IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- BATUS POR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE PIPES OR CISTERNS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Greaves, of Old Ford, Bow, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
BATUS POR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE PIPES OR CISTERNS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Greaves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
September 1861.
I, CHARLES GREAVES, of Old Ford, Bow, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE PIPES
OR CISTERNS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of appa-
ratus for preventing waste of water from service pipes or cisterns, and consists
of a closed air vessel, which is supplied with water from any ordinary service
pipe, and is provided with a cock, which is so constructed, that when turned
in one direction it will enable a supply of water to enter the air vessel, and par-
tially fill the same; the air contained therein undergoing compression, and when
turned in another direction, it will shut off the supply entering the air vessel,
and open the outlet from such vessel, the water then issuing therefrom with a
certain pressure due to gravity and the air in the air vessel; by this arrange-
ment it is obvious that the water to be drawn off for use must come from the
air vessel and not from the service pipe direct, hence the liability of the water
being wasted by leaving the cock open, is obviated, as the contents of the air

page_text: vessel only can be run off. In place of a single two-way cock, it is evident that
two separate common cocks may be employed, but the preceding arrangement
is much more convenient. In order to replace the air which may be absorbed
by the water, an air inlet valve is fitted air-tight to the upper part of the
nir vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Greaves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GREAVES, of Old Ford, Bow, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, tho said Charles Greaves, Her special license that I, the said
Charles Greaves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Charles Greaves, my executors, administrators, or 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 Chanuel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE
PIPES OR CISTERNS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Greaves, iny executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the dato of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Greaves, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of

page_text: apparatus for preventing waste of water from service pipes or cisterns, and
consists in the employment for that purpose of a closed air vessel, which is
supplied with water from any ordinary service pipe, leading from the main, and
is provided with a two-way cock, which is so constructed that, when turned in
one direction, it will enable a supply of water to enter the air vessel, and
partially fill the same, the air contained therein undergoing compression, and
when turned in another direction it will shut off the supply entering the air vessel,
and open the outlet from such vessel, the water then issuing therefrom with a
certain pressure due to gravity and the pressure of the air in the air vessel.
By this arrangement it is obvious that the water to be drawn off for use must
come from the air vessel and not from the service pipe direct; hence the
liability of the water being wasted by leaving the cock open is obviated as the
contents of the air vessel only can be run off. In place of a single two-way
cock it is evident that two separate common cocks may be employed, but the
preceding arrangement is much more convenient. If it should be necessary
to replace the air, which might, under some circumstances, be absorbed by the
water or escape through small imperfections in the castings or fittings, an air,
inlet valve may be fitted air-tight to the upper part of the air vessel..
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I
shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a side elevation of
my improved apparatus for preventing waste of water as adapted for domestic
purposes, and having the supply and discharge cock situate inside the vessel.
Figure 2 is a corresponding vertical section of the same taken along the
axis of the cock, and shewing the cock so turned as to admit water from the
main or other source of supply into the air vessel, whilst it is shut off from the
house service pipe.
And, Figure 3 is a similar view, shewing the cock in the reverse position,
namely, with the supply from the main shut off, whilst that to the house service
pipe is turned full on.
Figure 4 represents an elevation of the same apparatus having the cock
placed externally thereto in lieu of inside, as in the preceding Figures.
Figure 5 is an elevation of this apparatus adapted as a stand post suitable
for stable yards, barracks, streets, courts, and similar places.
And Figure 6 shews the mode of applying this apparatus to a water-closet.
In all these Figures, A represents a perfectly air-tight air vessel, bolted or

page_text: otherwise secured at its lower end to a stand or base B, or having a simple
plate or bottom cover bolted thereto, as shewn in Figure 6; to this stand or
base is fitted a two-way cock C, which may be either placed inside the stand or
base, and near the bottom of the air vessel, with which it communicates, as
shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5, or it may be placed outside thereof, as shewn
in Figure 4, or whon applied to a cluset the cock may be placed in any
position convenient for use; as for example, underneath the seat, as shewn in
Figure 6, the air vessel in such case being situate near the top of the closet,
so as to increase the forec of the jet entering the basin. In whatever position
the cock may be placed, however, it should be constructed essentially in the
manner shewn in Figures 2 and 3, namely, with two separate openings a and b,
which are made to communicate respectively with the two passages or
thoroughfares c and d. The inlet orifice, which admits water into the air vessel,
is at u, and the outlet or supply orifice is at b, the one communicating, when
open, with the passage c leading from the main or other source of original
supply into the air vessel, and the other with the passage or pipe d, which
conveys the water from the air vessel when required for use. These orifices a
and are so situated and formed in the plug of the cock in relation to their
corresponding passages or thoroughfares c and d, that one of them only can be
open at one time.
I do not confine myself to the particular form and construction of a ground
plug two-way cock illustrated by my Drawings, as various other modifications
may be employed embracing the same principles, or two distinct cocks of the
ordinary construction may be applied thereto, operated upon by the same lever
or other instrument; or in place of the two water-way or two common plug
cocks, two ordinary bigh-pressure cocks may be used, operated upon by one
handle or lever, the cocks having independent levers or closing and opening
arrangements, and when in their normal position are always shut. Attached
to the one opening handle, and projecting from the spindle connected with the
same, are two studs, so arranged as to operate upon the lever, or closing and
opening apparatus of each cock separately and at different times, so that only
one cock can be open at one time, thus accomplishing the object as before
described. These cocks so worked may be either inside or outside the air
vessel, as preferred.
The arrangement I have shewn in my Drawings, will be found, however, to
be both simple and efficient. It consists of a hollow conical plug having
apertures a, b, made therein on opposite sides thereof, and in planes correspond-
ing to the passages c and d respectively. When placed inside the air vessel,
as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the plug is left open at one end (see Figures 2 and 3)

page_text: and is provided at the opposite end with a square head, over which is fitted
the square socket of a spindle D passing through a stuffing-box E, and having
a key or handle F applied to the outer end thereof, for the purpose of turning
the same, as shewn in Figure 1. H, H, are two stops for preventing the
handle being turned more than a half revolution.
Figure 2 represents the position of the cock when the apparatus is not in
immediate use by the consumer; the inlet passage c leading from the main to
the air vessel being full open, so as to enable the vessel to be fully charged
with water until the pressure of the water is balanced by the counterpressure
of the air, which is compressed within the upper part of the vessel A.
Figure 3 shows the plug of the cock in the reversed position, or that which
it assumes when a supply is being drawn from the air vessel. In the former
case the supply passage d is closed, and in the latter case the inlet passage c is
shut off, as will be clearly seen on referring to Figures 2 and 3 of the Drawings.
In case it should be necessary to compensate for the absorption of the air in
the air vessel by the water, or its leakage therefrom, I propose to apply a small
air inlet or "snifter" valve G (shewn in Figure) 2 at the top or other convenient
portion of the air vessel, which valve is made to open and admit a supply of
air into the vessel should the pressure therein, when empty, fall below that of
the atmosphere. This apparatus when adapted as a stand post, as shewn in
Figure 5, is similar in construction to that intended for domestic use, differing
only in configuration, size of vessel, and size of cock, as is evident on referring
to Figure 5.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the general construction,
arrangement, and combination of apparatus for preventing waste of water from
service pipes or cisterns, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Greaves have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
CHARLES GREAVES. (L.s.)