CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
CHATWIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Lamp Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and forty-
two, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Chatwin, my exors,
admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Chatwin, my exors, adññiors, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Chatwin, my exors, admors, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COCKS;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Chatwin, shall particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Chatwin, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the figures and letters therein contained, and to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to Certain Improvements in the Construction of
Cocks, and consists in a novel and peculiar arrangement, and, construction of
parts connected therewith. In the construction of cocks employed for drawing
off liquids it is desirable that the material employed for effectually closing the
way or aperture through which the liquid passes should be such as to with-
stand the chemical action of liquids generally, and not subject to leakage.
When employed for the purpose of cutting off steam of great pressure, various
materials have been employed, and forms of construction of cocks adopted for
these purposes, but have failed.
In the arrangement and construction of cocks, herein-after described,
I propose to obtain the advantages and to obviate the imperfections of
cocks, as hitherto constructed and employed, for the purposes above men-
tioned, by a peculiar construction and arrangement of the valves or valve
seats thereof. And in order to explain the said improvements as completely
as possible, I will proceed to describe the arrangement of parts and material
employed, which I consider well calculated for carrying out my said Invention,
and which will be found to answer extremely well.

page_text: material (hempen by preference) placed one upon the other, and firmly held
together by forced contact from the screw H, which passes through the
washers, and works in a screwed hole I formed in one end of the valve
stem D, D. The washers being thus placed and secured between the shoulders
K, K, L, L, are subsequently cut to any convenient angle, the shoulders
or bearings K, L, differing in their diameters so as to suit such angle. It
will appear evident that, upon turning the handle M, fixed upon the valve
stem D in one direction, the smaller part of the valve will be pressed against
the edge N, N, of the way or opening C (this edge should be slightly
rounded off to prevent the cloth washers from being cut), whence the commu-
nication between a and b will be effectually cut off, and an air or steam-tight
fastening established.
Figure 4 shews another arrangement of valve to be employed for similar
purposes to the foregoing, similar letters of reference being placed upon
corresponding parts. It will be seen, upon referring to the Drawing, that the
construction of this valve differs from the foregoing by substituting yarn
or string in the place of cloth by passing the same around the lower part
of the stem, as shewn at (D*) in the detached Figure 5, the surface thereof
being jagged, and constructed with a collar at its lower end to prevent the
yarn or string from slipping.
The arrangement of the parts represented at Figure 6 differ from the fore-
going arrangements, inasmuch as the valve which, in the foregoing Figures is
represented as being packed with cloth, string, or other suitable material, is in
this case made of any solid material, and one end of the opening or way C
constructed as follows:-Against that end of the shank upon which the piece
B is fixed a series of washers are placed, and maintained in that position by
a screwed cap (0) passing over and around a corresponding screw formed upon
a projecting part of the shank, as represented by the Drawing, by tightening
which the washers are firmly held. These washers have a circular opening
made through them in the direction of the water or steam way, for the purpose
of admitting the solid valve (F) which is forced against the edges of the cloth
washers by a screw, as in the foregoing arrangements, the solid valve being
constructed of a similar form to that which the valves, packed as aforesaid,
assume when forced against the edges N, N, Figure 2.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be and may be performed, I claim as my Invention of
Improvements in the Construction of Cocks the application of valves or valve
seats so constructed and arranged that the edges of the cloth or other suitable
material may be made to act so as to cut off the communication with the