AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herrmann Schlotter, of Köstritz, near Gera, in
the Principality of Reuss, Germany, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER."
Scaled the 24th July 1868, and dated the 10th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herrmann Schlotter
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th February 1868.
I, HERRMANN SCHLOTTER, of Köstritz, near Gera, in the Principality
5 of Reuss, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER,"
to be as follows:-
My improved apparatus for raising water or other liquids consists of
a vertical tube or series of tubes, the lower open end of which is always
below the level of the water or liquid to be raised while the upper
end is furnished with an air-tight fitting valve.
fitting valve. The vertical tubes
are adapted to a vibrating beam, so that a vertical up-and-down motion
may be imparted to them. At every down stroke the water will rise

page_text: in the tubes and will expel some of the air through the valve at top.
Then upon the tube rising the air will become attenuated, and there-
fore more water will rush in from below until the atmospheric pressure
is equalized. This up-and-down motion is to be repeated until the
water flows out at the top and is discharged into any suitable
receptacle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Herrmann Schlotter in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HERMANN
SCHLOTTER, of Köstritz, near Gera, in the Principality of Reuss,
Germany, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Hermann Schlotter, Her special licenco
that I, the said Hermann Schlotter, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Herrmann Schlotter, my exccu-
tors, 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, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING WATER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Hermann Schlotter, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer
tain 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hermann Schlotter, 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

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
My Invention of "an improved method of and apparatus for raising
water is based upon the following hydrodynamic experiment, which
has never hitherto been usefully and practically applied for raising
water. If a glass tube closed at the lower end be dipped several
inches deep into water, and then opened, the water in the tube will
momentarily rise higher than the surface of the water outside the
tube, and the equilibrium of the fluids in and outside the tube will
only be restored after repeated rising and falling of the water in the.
former. Assuming the water in which the pipe is dipped to remain
at a normal level, it may be taken for granted that while the water
in the tube riscs the fluid outside the tube will remain perfectly
undisturbed, and hence this experiment actually proves that the hydro-.
static pressure of water rising vertically in rigid pipes decreases as the
velocity is accelerated. This fact mathematically considered is equal
to the vibrations of a scale beam with a long and a very short arm,
and in comparing the same with the law of vital power it may be
deduced that the hydrostatic pressure decreases as the squares of the
accelerated velocity. If in making this experiment the upper end of
the tube be closed instead of the lower one, by placing the thumb:
hermetically on the same before immersion, the water in the tube will
in consequence of the hydrostatic pressure of the water outside the
tube at the lower end of the same only rise to a height corresponding
or proportionate to the resistance of the compressed air contained in
the tube. Then on opening the upper end of the tube by lifting the
thumb the above-mentioned occurrence will again take place, although
in a modified degree, as the water in the tube has already before spent
part of its velocity in compressing the air. On closing the tube above
at the very moment when the water has attained the greatest elevation
the fluid will only sink to a certain degree, whereby in consequence
of the rarified air in the tube an external atmospheric pressure equal
to the height of the water column will be produced. On motion being
again given to the water in the tube by lifting the latter with some
degree of rapidity the height of several inches it will first be remarked
that the water does not follow immediately, consequently the air in the
tube will be still more rarefied, and the water will therefore attain
a greater velocity than the tube and the air be again moro com、

page_text: pressed. On closing the upper opening of the tube by means of the
thumb a part of the compressed air will escape between the rim of
the opening and the experimenter's thumb, and the water will be raised
to a higher level in the tube.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, Sheet I., represents an air-
tight tube or pipe of sheet metal, the upper opening of which is closed
by means of a clack valve or poppet valve (see the enlarged view,
Fig. 1). On giving a rather rapid up-and-down motion to the tube,
taking care to keep the lower or open end always under water, the
water or liquid in the pipe will rise with every repeated motion, and
will finally be ejected from the top opening through the valve. It
will be easily understood that the mechanism by means of which the
up-and-down motion is imparted to the pipe can be constructed in
various ways. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 a side elevation of one
arrangement of the apparatus for raising water.
a, a, arc bearings to support the horizontal shaft b, on which are
mounted the levers c. These levers are constructed with arms of equal
length and receive motion from a crank and connecting rod p. The
levers c are also provided at both ends with slotted bearings d, d, in
which the side shafts e, e, rest, and which shafts, for greater stability's
sake, are connected together by the additional lever c', which is keyed
on to the shaft b. To the shafts e, e, the cross bars g, g, with the
rings are horizontally attached. The rings h embrace the pipes m,
which are made of strong sheet metal and are supplied with air-tight
valves at top and are firmly attached to the pipes. The vibrating lever c
receives motion from the crank on the fly wheel shaft o, the fly wheel n
serving as driving pulley. The four pipes are attached to both ends
of the lever, and alternately rise and fall as the lever vibrates on its
centre. When the bottom openings of the pipes are sunk into the
water the latter will with this motion rise in the pipes and be ejected
through the valves at top. This overflowing water can be gathered in
the reservoir A, Fig. 3, in the bottom of which openings are con-
structed with low rims to correspond with the pipes, and the water may
then be made to flow off into any suitable reservoir. The pipes, four
and four together, are supplied with two guides at their lower ends,
the construction of which is illustrated in Fig. 4, which is a sectional
plan of one set taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 3. The quantity of water
raised by this machine will naturally depend on the velocity of its

page_text: motion; for instance, the diameter of the pipes being three inches, the
height fifteen feet, the crank six inches or lift of twelve inches, and
one hundred revolutions being given to the crank shaft per minute, a
quantity of water equal to sixty-four- cubic feet will be raised fifteen
feet high per minute. The above described construction is suited to
the adaptation of a small motive power. It is believed that no existing
pumping machinery in proportion to the power required will give so
favorable a result as the above-described apparatus.
In Sheet II., Fig. 7 is an elevation, and Figs. 8 and 9 plan views of
another arrangement consisting of two pipes m, m, held in position by
guides I, I, I, I. These pipes m, m, receive motion from the fly
wheel and cranko by means of a connecting rod p. This machine
with the framing of wood is portable, and may be easily erected and
can be driven by a strap on the pulley t, Fig. 8, and is adapted for
pumping water out of pits.
Fig. 5, Sheet I., shews a water-raising machine as fitted to be driven
by manual power, the construction of which is easily understood; should
the pipes m require counterbalancing a counterweight must be applied
to the fly wheel, as shewn at b, in Sheet II. of the Drawings. These
water-raising machines will give the best effect for lifts from fourteen
to seventeen feet; the raising height must by no means surpass twenty-
cight feet. If these machines are to be applied to greater lifts valves
must be made use of in the midway of the length of the pipes, which
will cause a widening of the latter for the seat of the valves.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Method of and
Apparatus for Raising Water," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I do not bind
myself to the precise dimensions of tubes cither in length or diameter,
nor to the particular mechanical arrangement herein set forth for
giving motion to the various working parts, as the same may be
varied without departing from the nature and object of my Invention;
but what I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters
Patent as aforesaid is, the raising of water or other liquids by an
apparatus consisting of a cylindrical or conical tube, or series of
cylindrical or conical tubes, the lower open end or ends of which
is or are always below the level of the water or liquid to be raised,
while the upper end or ends is or are furnished with an air-tight
valve, which may be either acted upon by any known mechanical

page_text: movement or may be made to play freely, and an alternate vertical
up-and-down motion being imparted to said tube or tubes in order
to raise water or other liquids in the manner herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hermann Schlotter, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
HERMANN SCHLOTTER. (L.S.)