IMPROVEMENTS IN STORING AND TREATING SEWAGE
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Benjamin Green at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th May
1873.
I, BENJAMIN GREEN, of Plaistow, in the County of Essex, Contractor,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STORING AND TREATING SEWAGE," to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to improvements in storing and treating sewage
so as to enable the same to be stored and removed for use as required,
without in any way proving a nuisance to the surrounding neighbourhood
by the escape into the atmosphere of the noxious gases arising therefrom.
This I accomplish as follows:-I store the sewage in air-tight buildings
which I term manure pits, and cause the noxious gases arising from
such sewage to pass up a shaft constructed at one end of the building,
at the base of which shaft a fire is kindled. Thus the said gases passing
through or over the fire are burnt, and so rendered harmless before being
allowed to escape into the surrounding atmosphere. The air necessary
for feeding the fire is let into the building through small apertures, at
the apposite end to that where the shaft is placed, so that such air has to
traverse the whole length of the building, and so aids in causing the flow

page_text: of the gases to the shaft. The fuel for the said fire may be either coal,
mineral oil, faggots, ordinary fire wood, or whatever may be most
conveniently or economically used according to the locality in which the
manure pits are placed. These pits are constructed to receive the
sewage from any town, village, or area of land through a main supply
pipe, which may be shut off from the pits when required by a sluice,
and when more than one pit are constructed side by side, the main
supply pipe may open into a supply reservoir running the whole length
of the series of pits, and communicating with each by a sluice, so that
one pit may be filled without the others. These pits are also constructed
at such a level that the liquid portion of the sewage may be run off into
some adjacent river, sea, or other place destined to receive it, whilst the
soil is left behind to be used for manure as required when the liquid is
run into a sea or river; I prefer to have the pits at such a level that they
may be emptied at or near high water, so that all will be carried away
as the tide runs out.
For the purpose of separating the liquid and solid portions of the
sewage, these pits are constructed with double walls along one side, the
inner wall or partition being lower in height than the other walls, so
that on the liquid rising to the height of such partition wall, it will flow
over the same into the channel formed between the two walls, whence it
is let out as required by a sluice. The soil when required for use is
taken away in air-tight carts or tanks, such carts or tanks being filled
through pipes of proper size inserted in the front or other wall of the pit
near the bottom thereof, which pipes are provided with means for being
closed when not in use, and communicate with the said air-tight carts or
tanks whilst such are being filled by flexible tubing; the carts or tanks
being closed air-tight when full by any suitable means. If the soil
should accumulate faster than required for use in the immediate
neighbourhood, it is let into air-tight tanks suitably situated for that
purpose, and dried by any suitable means; the noxious gases arising
therefrom during such process being led into the said shaft, and burnt as
before described. When thus dried the soil may be conveyed about
without any unpleasant smell arising therefrom. The walls of these
buildings may be constructed of brick, stone, concrete, or other suitable
material, and the roof should be so made as to prevent the escape of any
of the noxious gases arising from the sewage, for which purpose I prefer
to coat the roof with felt or asphelte underneath the slating, which felt

page_text: or asphalte may be laid on a base either of wood planks or thin iron
sheets. The roof should also be provided with strong iron frames for
skylights, and with man-holes, so that men may be let into the pits for
any purpose that may be required. The bottoms of the pits I prefer to
face with concrete of sufficient thickness, and to construct with an
inclination so as to facilitate the clearing of the pits. These pits may
be
used in connection with sewers now existing.