Improvements in Carts and Vans for Holding Water, Manure, or other Liquids, and in Apparatus for Filling such Carts and Vans.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carts and Vans for Holding Water, Manure,
or other Liquids, and in Apparatus for Filling such Carts
and Vans.
I. EDWARD PRATT, of the Albert Ironworks, Uxbridge, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to carts and vans for holding water for watering roads and
other purposes, liquid manure or other liquids, and it has for its object a novel
method of filling such carts and vans with the water or liquid, when required.
It consists substantially in attaching and fitting to the cart or van, one or more
air pumps operated by the wheels of the vehicle when in motion, the action of the
pumps withdrawing or exhausting the air more or less from the receptacle for the
liquid, so that when the latter is connected by a pipe with a well or tank the liquid
is raised into the receptacle by atmospheric pressure.
In order to put my invention in operation, I make the receptacle for liquid on
the cart or van airtight, and upon it or upon the frame or body of the cart I fix an
air pump or other suitable exhausting apparatus from which a pipe proceeds to the
barrel, tank, or body, of the cart, from which, therefore, the air is more or less
exhausted when the pump is worked. The water supply pipe to the barrel, tank,
or body of the cart is fitted with a valve cr cock which when shut prevents the
entrance of air when the air pump or exhauster is being worked.
The air pump or exhauster is worked from the wheel or wheels of the cart or
van by means of toothed gear and a crank or excentric of any of the ordinary well-
known kinds, and it can be put in and out of gear by a clutch or other equivalent
device.
The method of operation is as follows:-The inlet valve or cock on the water
supply pipe being closed, the air pump or exhauster is put into gear and by its
action exhausts the air more or less from the barrel, tank, or body of the cart as
the latter travels along, so that by the time the cart has arrived at the source of
supply, a vacuum or partial vacuum has been formed in the cart, or should a
sufficient vacuum have been formed before the arrival of the cart at the source of
supply, the exhausting apparatus would be thrown out of gear. The amount of
When the cart
vacuum would be shown by a vacuum gauge attached to the cart.
has arrived at the well or pond or cesspool from which it is to be filled, the inlet
supply pipe is placed in the well or pond and the valve or cock in it opened.
There being little air in the tank of the cart the water at once passes from the well
and fills or partially fills the cart. When this has been done the cart is removed
and the water or other contents taken to its destination. The air is then admitted
to the body or tank of the cart, and the water can then flow out through the inlet
or other pipe.
When empty the same process is repeated. The advantages claimed
for this novel method of operation are as follows:-The water is raised by horse
power, which power is applied when no load is being drawn; no time is lost by
filling with pumps or buckets; liquid manure not having to pass through valves
there is no danger of such valves not closing; and when raising offensive smelling

page_text: matter, no inconvenience is experienced, as the man in charge need not stand near
the cart.
Dated this 30th day of July 1896.
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Carts and Vans for Holding Water, Manure,
or other Liquids, and in Apparatus for Filling such Carts
and Vans.
I, EDWARD PRATT, of the Albert Ironworks, Uxbridge, in the County of
Middlesex, 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, and accompanying drawing, that is to say :--
My invention relates to carts and vans for holding water for watering roads and
other purposes, liquid manure, or other liquids, and it has for its object a novel
method of filling such carts and vans with the water or liquid, when required.
The improved method consists substantially in attaching and fitting to the cart
or van carrying a suitable airtight receptacle, one or more air pumps operated by
the wheels of the vehicle when in motion; the action of the pumps withdrawing
or exhausting the air more or less froin the receptacle for the liquid, so that when
the latter is connected by, a pipe with a well or tank the liquid in the latter is
raised into the receptacle by atmospheric pressure.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of my invention, and represents in
side elevation a cart or van provided with my improved apparatus.
on
In order to put my invention in operation, I make the receptacle a for liquid
the cart or van 6 airtight, and upon it or upon the frame or body of the cart, I fix
an air pump or other suitable exhausting apparatus d from which a pipe e proceeds
to the airtight barrel, tank, or receptacle a, on the cart, from which, therefore, the
air is more or less exhausted when the exhausting pump d is worked. The water
supply pipe e to the barrel, tank, or receptacle a, on the cart, is fitted with a valve
or cock which when shut prevents the entrance of air when the air pump or
exhauster d is being worked."
The air pump or exhauster d is worked from the wheel or wheels of the cart or
van by means of toothed gear 9, 9' (indicated by dotted lines), and a crank or
excentrich and rod d', of any of the ordinary well-known kinds, and it can be put
in and out of gear by a clutch or other equivalent device. In the drawing the
shaft carrying the toothed wheel 9' at one end and the crankpin k at the other end,
is shewn suspended from the frame of the cart by suspending links 1, a lever m
being provided by which the links I are moved so that the pinion g¹ is either
brought into gear with the toothed wheel g, (as indicated by dotted lines) fixed
upon one of the wheels of the cart, or is withdrawn from it, as desired.
-
The method of operation is as follows:-The inlet valve or cock f on the water
supply pipe e being closed, the air pump or exhauster d is put into gear and by its
action exhausts the air more or less from the barrel, tank, or receptacle a, as the
cart travels along, so that by the time the latter has arrived at the source of supply,
a vacuum or partial vacuum has been formed in the tank a; or should a sufficient
vacuum have been formed before the arrival of the cart at the source of supply,
the exhausting apparatus d would be thrown out of gear. The amount of vacuum
would be shown by a vacuum gauge n attached to the cart. When the cart has
arrived at the well or pond or cesspool from which it is to be filled, the inlet supply
'

page_text: pipe e is placed in the well or pond and the valve or cock fin it opened. There
being little air in the tank a of the cart the water at once passes from the well and
fills or partially fills the tank. When this has been done the cart is removed and
the water or other contents taken to its destination. The air is then admitted
to the body or tank of the cart by a valve o, and the water can then flow out through
the inlet pipe e, or other pipe. When empty the same process is repeated. The
advantages claimed for this novel method of operation are as follows:-The water
is raised by horse power, which power is applied when no load is being drawn; no
time is lost by filling with pumps or buckets; liquid manure not having to pass
through valves there is no danger of such valves not closing effectually; and when
raising offensive smelling matter, no inconvenience is experienced, as the man in
charge need not stand near the cart.
I do not confine myself to the precise method of construction and arrangement,
nor to the details of the apparatus, which may be varied more or less as may be
found advisable, but
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 improved method of filling carts or vans, holding water, liquid manure,
or other liquids, consisting in attaching or fitting to the cart or van one or more
air pumps operated by the wheels of the vehicle when in motion, such pump or
pumps withdrawing the air from an airtight receptacle, so that when the latter is
connected by a pipe with a well or tank the liquid is raised into the receptacle by
atmospheric pressure, and can be allowed to escape when desired by admitting air
to the receptacle, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a cart or van, of an airtight receptacle a, air exhausting
apparatus d, connected with the receptacle a, pipe e and valve f, gear g, g, h, k,
disengaging devices l, m, and valve o, arranged and operating substantially in the
manner and for the purposes described and illustrated.
Dated this 30th day of April 1897
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.