AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND DRAINS." THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND DRAINS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walter Smith, of Oxton, in the County of
Chester, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND DRAINS."
THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND DRAINS."
Sealed the 17th September 1872, and dated the 6th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walter Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th April 1872.
" AN
I, JOHN WALTER SMITH, of Oxton, in the County of Chester, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENT IN THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND DRAINS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in making brick man-holes or air chambers in
the street. In the centre of each man-hole is a tube reaching from the
top of the sewer to the level of the street; at the side of this tube at the
bottom of the air chamber small pipes project into the sewer for the
purpose of furnishing pure air from the air chamber to supply the sewer.
with air and to create a draught in the tube. The air tubes are con-

page_text: nected with the sewer, and are fitted with heads, partly cylindrical and
partly conical, which revolve from the action of the wind, presenting an
open chamber to receive the wind which then passes down the pipes into
the sewer and air tubes, also fitted with stationary heads, partially cylin-
drical and partially conical, which are divided vertically into four
compartments which present chambers for the reception of the wind
blowing from any point of the compass, which then passes down the
tubes into the sewer and thus injects fresh air into the sewer to replace
the foul gas drawn through the ventilator. Also a ventilating trap to
be placed outside the walls of the houses in the drains, the said trap
having an inlet pipe to receive the house drains, and an outlet pipe to
discharge into the sewer, with an open grating between the inlet and
the outlet pipe and trap to allow any gas to escape which might be forced
past the trap, and thus cut off direct communication between the sewer
and the dwelling houses.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Walter Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WALTER SMITH, of Oxton, in the County of Chester, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Walter Smith, Her
special licence that I, the said John Walter Smith, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Walter Smith, 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,

page_text: an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS AND
DRAINS," upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said John
Walter Smith, 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 John Walter Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in certain improved apparatus which is par- .
ticularly adapted for the ventilation of sewers and drains, but parts of
which may be modified to ventilate mines, tunnels, buildings, railway
carriages, and ships.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 represents a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus suit-
able for the ventilation of sewers; and Fig. 2 is a plan of the grid or
cover of the man-hole. a is the movable grid or cover which fits in the
frame b; c, c, are the openings in the cover a for receiving the air into
the man-hole; and d, d, are openings in the cover over the ventilating
tube e to allow the sewer gas to escape; f is the brickwork chamber
containing the air; and 9, 9, are pipes for admitting the air from the
man-hole into the sewer and creating a draught in the ventilating tube e.
At the bottom of the man-hole I place chloride of lime or other dis-
infectant, the gas from which is drawn into the sewer by the downcast
draught in the pipes 9, 9, and deodorizes the sewer gas before it rises in
the tube e; h is a sewer; and the brickwork of the sewer and
man-hole..
Fig. 3 represents the mode of supplying fresh air to the sewer h by
means of a tube with a revolving head; and Fig. 4 represents a sectional
elevation of the said tube which is marked k, and is fitted with the

page_text: revolving head l. The fresh air thus supplied to sewers and drains serves
to purify and replace that drawn out of the sewer by the ventilator and
to increase the draught therein; m is the wind flag fitted to the revolving
head to keep the open part of the revolving head opposite the point of
the compass from which the wind is blowing; the revolving portion of
the head is provided with openings for receiving the air; n is the
stationary portion of the head; and k, the tube for conveying the air
received into the head to the sewers, or stationary heads divided ver-
tically for receiving the air may be used.
f
Fig. 5 represents a section of the ventilating trap for using outside the
walls of dwelling houses in house drains. p is a perforated cover for
allowing any foul gas to escape into the air in the event of its being
forced past the water line of the trap; q is the inlet for attaching the
house drain pipes, which being above the water line of the trap cannot
admit any sewer.gas
into the houses; r is the water line of the trap; and
& is the outlet for connecting the trap with pipes to the sewer. The
perforated cover p receives the surface water from the yard or place in
which it is fixed, and may be removed for the purpose of cleansing and
supplying the trap and drains with disinfectants to avoid the admission
of foul air or unpleasant smells in the house.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
mode of performing the same as applied to the ventilation of sewers and
drains, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to
the details given, as they may be varied or modified according to the
particular purpose to which they are applied, and I claim,-
First. The improved apparatus for ventilating, consisting of a chamber
from which fresh air is admitted by the pipes 9, 9, to the sewer or other
place to be ventilated, and the ventilating tube e for discharging the
vitiated air from the sewer or other place, as shewn and described in
reference to Fig. 1.
Secondly. The apparatus consisting of a revolving or stationary head
in combination with a tube for supplying pure air to the sewer or other
place to be ventilated, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 3
and 4.
And, lastly. The ventilating trap, shewn in Fig. 5, for cutting off the
direct communication between the sewers and dwelling houses thus nre-

page_text: venting the admission of foul air or unpleasant smells into the dwelling
house.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walter Smith, have hereto
set
my
hand and seal, this 30th day of September One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two.