Improvements in Means for Obtaining a Supply of Clean or Filtered Water from Rivers and other Sources.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 188S
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Means for Obtaining a Supply of Clean or Filtered
Water from Rivers and other Sources.
I, SAMUEL ALBERT JOHNSON of 13 East India Road, Poplar East in the County
of Middlesex, Marine Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The invention has for its object improvements in means for obtaining a supply
of clean or filtered water from rivers and other sources.
For this purpose I employ a float to float on the surface of the river or other source
of supply and to carry a perforated or reticulate chamber at any given distance
below the surface; this chamber is connected by a flexible pipe with a filter from
which a pipe descends into a well or tank which is at such a level as to enable the
water to be drawn off from the river or other source by syphon action.
By these means the water is drawn off from the river neither at its surface nor
at its bottom but at a point where the surface debris and bottom mud or other
matter are avoided whilst by passing through a filter it is delivered into the store well
or tank in a filtered condition.
1 employ by preference a pair of filters so that either can be used whilst the
other is being cleansed.
I also attach to the syphon delivery pipe in the store tank or well at the required
level a ball cock which will keep the syphon pipe always charged and will at the
same time regulate the delivery of water to the supply tank or well.
If desired the water may be drawn off through the flexible pipe by pump action
and without passing through the filter.
Dated this 28th day of February 1888

page_text: Water from Rivers and other Sources.
I, SAMUEL ALBERT JOHNSON of 13 East India Road, Poplar East, in the County
of Middlesex, Marine 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 :-
The invention has for its object improvements in means for obtaining a supply of
clean or filtered water from rivers and other sources.
For this purpose I employ a float, to float on the surface of the river or other source
of supply, and to carry a perforated or reticulate chamber at any given distance below
the surface; this chamber is connected, by a flexible pipe, with a filter, from which
a pipe descends into a well or tank, which is at such a level as to enable the water to
be drawn off from the river or other source by syphon action.
By these means the water is drawn off from the river neither at its surface nor at
its bottom, but at a point where the surface debris and bottom mud or other matter
are avoided, whilst, by passing through a filter, it is delivered into the store well or
tank in a filtered condition.
1 employ, by preference, a pair of filters, so that either can be used whilst the other
is being cleansed.
I also attach to the syphon delivery pipe in the store tank or well, at the required
level, a ball cock, which will keep the syphon pipe always charged, and will, at the
same time, regulate the delivery of water to the supply tank or well.
And in order that my said invention should be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing my improved filtering means in use.
Figure 2 is an elevation, drawn to a larger scale, of the floating draw off chamber.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of one of the filters and its connections.
Figure 4 is a plan of a pair of filters and their connections, and Figure 5 is a section
of parts drawn.to a larger scale.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
a represents a section of a river or other source from which it is desired to draw

page_text: off a supply of clean water, and b is a section of a well or tank into which it is desired
to deliver a supply of clean or filtered water from the river or source u. In carrying
my invention into effect, I employ a float c, which floats on the surface of the water
in the river or other source, and carries a perforated or reticulate chamber d at any
given distance below the surface; this chamber is connected, by a flexible pipe e,
with a filter, or with a pair of filters f. f*, as shown in the drawings, in the manner
hereinafter described.
The flexible pipe e is attached to a T piece connected to pipes f leading to
cocks or valves f³, which are screwed into sockets or long nuts f* screwed on to
pipes passing centrally through the filters f. f*. Each of these pipes f³ is formed
in two parts screwed firmly together and holding a division plate f between such
parts in order to prevent the passage of water directly therethrough from end to end
and to compel it to take the course hereinafter described.
These pipes are perforated around the entire length within the filters, and they
serve to hold the end plates. 7 of the filter chambers tightly against the case by
means of nuts 8 screwed on to the threaded ends of such pipes, the sockets or long
nuts f acting as lock nuts against the nuts f8.
:
The filter blocks are mounted on the pipes f, and they are forced firmly together
and against one end of the filter chambers f. f*, by means of nuts 10 screwed on
to the pipes and acting against washers". The sockets or long nuts f* at the
outlet ends of the pipes are connected to cocks or valves 12, which, by pipes f¹³,
are connected to the T piece f14, to which the delivery pipe 15 is attached.
13
This delivery pipes is provided with a ball, cock to regulate the height of
water delivered into the well or tank b.
-
The action of the apparatus represented in the drawings is as follows:-
The lower end of the delivery pipe 16 being below the chamber d, a syphon
action is set up so soon as the connections between such parts are once filled with
water. The water, entering the chamber d, passes, through the flexible pipe e and
parts fff and f, to the inlet end of one of the perforated pipes f, it thence
passes through the perforations in such pipe on the inlet side of the division plate f
into the space within the filters around the filter blocks f³, and thence it passes
through such filter blocks into the pipe, through the perforations therein on the
delivery side of the division plate fe. The filtered water then passes along such
pipe to the cock or valve f1 connected therewith and away to the delivery
pipe and through the ball cock 16 into the tank or well b.
g is a pipe by which water under pressure may be forced through the filter
blocks to cleanse the same, and h is a pipe to enable said cleansing water to be
run off from the filters; said pipes are provided with screw caps to enable the passage
through the same to be opened or closed when desired.
i is a pipe through which clean or filtered water is pumped from the well or tank b
to any desired place.
By employing a pair of filters f. f*, as above described, and by suitably mani-
pulating the cocks or valves f3f12, either filter can be used whilst the other is being
cleansed, or, if desired, both can be used simultaneously.
If desired the water may be drawn off from the chamber d into the well or tank b
by pump or syphon action without passing through a filter or filters.
It will be readily understood that apparatus arranged as above described may be
used for obtaining a supply of clean or filtered liquid other than water from an
impure source and that other descriptions of filters than those herein described may
be employed.
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 1
claim is :-
1. In means for obtaining a supply of clean or filtered water from an impure
source, the combination of float c, perforated or reticulate chamber d, pipe e, filter

page_text: or filters f. f*, cocks or valves f³ f", delivery pipe ƒ15, and ball cock ƒ16
substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination of float c, perforated or reticulate chamber d, pipe e, delivery
pipe and ball cock f¹ substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
3. The peculiar arrangement and combination of parts substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose stated.