An Improved System of Ventilating and Purifying Sewers, Drains, and the Interior of Buildings Automatically.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of Ventilating and Purifying Sewers, Drains,
and the Interior of Buildings Automatically.
I, FREDERIC BARNETT of No. 106 Queen Victoria Street E.C. London Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
That the present practice of employing open ventilators in the public roads,
constitutes a source of perpetual danger to the public health from the pernicious
emanations arising from the sewer gases bringing in their train such elements as
combine readily with zymotic fermentations resulting in typhus, typhoide diptheria
& blood poisoning marrying and developing with epidemics endemics & with most
other diseases for which viciated gases form a prolific menstruum.
It is therefore of vital importance that such elements should not be allowed to
escape as they now do through the road ventilators to the imminent danger of
dwellers in the Metropolis and elsewhere, but that this evil should be remidied by
an improved alternative system, to be substituted, by which the dangerous gases may
be otherwise disposed of so as to assure immunity not only to those persons in the
streets but to those whose frequent labours necessitate their descent into the sewers.
And this result will be attained by the adoption of my improved sanitary system
by automatically furnishing continuous streams of uncontaminated atmospheric air
at all times and seasons by such a simple organization that the same may be effected
simultaneously with the elimination of the noxious gases.
To attain this end I employ iron or other pipes of sufficient strength and calibre
which at their lowest ends will be seated in the walls of the sewers near the crown
of their arches, and thence in the longest lengths possible (all joints hermetically
seated) pass under the footpaths and thence in rounded joints (to diminish friction)
rise vertically up the fronts, sides or backs of the houses, until their elevations exceed
from ten to fifteen feet above their roofs; as these will be for the outlet of the
gases they will be surmounted by vertical turning ventilators capped at their
summit.
The inlet pipes will be several feet shorter, without other than their simple
openings uncapped.
All these pipes of reasonable calibres and at equal distances alternating on the
same side of the way, an inlet and an outlet and placed throughout the length of
the different streets.
As to the gases constituting sewer gas as is well known, they chiefly consist of
carburets, hydrogen, ammoniacal and others, but all or almost of all lighter gravity
than atmospheric air and being always under ground are almost if not always warmer
than the outer air, they by such means are rarified and the cubic foot so much
lighter. These outlet pipes being taller and longer than the inlet pipes by such
means increase their lifting power and as they by such means are always exhausting
the gases the same are continually fed and replaced with fresh air passing down the
inlet pipes.
The gases passing rapidly up the outlet pipes are almost shot upward and their gravity
being less than that of the atmospheric air they will rise swiftly into the upper regions
and there become diffused, and so rendered innoxious. By the tops of the inlet
pipes being uncovered they will admit freely not only the air, but the rain, snow, and
hail all which action will accelerate the rising of the gases by outlet, and this action
will always be in movement in this Metropolis and in other cities which shall adopt
this improved system of purifying the air, will sensibly diminish their death rates
with no other expense than that of their first installation, for the action of exhaustion
will be continual and permanent like that of a syphon with inverted action.

page_text: Should there be any carbonic acid with sewers its own gravity will ensure its
passing away in the ordinary currents of the waste water fluids.
As to dwelling houses, halls, churches, factories, theatres, stables and other buildings
the inlet and outlet pipes can be arranged in their roofs and ceilings and where so
desired the openings can be artistically dissimulated with ornaments and with this
advantage that there will be no hot and cold draught which in some cases are almost
insupportable but always dangerous especially openings by ventilators in walls,
perforated windows, and in large halls, where hot and cold air is alternated.
Dated this Twenty-first day of August 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
'An Improved System of Ventilating and Purifying Sewers, Drains,
and the Interior of Buildings Automatically.
FREDERIC BARNETT of No. 106 Queen Victoria Street E.C. London Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :--
That the present practice of employing open ventilators in the public roads G
constitutes a course of perpetual danger to the public health from the pernicious
emanations arising from the sewer gases bringing in their train such elements as
combine readily with zymotic fermentations resulting in typhus typhoid, diptheria &
blood poisoning, marrying and developing with epidemdics, endemics, and with most
other diseases for which vitiated gases form a prolific mestrum.
It is therefore of vital importance that these elements should not be allowed to
escape as they now do through the road ventilators H to the imminent danger of
dwellers in the Metropolis and elsewhere but that this evil should be remedied by an
improved alternative system which must be substituted by which the dangerous gases
may be otherwise disposed of so as to assure immunity not only to those persons
in the streets but to those whose frequent labours necessitate their descent into the
sewers.
And this result will be attained by adoption of my improved sanitary system of
automatically furnishing continuous streams of uncontaminaced atmospheric air at all
times and seasons by such a simple organization that the same may be effected
simultaneously with the elimination of the noxious gases.
To attain this end I employ iron or other pipes of sufficient strength and calibre
which at their lowest ends will be seated in the walls of the sewers near the
crown of arch B. B. and thence in the longest lengths possible (all joints hermetically
sealed) pass under the foot paths I. I. 1. I. I. I and thence in rounded joints (for
choice) C. C. to diminish friction rise vertically A. A. A. A. up the fronts, sides or
backs of the houses until their elevations E. E. exceed from ten to fifteen feet above
their roofs. As those E will be for the outlet of the gases they will be surmounted
by vertical or other ventilators turning as E and E from the wind and by the addition
of the sail E always to the wind so that though the difference in the gravity of the sewer
gases and atmospheric air will always ensure the rising of the former the greater
gravity of the latter will always descend facilitating the liberation of the sewer gases,.
but by the adoption of the cowl E with its sail E an additional impetus will by
all the changes of the wind from every quarter chase the sewer gases from the outlet
pipes, with the advantage of quantities of rain occasionally precipitated down the
inlet pipes into main sewer.
These inlet and outlet pipes inserted alternately in the opposite walls of the sewers
and always at such distances that they shall not be nearly opposite each other ranging
at a distance of about fifty feet that by this arrangement all the pipes on the same
side of the main sewer would always be about one hundred feet apart and so
alternate one inlet F¹ and one outlet F throughout their entire length on each side

page_text: of the sewer G. G. G. G. G. G. by this arrangement more effectually mixing the
atmospheric air with the gases in their chase from the sewers B. B.
As to the constitution of the sewer gases they chiefly consist of carburetted
hydrogen amoniacal and other gases all of which with exception of carbonic acid are
of lighter gravity than atmospheric air which in the sewers under ground are
almost of a higher temperature than the outward air thence becoming rarefied will
become of still less gravity thereby further assisting their ascending power. The
carbonic gas by its greater gravity will always wash away in the current of the
sewers waste waters.
The outlet pipes A E for choice will be taller than the inlet A E that extension
will increase the lifting of the gases and so add to their precipitate escape into the
upper regions and by the same result are as rapidly replaced by the purer air down
the inlet pipes A' E¹.
By special arrangement of the sail at the back of the cowl surmounting the inlet
pipe E it will oppose the wind and the rain thereby at such periods more rapidly
replace the gases, the action being perpetually maintained without requiring any
further attention for the space of many years from the moment of the
installation henceforth operating solely by natural forces without further expense.
proper
For churches, theatres, music halls, factories or other places of public reception
or meeting where improved ventilation is needed the same system can be applied
simply artistically and decoratively in the ceilings or otherwise always purifying the
air without the objectional alternation of excessive hot or cold draughts, which
occasionally prove so dangerous when attained by perforation in walls, windows and
by under ground alternate admissions of cold and hot air by some special apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of the inlet and outlet pipes A. A. and A¹ A extending above
the house tops thence passing downward under the pavements continuing beneath the
roads G. G. G. G. G. G and terminating in the crown of sewers arches at B. B.
2. By the above combined arrangements insuring a perpetual down draught of
atmospheric air by the inlet pipes, thereby facilitating an uninterrupted escape of the
sewer gases up the outlets into the upper regions where they will become dissipated
and innoxious, the whole result being effected by the lesser gravity of the sewer gases,
by nature's forces automatically.
3. By the employment of the cowls E and Eч on the summit of the inlet and
outlet pipes which by the peculiar addition of a sail to the back part of the cowl E
on the inlet pipe the same, in the case of wind will always turn in opposition to the
wind and as the outlet will always turn in direct opposition favorable to the escape of
the gases the velocity of their escape will be accelerated.
4. By the above arrangement insuring the continual escape of the dangerous gases,
all surface ventilation can and should be suppressed.
5. Also for the application of the same principle for ventilating the interior of
buildings tunnels for railways or others.
FREDERIC BARNETT.