IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND WATER SUPPLY APPARATUS THEREFOR AND IN PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR THEIR EARTHENWARE PANS OR BOWLS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PANS OR BOWLS OF LAVATORIES AND THE LIKE com
Year: 1883

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn of 169 Fleet Street in the City
of London Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND WATER SUPPLY APPARATUS THEREFOR
AND IN PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR THEIR EARTHENWARE PANS OR BOWLS, ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE PANS OR BOWLS OF LAVATORIES AND THE LIKE com-
municated to him from abroad by James Edmund Boyle, Hydraulic Engineer,
of Brooklyn, and Henry Huber, Manufacturer of Plumbers' Supplies, of New
York, both in the United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st December 1883.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND WATER
SUPPLY APPARATUS THEREFOR AND IN PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR THEIR EARTHENWARE
PANS OR BOWLS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PANS OR BOWLS OF LAVATORIES AND
"
THE LIKE [communicated to him from abroad by James Edmund Boyle,
Hydraulic Engineer, of Brooklyn, and Henry Huber, Manufacturer of Plumbers'
Supplies, of New York, both in the United States of America]
This invention relates in part to water closets of the class embodied in former
Letters Patent granted to me and dated February 23rd 1882 N° 889, its principal
object being to provide a cheaper closet which shall operate as effectually as the
one described in the Specification of that patent. The invention also relates to
the construction of float valves for supplying the tanks of water closets, and to
pipe connections for the earthenware pans or bowls of water closets and the like.
The improved water supply apparatus includes a tank or cistern supplied by a
float valve, and a flushing chamber beneath it having an upward extension
(formed by a tube) rising to above the water level in the tank. In this extension
is a vertical tube with a closed top forming an air bell the bottom of which opens
near the bottom of the flushing chamber. Within this bell is a vertical suction
tube, the open upper end of which extends slightly above the water level in the

page_text: tank, and the lower end of which passes through the bottom of the flushing
chamber and communicates with the interior of a box or casting which extends
thence beneath the chamber and encloses the outlet therefrom, which outlet
projects down into the cavity in the box. The flushing pipe connects with the
box directly beneath this outlet and extends downward to the flushing-rim of the
pan or bowl.
The air pipe leading from the air space between the two traps
in the soil pipe extends upward and enters the flushing chamber, passes up inside
the air bell and terminates with its open end slightly above the top of the suction
tube before referred to. When water is running out from the flushing chamber
through the outlet it falls across the cavity in the box and flows down the flushing
pipe, at the same time drawing air from the interior of the box and from the
suction tube, the air bell and the air-pipe. The outlet and the cavity in the box
form thus a suction ejector and this constitutes the distinguishing feature of the
present water supply apparatus.
The outlet has no valve in the preferred form of the apparatus and it is of
small diameter. The inlet aperture through which water enters the flushing
chamber from the tank has about fifteen times the area of the outlet and is closed
by a valve which is suspended from the weighted arm of a lever, to the other
arm of which is attached a wire or chain. On pulling this the lever is tilted and
the valve lifted, whereupon water rushes into the flushing chamber and fills it and
the air bell after which the valve may be allowed to close. The water immediately
commences to run out through the outlet and down the flushing pipe to the pan
or bowl, drawing air with it and creating a partial vacuum in the suction tube,
air bell and air pipe and in the air space between the two traps, which syphons
the upper trap and draws the water out of the pan or bowl faster than it enters
through the flushing pipe, thereby drawing in outer air and repeatedly breaking
the vacuum. This suction continues until the water has nearly all run out of the
flushing chamber when it unseals the bottom of the air bell and the vacuum is
finally broken, after which the remaining water runs down to the pan or bowl and
fills it.
If preferred the inlet valve may be made self acting to prevent waste of water
and also render the closet automatic. The wire or cord will be connected to the
seat, and the valve stem will connect with the tilting lever on the opposite side of
the fulcrum from the weight. The bottom end of the stem bears a cupped-leather
piston which works in a cylinder formned on the valve. When the seat is depressed
the piston is pressed down in the cylinder. When the seat is released the weight
raises the piston which lifts the cylinder and valve by suction. The valve then
slowly descends and finally seats itself by the entrance of water through a small
leak passage.
The tank is provided with an overflow tube which extends down into the
flushing chamber and its lower end is there trapped by being immersed in a water
cup. This overflow tube may constitute a valve stem.
A modified form of apparatus has two valves, one for the inlet, and the other
working in the outlet aperture and seating itself on the bottom of the suction box.
The valves are hung from opposite arms of the lever and work alternately. On
depressing the seat, the outlet valve is closed and the inlet valve is opened and
water flows from the tank into the flushing chamber and fills it. When the seat
is released the inlet valve is closed and the outlet is opened whereupon water runs
out of the flushing chamber into the flushing pipe. The flushing, suction and
syphoning are the same as before described.
The float valve which admits water to the tank and keeps it at a uniform level
therein, is a balanced valve of peculiar construction. The float or ball is at the
end of the long arm of a lever, the short arm of which engages a piston or plunger
which moves vertically. The valve chamber encloses the lower portion of this
plunger, and the protruding upper end of the latter is packed by cupped leather
packing. The water inlet is at the side of the valve chamber and the outlet is at
the bottom thereof and is closed by the lower end of the plunger when the latter

page_text: is moved down. The bottom of the chamber around the outlet is faced with leather
and the lower end of the plunger is hollowed out so that only the edge of the
latter touches the leather. This leather forms also the packing between the chamber
and the outlet tube which screws into it and forms its bottom. The plunger,
being of nearly uniform diameter, is substantially balanced so that a small float is
sufficient to operate the valve; but as it is desirable to give the valve a slight
tendency to close, the plunger is tapered very slightly, its bottom end being of
somewhat larger diameter than its upper portion. It may nevertheless be lifted
out without removing the packing, the cupped leather yielding to admit the passage
of its larger end.
The flushing pipe is connected to the water closet pan or bowl in a different
manner from that shown in the Specification of the said patent. The pan or bowl
alone is made of earthenware the soil passage and traps being of metal. The air
pipe is connected to the metal trap in any suitable way leaving but one pipe to be
connected to the earthenware. The pan or bowl is moulded with one "tubular
head" or barrel, the interior of which communicates through a passage with the
flushing rim. A flanged tube or thimble is inserted into this barrel at one end
and a flanged cap screws upon it at the other end thus clamping the barrel
endwise between the flanges. Packing rings or gaskets are interposed between the
barrel and the flanges to make tight joints. The sides of the thimble are apertured
or cut away where they come inside the barrel. One end of the thimble is
prolonged and on it screws a union nut by means of which a flanged spud is
drawn against the end of the thimble. The lead flushing pipe is joined to this
spud by a wiped joint or otherwise; or the union nut may be omitted and the
lead pipe be joined directly to the end of the thimble. The passage from the
earthenware barrel opens into the flushing rim at a point higher than the interior
of the pipe or connections so that some water will be retained in the latter to
serve as a trap. This pipe connection is applicable to earthenware pans or bowls
whether for water closets or for lavatories or other like purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Patent Office on the 28th June
1884.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND WATER
SUPPLY APPARATUS THEREFOR, AND IN PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR THEIR EARTHENWARE
PANS OR BOWLS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PANS OR BOWLS OF LAVATORIES AND
THE LIKE"
(A communication to me from abroad by James Edmund Boyle,
Hydraulic Engineer of Brooklyn and Henry Huber, Manufacturer of Plumbers
Supplies of New York both in the United States of America)
This invention relates in part to water closets of the class embodied in former
Letters Patent granted to me and dated February 23rd 1882 N° 889 its principal
object being to provide a cheaper closet which shall operate as effectually as the
one described in the Specification of that Patent. The invention also relates to
the construction of float valves for supplying the tanks of water-closets, and to
pipe-connections for the earthenware pans or bowls of water closets, lavatories and
the like.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section of the flushing-
tank. Figures 2 and 3 are sections of modified constructions of tank. Figures 4
and 5 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the tank shown in Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a vertical section of the bowl and trap; Figure 7 is a side elevation
of the bowl partly in section; Figure 8 is an enlarged section of the pipe
connection for the bowl; Figure 9 shews the several parts forming this connection;
Figure 10 is a fragmentary section shewing a modification; and Figure 11 is a
rear elevation of a lavatory-bowl showing the improved pipe-connection applied to
its over-flow.
In Figure 6, A. is the water-closet bowl, B is the soil passage leading to the
sewer, C is the trap by which water is retained in the bowl, D is the stench-trap
below, d is the air-space between the two traps, e is the air-pipe leading up from this
space to the tank above, and is the flushing-pipe leading down from the tank to
the bowl.
The tank is shewn in its preferred form in Figure 1. E is the supply-tank or
reservoir, which is kept filled with water to a uniform level by means of the float-
valve G on the water-supply pipe a. F is the flushing-chamber beneath the tank E
having an upward extension, formed by a tube b rising to above the water-level in
the tank E. In this extension is a vertical tube with a closed top forming an air-
bell n the hottom of which opens near the bottom of the flushing-chamber F the
air-pipe e ascends through the bottom of the chamber F passes upward through
the bell n and its upper end opens above the water-level in the tank. Between
the pipe e and the bell n is a tuber which opens above the water-level in the tank,
and the lower end of which passes through the bottom of the flushing-chamber and
communicates with the interior of a box or casting H which extends thence
beneath the chamber F and encloses the outlet i therefrom, which outlet projects
down into the cavity I in the box H. The flushing-pipe connects with the
box H, directly beneath this outlet i and extends downward to the flushing-rim k
of the bowl. When water is running out from the flushing-chamber F through the
outlet it falls across the cavity I in the box H and flows down the flushing-pipe 1,
at the same time drawing air from the interior of the box H and from the suction
tuber the air-bell n and the air-pipe e. The outlet and the cavity I in the box H
form thus a suction-ejector and this constitutes the distinguishing feature of the
present water-supply apparatus.

page_text: The outlet i has no valve, in the preferred form of the apparatus, and it is of
small diameter. The inlet aperture ¹ through which water enters the flushing
chamber F from the tank has about fifteen times the area of the outlet and is
closed by a valve h which is suspended from the weightel arm of a lever p, to the
other arm of which is attached a wire or chain q. On pulling this the lever is
tilted and the valve h lifted, whereupon water rushes into the flushing-chamber F
and fills it and the air-bell n, after which the valve h may be allowed to close.
The water immediately commences to run out through the outlet i and down the
Blushing pipe to the bowl, drawing air with it and creating a partial vacuum in
the suction-tuber air-bell n and air-pipe e and in the air-space & between the two
traps, which syphons the upper trap C and draws the water out of the bowl faster
than it enters through the flushing-pipe, thereby drawing in outer air through the
trap C and repeatedly breaking the vacuum. This suction continues until the
water has nearly all run out of the flushing chamber F, when it unseals the bottom
of the air-bell n, and the vacuum is finally broken by the admission of air into
the air-bell, after which the remaining water runs down to the bowl and fills it.
Figures 4 and 5 will aid the understanding of this operation, as the two pipes e
and n.are there shewn side by side. Figure 4 shows the apparatus just after the
valve h has been opened, and Figure 5 shows it a short time after the valve has
been closed. The dotted line a x indicates the ordinary water-level.
If preferred the inlet-valve h may be made self seating, to prevent waste of
water and also render the closet automatic. This construction is shown in Figure 2.
The wire or cord q will be connected to the seat of the water-closet and the valve
stem s will connect with the tilting lever p on the opposite side of the fulcrum from
the weight. The bottom end of the stem bears a cupped leather piston p' which
works in a cylinder ; formed on the valve h. When the seat is depressed the
piston pl is pressed down in the cylinder j¹. When the seat is released the weight
raises the piston which lifts the cylinder and valve by suction. The valve then
slowly descends and finally seats itself, by the entrance of water through a small
leak passage c adjustable by a screw.
The tank E is provided with an overflow tube m which extends down into the
flushing chamber and its lower end is there sealed by being immersed in a water
cup m¹.
This overflow tube may constitute the valve stem as in Figure 1, or it
may be stationary as in Figure 2.
The modified form of apparatus shewn in Figure 3 has two valves, one (h) for the
inlet, h¹ and the other (21) working in the outlet aperture i and seating itself on
the bottom of the suction l'ox H. The valves are hung from opposite arins of
the lever p and work alternately. On depressing the seat, the outlet valve ' is
closed and the inlet-valve h is opened and water flows from the tank E into the
chamber F and fills it. When the seat is released the inlet-valve h is closed and
the outlet i is opened whereupon the water runs out of the flushing chamber into
the flushing pipe . The flushing, suction and syphoning are the same as before
described.
The float-valve G which admits water to the tanks and keeps it at a uniform level
therein is a balanced valve of peculiar construction. Figure 12 is a vertical section
of this valve showing it closed; Figure 13 is an inverted plan partly in section;
Figure 14 is a vertical section showing the valve open; and Figure 15 is an
enlarged view of the plunger removed. The float or ball b¹ (Figure 1) is at the end
of the long arm of a lever l', the short arm of which engages a piston or plunger c¹
(Figures 12 to 15) which moves vertically. The valve-chamber J encloses the
lower portion of this plunger, and the protruding upper end of the latter is packed
by cupped-leather packing q' fastened by screwing in a hollow plug The
water-inlet al is at the side of the valve-chamber, J, and the outlet a is at the
bottom thereof and is closed by the lower end of the plunger c' when the latter is
moved down. The bottom of the chamber J around the outlet all is faced with
leather d and the lower end of the plunger el is hollowed out so that only the edge
of the latter touches the leather. This leather d¹ forms also the packing between

page_text: the chamber J and the outlet-tube e¹ which screws into it and forms its bottom. The
plunger being of nearly uniform diameter, is substantially balanced so that a
small float b is sufficient to operate the valve, but as it is desirable to give the
valve a slight tendency to close, the plunger is tapered very slightly, its bottom end
being of somewhat larger diameter than its upper portion, as shown in Figure 15.
It may nevertheless be lifted out without removing the packing q¹ as the cupped
leather will yield to admit the passage of the larger end of the plunger.
The flushing pipe is connected to the water closet bowl A in a different manner
from that shown in the Specification of my said previous Letters Patent. This
new connection is shown in Figures 6 to 11. The bowl alone is made of earthen-
ware, the soil passage B and traps C and D being of metal as shown in Figure 6.
The air pipe e is connected to the metal trap in any suitable way, leaving but one
pipe to be connected to the earthenware. The bowl is moulded with one "tubular
head" or barrel K, best shown in Figures 7 or 8, the interior of which communi-
cates through a passage t with the flushing rim k, (Figures 6 and 7). A flanged
tube or thimble L is inserted into this barrel K at one end and a flanged cap L'
screws upon it at the other end, thus clamping the barrel K end wise between the
two flanges ƒ ƒ'. Packing-rings or gaskets u u are interposed between the
barrel K and the flanges to make tight joints. The sides of the thimble L are
apertured or cut away at g g where they come inside the barrel K. One end j
of the thimble L is prolonged and screw-threaded and on it screws a union-nut M
by means of which a flanged spud N is drawn against the end of the thimble. The
lead flushing pipe is joined to the spud by a wiped joint (Figure 7) or otherwise, or
the union may be omitted and the lead pipe be joined directly to the end j¹ of
the thimble L. The passage t from the earthenware barrel K opens into the
flushing rim at a point higher than the interior of the pipe or connections, NL,
so that some water will be retained in the latter to serve as a trap, as shown in
Figures 6 and 7. This pipe connection is applicable to any earthenware bowl or
pan, whether for water-closets, or for lavatories, or the like purpose. Figure 10
shows a modified construction applied to a water-closet bowl, the barrel K being
arranged vertically instead of horizontally. Figure 11 shews a lavatory bowl
formed with a barrel K. into which the over-flow holes open and to which the
over-flow pipe is connected.
Having thus fully described this invention as communicated to me, I declare
that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows :-
First The herein described improvement in flushing apparatus for water-closets
wherein the descent of the flushing water is made to create a suction in order to
syphon the bowl, the said improvement consisting in the employment in connection
with the air-pipe and the flushing pipe of an ejector, through which the flushing-
water falls in such manner as to draw air from the air-pipe substantially in the
manner set forth.
Second. A flushing apparatus for a water-closet consisting of the combination
with the reservoir-tank, flushing-chamber and flushing-pipe, of an ejector I through
which the flushing water falls, an air-tube r leading thence to the upper part of an
air-bell or tube n, the bottom end of which opens near the bottom of the flushing-
chamber, and the air-pipe e which also opens into the upper part of the said
air-bell, whereby the water falling through the ejector causes a suction in the
air-pipes and air-bell, which continues until the bottom of the air-bell is unsealed,
whereupon the vacuum will be broken, substantially as described and for the
purposes set forth.
Third. In a flushing apparatus for a water-closet the combination with the
reservoir-tank and flushing-chamber of an inlet orifice of large area, and an
outlet orifice i of small area, proportioned to each other as described, valve h for
closing the inlet orifice, the flushing pipe leading downward from the outlet orifice.
and the air pipe extending up into the flushing-chamber, all constructed and adapted
to operate substantially as set forth.

page_text: Fourth. The improved construction of the float-valve G for controlling the supply
of water to the tank E substantially as described.
Fifth. The improved means for connecting metallic pipes to earthenware bowls
herein described, the same consisting of a tubular barrel K formed on the bowl,
and a flanged tube L passing through said barrel with a flanged cap L¹ screwing
on its end, constructed and adapted to be applied substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The peculiar formation of the improved pipe-connection to hold water,
substantially as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 10, and as described, whereby a
water seal is provided between the interior of the pipe and the interior of the
bowl.
In witness whereof I the said John Clayton Mewburn have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty eighth day of June One thousand eight hundred and
eighty four,