IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Austin Chambers, of No. 258, Marylebone Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Signal Engineer, for the Invention •
of IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Austin Chambers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th October 1874.
I, AUSTIN CHAMBERS, of No. 258, Marylebone Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Signal Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS," to
be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in ventilating under-
ground railways.
For removing foul air from underground railways and introducing
fresh air into the tunnels or subways, it is usual to provide ventilating
air ways, shafts, or chimneys at intervals, but I have found that tho
•

page_text: cfficient operation of such air ways is much impeded, not only by wind
blowing in at the ends of tunnels, but also and especially by the action
of passing trains upon the air and gases or vapours. Trains travelling
quickly in underground railways or subways cause or induce currents of
the foul air, gases, and vapours produced therein to pass along such
subways, some in advance of and others following the trains. Currents
caused in this way are frequently so forcible that considerable proportions
of the foul air, gas, or vapor displaced by the influence of a passing
train are caused to rapidly pass the orifices of the ventilating air ways
instead of escaping up the same. Hence, owing to the inadequate
operation of the ventilating air ways, large quantities of the foul air, gas,
and vapour produced and accumulated in underground railways are by
the action of passing trains simply moved to and fro within the subways
or tunnels instead of being finally drawn away or expelled.
Now my Invention is designed to obviate this serious drawback to the
health, comfort, and convenience of passengers and others. To this end
I combine with the air ways diaphragms or partitions provided with
guides or deflectors arranged to arrest the passage of foul air, gas, or
vapour, to deflect and guide such foul air, gas, and vapour into and cause
its escape by the air ways, and to promote the descent of fresh air for
ventilation.
By my plan a passing train will cause foul air, gas, and vapour to
pass up the air way at one side of the diaphragm or partition, and
currents of fresh air to descend the air way at the opposite side of tho
diaphragm or partition as the train proceeds. A similar effect will be
produced by wind blowing into the end of the tunnel or covered
railway.
To insure the deflection of the currents of foul air, gas, and vapour at
the required points I provide deflectors or baffles at or near the air ways
or openings, or at the extremities of the tunnels or covered portions of
the railways, such deflectors or baffles being arranged to reduce the cross
sectional area of the train passage way as far as possible consistently
with the safe and uninterrupted passage of trains.
In some cases I extend the deflectors or baffles or portions thereof
some distance into the tunnels or covered ways. Where the extremities
of tunnels or covered ways are succeeded by openings, cuttings, .or
air ways of considerable extent I in some instances provide the

page_text: -
extremities of the tunnels or covered ways with plates or guides running
in an upward direction at some distance from the outer or end faces of
the tunnels or covered ways, thus leaving air ways between such. outer
or end faces and their plates or guides, which latter I provide with
deflectors suitably formed to arrest and deflect the currents of foul air,
gas, and vapour, and to promote their escape as aforesaid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Austin Chambers in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUSTIN
CHAMBERS, of No. 258, Marylebone Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Signal Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Austin Chambers, Her special
license that I, the said Austin Chambers, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Austin Chambers, 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
yend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VENTILATING UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Austin Chambers, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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 Austin Chambers, 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

page_text: by the following statement thereof, and the Sheet of Drawings therein
referred to (that is to say)
This Invention has for its object improvements in ventilating under-
ground railways.
For removing foul air from underground railways and introducing
fresh air into the tunnels or subways, it is usual to provide ventilating
air Iways, shafts, or chimneys at intervals, but I have found that the
efficient operation of such air ways is much impeded, not only by wind
blowing in at the ends of tunnels, but also and especially by the action
of passing trains upon the air and gases or vapours. Trains travelling
quickly in underground railways or subways cause or induce currents of
the foul air, gases, and vapours produced therein to pass along such
subways some in advance of and others following the trains. Currents
caused in this way are frequently so forcible that considerable proportions
of the foul air, gas, or vapour displaced by the influence of a passing,
train are caused to rapidly pass the orifices of the ventilating air ways,
instead of escaping up the same. Hence owing to the inadequate
operation of the ventilating air ways large quantities of the foul air, gas,
and vapour, produced and accumulated in underground railways are by
the action of passing trains simply moved to and fro within the subways
or tunnels instead of being finally drawn away or expelled.
Now my Invention is designed to obviate this serious drawback to the
health, comfort, and convenience of passengers and others. To this end
I combine with the air ways diaphragms or partitions provided with
guides or deflectors arranged to arrest the passage of foul air, gas, or
vapour, to deflect and guide such foul air, gas, and vapour into and
cause its escape by the air ways, and to promote the descent of fresh air
for ventilation.
By my plan a passing train will cause foul air, gas, and vapour to
pass up the air way at one side of the diaphragm or partition, and a
currents of fresh air to descend the air way at the opposite side of the
diaphragm or partition as the train proceeds. A similar effect will be
produced by wind blowing into the end of the tunnel or covered
railway.
To ensure the deflection of the currents of foul air, gas, and vapour
at the required points I provide deflectors or baffles at or near the air

page_text: portions of the railways, such deflectors or baffles being arranged to
reduce the cross sectional area of the train passage way as far as possible
consistently with the safe and uninterrupted passage of trains.
•
In some cases I extend the deflectors or baffles or portions thereof
some distance into the tunnels or covered ways. Where the extremitics
of tunnels or covered ways are succeeded by openings, cuttings, or air
ways of considerable extent, I in some instances provide the extremities
of the tunnels or covered ways with plates or guides running in an
upward direction at some distance from the outer or end faces of the
tunnels or covered ways, thus leaving air ways between such outer or
cnd faces and their plates or guides, which latter I provide with
deflectors suitably formed to arrest and deflect the currents of foul air,
gas, and vapour, and to promote their escape as aforesaid.
Such being the nature of my said Invention I now proceed to describe
the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, as illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a
railway tunnel and ventilating shaft with my Invention applied; Fig. 2
is a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 3 is a plan; a, a¹, is the air
way; b, the upper diaphragm or partition provided with guides or
deflectors c, c¹, which diaphragm practically converts what was originally
one air way into two air ways; d, d¹, are the lower deflectors or
baffles.
. It will be seen on reference to Fig. 1 that by my arrangement of
upper diaphragm or partition with its guides or deflectors and the lower
deflectors or baffles, the cross sectional area of the train passage way is
reduced as far as possible consistently with the safe and uninterrupted
passage of trains e.
Referring now to Fig. 2, if it be assumed that a train is approaching
from the left towards the right the effect will be that the train acting as
a sort of piston will push before it a considerable quantity of foul air,
which coming in contact with the deflctors c¹ and d¹ will be deflected
and caused to pass up the air way a, as indicated by arrows
whilst after the train has passed the deflectors c and d it will induce a
current of fresh air down the air way a', as indicated by arrow such

page_text: "
air way affording the readiest means of access for fresh air to take the
place of that drawn away by the induced current resulting from the
rapid passage of the train.
It will be obvious that deflectors or baffics d, d¹, such as described
with reference to this arrangement, may in some cases be advantageously
used in conjunction with other arrangements of upper diaphragm and
guides or deficctors herein-after described.
Figures 4, 5, and 0, and Figs, 7, 8, and 9 represent two modifications
which will be readily understood from the Drawings without further
description.
Figs. 10, 11, and 12 shew the application of my diaphragm and upper
guides or deflectors in a tunnel provided with a longitudinal vertical
division f, which however forms no part of my Invention. At the base
of the air way the upper portion of the longitudinal division fis battered
so as to give to each of the road ways g, g¹, an air aperture equal to one-
half the area of the air way, as shewn respectively at a and a¹;
ff, being the respective batters of the longitudinal division f.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15 shew my deflectors applied where two air ways
are arranged one at cach side of the crown of the tunnel or arch. In
this arrangement the two guides or deflectors describe a parallelogram in
plan and form four inclines c, c*, c¹, c², proceeding in diagonal directions
from the central portion of the crown towards the lateral parts of the
tunnel. By this arrangement the foul air forced by an approaching
train towards any one of the inclines will be deflected in an upward and
lateral direction into the corresponding air way.
Figs. 16, 17, and 18 shew the application of my Invention to a tunnel
of rectangular cross section with lateral air ways, and will be readily
understood from the Drawings without further description.
Figs. 19, 20, and 21 shew my Invention as applied to a railway
station, to meet the requirements of cases where the adjacent railway
being underground is not provided with air ways, and has consequently
to be ventilated through the station air ways. My Drawings illustrate a
portion of one end of the station only, but I would have it understood
that in practice where the railway at either end of the tunnel is under-
ground both ends of the station would be provided with arrangements
such as are illustrated.

page_text: The arrangement will be readily understood from the Drawings, the
various parts being marked with the same letters of reference as have
been used to indicate equivalent parts in previous Figures.
Figs. 22, 23, and 24 show the application of my Invention to the
extremity of a tunnel or covered way which is succeeded by an opening,
a cutting, or an air way of considerable extent. . In this case the outer
end or face of the tunnel or covered way is provided with a plate or
guide & running in an upward direction at some distance from such
outer end or face, thus leaving an air way a between the outer end or
face and the plate or guide 6, which latter is held in position by studs i
and is shewn as extending down to the roadway so as to reduce the cross
sectional area or train passage way as much as possible, but it will be
obvious that in some cases it may be found convenient to dispense with
the lower portions b₁ of the plate b.
By the arrangement above described foul air will be prevented
from traversing open spaces from one tunnel or covered way into
another.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and explained the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I hereby declare that
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the method of improving the ventilation of underground
railways by the application and use, as herein described, of diaphragms
or partitions and deficctors or baffles, whereby the action upon the foul
air, gas, or vapour, of passing trains or of wind blowing into the end of
the tunnel or covered way is made available in promoting more efficient
ventilation as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Austin Chambers, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.