaporation of the water in the trap, and from other
causes.
The next part of my Invention has for its object to remedy this
inconvenience. For this purpose I employ a float valve in the outlet
passage of the trap, which when the water in the trap is lost by
evaporation, or lowered by any other cause, sinks on to a valve seat
and prevents the escape of sewer gas.
I would remark that I am aware that it has been before proposed to
employ a float valve above the inlet passage of a trap to close such
passage whenever the water in the trap gets too low, but in this case
whenever a flow of water is passing away through the trap the float has
to rise against the flow of the water, and the flow of water tends to
carry down with it the float valve and to close the inlet of the trap, but
by placing the float valve in the outlet passage of the trap the valve
will be raised not only by its own power of flotation, but also by the
flow of the water passing through the trap.
When I employ a siphon outlet pipe, such as herein-before described,
then in some cases I similarly apply a valve to open with the flow of
water, as shewn at Figure 3, or such siphon outlet may be employed
without such valve, as shewn at Figure 5.
At Figure 6 is shewn a trap fitted with a float valve in the outlet.
Such a trap is suitable to be applied to all kinds of sinks, cisterns, and
other waste pipes. In this Figure a is the float valve, which I prefer
to form of thin copper and to provide it with a ring or surrounding

page_text: disc 6 of vulcanized india-rubber, which when the float falls comes down
on to an earthenware or other seating c. When the float valve is
lifted by a flow of water through the trap it rises up vertically on a
guide pin d which enters a pipe e that passes down vertically through
the centre of the float. I prefer that the top of the trap is covered over
with a horizontal grating or partition, which can be turned up on a
hinge joint as shewn, but the top of the trap may be otherwise covered
over with a grating.
Figure 7 shews a similar float valve applied to the outlet of an
ordinary brick gully pit to close the trap whenever the water level
is lowered either by evaporation or by the cleaning out of the gully
pit. The valve then falls on to the earthenware seating c.
Figure 8 shews a gully pit formed of slate slabs, and with a partition f
with an opening through it at the bottom, and also with a smaller
opening near the top as shewn. The outlet passage from the pit is
also provided with a float valve as shewn, and at the bottom of the
pit is a receiver 9 in which the solid matters entering the pit are
collected. All waste waters entering the pit pass under the partition f
and rise up past the float valve and escape by the outlet passage h.
The solid matters deposit in the receiver g. This receiver has attached
to it a chain which is also secured to the under side of the gully grating.
When it is desired to empty the receiver, the grating is turned up
and the receiver is raised by a laborer in the manner shewn at Figure 9,
and is discharged direct into a barrow, cart, or other receptacle. If the
emptying of the receiver is neglected and the deposit is allowed to
accumulate in the pit until the flow of water is stopped under the
partition fany water entering the pit will flow away by the opening
near the top of the partition, and the necessity of cleaning the pit will
at once be indicated by the rising of the water level to the under side
of the gully grating. When the receiver is raised up out of the gully
pit the water level in the pit falls as shewn at Figure 9. The float
valve then drops on to its seat and prevents the escape of sewer gas.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,―
1. The construction of sinks substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: 2. The construction of sinks substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figure 4.
3. The construction of sinks with a vertical or horizontal partition
substantially as herein described, to permit the free escape of waste
waters and yet retain such solid matters as it is desired to retain.
4. The employment of a siphon discharge pipe for the outlet from
sinks and other receptacles of waste waters substantially as herein
described and shewn at Figures 3 and 5.
5. The employment in traps of float valves which are raised off their
seats by any flow of water through the trap substantially as herein
described.
6. The construction of street gulleys with a partition and movable
receptacle for the deposit to collect in substantially as herein described
and shewn at Figures 8 and 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah George Jennings, have here- 1
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS. (L.S.)