IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Wilson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th December
1864.
I, HENRY WILSON, of Stockton-upon-Tees, in the County of Durham, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS," to
be as follows :-
My improvements consist, first, in so constructing the connecting rods for
working the buckets or plungers of pumps, that two, three, or more buckets
or plungers may be worked in the same chamber, each bucket being lifted by
the centre instead of by the side, as heretofore, when more than one bucket
has been used. The following is the mode of construction :- I fix the lower
bucket or plunger to a solid rod, over this solid rod I pass a hollow rod, to
which I fix the second bucket or plunger at a suitable distance from the first,
over the said hollow rod I pass a second hollow rod, to which I fix the third
bucket or plunger at a suitable distance from the second, and so on for any
number of buckets or plungers; the said rods I make to slide freely on each
other. In the centres of the buckets or plungers fixed on the hollow rods I
form stuffing boxes through which the rods pass, by this means the rods are.
kept air and water tight whilst working. To give motion to the respective-
buckets or plungers I fix in the upper part of the pump chamber a cranked.
axle having two, three, or more cranks; I attach each bucket rod to one of
the said cranks by a connecting rod or link, one end of which is hinged to the.
bucket rod whilst the opposite end is attached to the crank in this wise. On

page_text: the journals or bearings of each crank I place friction rollers; in the upper
end of each connecting rod or link I form a rectangular slut or groove equal
in length to twice the throw of the crank and the diameter of the afore-
said friction roller, the depth of the said slot or groove being equal to the
diameter of the friction roller; in this slot or groove the crank revolves and
thus gives vertical motion to each bucket; in the upper part of the pump
chamber I fix guides in which the aforesaid connecting rods slide verticially
in order to keep them steady.
My second improvement consists of an arrangement whereby the whole of
the buckets may be lifted out of the pump for examination or repairs by simply
removing the lid or cover of the pump. The following is the mode of construc-
tion I fix two moveable bushes or bearings, in which the aforesaid cranked
axle revolves, in suitable gaps or openings formed in the head of the pump
chamber; I make these openings air and water tight by passing a strap of
india-rubber or other elastic material round the said bushes or bearings where
they fit into the openings or gaps; I hold these bushes or bearings in position
by the lid or cover of the pump resting upon them, the said lid or cover being
hinged to the pump on one side and secured to the opposite side by a screw
toggle or clamp; under this lid or cover I place a washer of india-rubber to
form a perfect joint, thus making the upper part of the pump chamber an
air-tight vessel. The ends of the cranked axle where they pass through the
sides of the pump chamber I make tight in the usual way by stuffing box
and gland. Then by unscrewing the toggle or clamp which fastens the pump
lid or cover, the said cover can be thrown back and the cranked axle, bearings,
and buckets lifted out of the pump. On the outlet or spout of the pump
I hinge a cover on one side and secure it to the opposite side by a screw toggle
or clamp, so that the spout or outlet may be closed when required.
My third improvement consists in constructing the falls or valves of buckets
so that they will close rapidly whilst working. In order to this I form a disc
of leather or other elastic material; through this disc I make four or more
incisions radiating from the centre, thus dividing the disc into segments; on
each of these segments I rivet a piece of brass or other metal, I then attach
this segmental disc to the upper side of a solid disc of leather or india-rubber
which I fix on the grid or upper part of the bucket in the usual way to form
the valve. It will thus be evident that as the solid disc or valve rises during
the working of the pump, the weighted segmental disc attached to the uppe
side of it will cause it to fall quickly.. Again to prevent the fouling of the
buckets I attach a grid or grating to a moveable door which is fixed by screw
toggles, clamps, or bolts to the bottom of the pump chamber below the buckets

page_text: by taking off this door the grid or grating can be taken out and any foregin
substance removed. In pumps required to be worked at a distance from
where they are fixed, as in deep ships, wells, or brewerys, I form a stuffing
box in the upper lid or cover of the pump top, through which I bring the
pump rods, and connect them by rods or links to the motive power, using the
same arrangement of solid and hollow rods with stuffing boxes in the buckets
as herein-before described.