Iм- PROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF HOUSE SINKS, AND WATERCLOSETS, AND URINALS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Saxon Snell, of Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, Architect, for the Invention of “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF HOUSE SINKS, AND WATERCLOSETS, AND
URINALS."
Sealed the 6th October 1875, and dated the 7th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Saxon Snell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th April 1875.
I, HENRY SAXON SNELL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County
of Middlesex, Architect, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF HOUSE SINKS, WATERCLOSETS,
AND URINALS," to be as follows :--
The object of this Invention is to prevent the escape of noxious or
offensive gases (arising from sinks, waterclosets, or urinals (fitted up in
dwelling houses) into the interior of the house, and to conduct any such
gases into the external atmosphere. To this end an opening is made
from the sink, closet, or other domestic convenience through the external

page_text: wall of the house, so that there will be a clear passage or communication
with the external atmosphere.
The domestic conveniences above referred to are usually situated
against an external wall of the house, in which case there will be no
difficulty in carrying out my Invention; but when such is not the casc
the opening from the sink or closet must communicate with a passage
or flue which will conduct the gases to the external opening, or to any
conveniently placed chimney or upcast shaft.
Supposing the sink or closet be situated against an external wall, as
above mentioned, an opening (say six or twelve inches square) must bo
made therein, and this opening should be covered externally with a
grating or perforated plate The inner side of the opening is level with
the seat of the closet, or below the level of the cover of the sink, so that
in either case when the lid or cover is down the opening will be con-
cealed, and the offensive gases or smells from the sink or closet pan will
be prevented by the lid or cover from escaping into the house; but will
be allowed to pass through the opening in the wall into the external
atmosphere.
In the case of waterclosets the lid or riser of the scat is placed at an
inclination, or in a sloping position, so that its rear end covers up the
whole of the opening in the wall, but allows the smells from the pan
to pass through The lid or riser carries a tail piece which, when the
lid is lifted up and is thrown back, will close the opening internally, and
prevent the external air from blowing through.
From the above explanation it will be seen that the essential feature
of the Invention is constructing and arranging the lids, covers, or risers
of sinks, watercloset fittings, and urinals, in connection with an opening
in an external wall in such a manner that when the said lid or cover is
down all offensive smells from the sink or pan are allowed to pass
into the open air, and are prevented from entering the house, and when
the lid or riser is open or lifted up the outer air is excluded from the
house.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Saxon Snell in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1875
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
SAXON SNELL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Пer heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Saxon Snell, Her special
license that I, the said Henry Saxon Snell, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Saxon Snell, my
executors, administrators, and assings, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE FITTINGS OF HOUSE SINKS, WATERCLOSETS, AND URINALS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Saxon Snell,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or theur, 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 m
the Great Seal Patcut Office within six calendar months next and inime-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Saxon Snell, 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, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures maiked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The object of my Invention of "improvements in the fittings of house
sinks, waterclosets, and urinals, is to prevent the escape of noxious or
offensive gases or effluvia ausing from sinks, waterclosets, or urinals
(fitted up in dwelling houses) into the interior of the house, and to

page_text: conduct any such gases into the external atmosphere. To this end an
opening is made from the sink, closet, or other domestic convenienco
through the external wall of the house, so that there will be a clear
passage or communication with the external atmosphere
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a front view partly in t
section of a sink and watercloset fitted up in accordance with my
Invention, Fig 2 is a vertical section through the watercloset; Fig. 3
represents a front view of the opening in the exterior wall of the house;
Fig. 4, a vertical section through the sink; and Fig. 5 is a sectional
plan view or a horizontal section through both the sink and water-
closet.
The domestic conveniences above referred to are usually situated
against an external wall of the house, in which case there will be no
difficulty in carrying out my Invention; but when such is not the case
the opening from the sink or closet must communicate with a passage
or flue which will conduct the gases to the external opening, or to any
conveniently placed chimney or upcast shaft.
Supposing the sink or closet to be situated against an external wall A,
as above mentioned, and as shewn in the Drawing, an opening a (say
twelve or eighteen inches square) must be made therein, and this ;
opening should be covered externally with a grating or perforated
plate ; the inner side of the opening a is level with the seat c of the
closet, as shewn at Fig. 2, or below the level of the cover d of the sink,
as shown at Fig. 4, so that in either case when the lid or cover dis
down, as shown in Fig. 2, the opening a will be concealed, and the
offensive gases or smells from the sink or closet pan will be prevented
by the hd or cover d from escaping into the house, but will be
allowed to pass through the opening a in the wall into the external
atmosphere.
In the case of waterclosets the lid or cover d of the scat is placed at
an inclination, or in a sloping position, as seen in Fig. 2, so that its rear
end will cover up the whole of the opening a in the wall; but will allow
the smells from the pan to pass through and escape into the atmosphere.
The lid or cover & carries a tail piece d' which (when the lid d is lifted
up and is thrown back on its centre of motion d*, as shewn at Fig. 4)
will close the opening a interually, and will prevent the external air
from blowing through into the closet.

page_text: From the above explanation it will be seen that the essential feature
of the Invention is constructing and arranging the lids, covers, or risers
of sinks, watercloset fittings, and urinals in connection with an opening
in an external wall in such a manner that when the said lid or cover
is down, as shewn at Fig. 2, all offensive smells from the sink or pan
will be allowed to pass into the open air, and will be prevented from
entering the house, and when the lid or cover is open or lifted up, as
shewn at Fig. 4, the outer air will be excluded from the house.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the
Fittings of House Sinks, Waterclosets, and Urinals," and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the combination
with an opening through the external wall at the back of the sink,
watercloset, or unnal of a lid, cover, or riser arranged to turn on centres
and provided with a tail picce or back prolongation, the whole being
so constructed and arranged that when the lid or cover of the sink,
closet, or urinal is down all effluvia shall escape through the back
opening into the external atmosphere, and when the lid or cover is
lifted up or raised into a vertical position the opening in the back wall
is closed, and the external atmosphere is prevented from passing through
into the house, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Saxon Snell, have hercunto
set my hand and scal, the Seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.