Improvements relating to Drainage.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Drainage.
ROBERT MATTHEWS, 17 King Street, Auctioneer and Estate Agent, WILLIAM
TUFFEE 50 Parrock Street, Builder, and JAMES BUDD, 14 St. John's Road, Road,
Foreman, all of Gravesend in the County of Kent do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to drainage and has for its object to provide an improved
system of drainage by means of which surface-water, the clear effluent from
sewage, water from marshy or water-logged land or other surplus water may be
discharged or got rid of.
Heretofore it has been the general practice to convey such water by means of
open ditches or underground pipes or conduits to an out-fall and discharge the same
into a river or into the sea. This method of procedure is however in many cases
impracticable owing to the expense and is open to other serious objections.
According to our invention we provide for discharging the water into under-
ground springs instead of into a river or the sea thus in most cases obviating the
necessity for conveying such water to any considerable distance on or parallel to
the surface of the ground.
For
In carrying our invention into practical effect we proceed somewhat as follows,
that is to say, we provide catch-pits or cess-pools or filters into which the surface-
water or more or less liquid sewage is drained in any suitable manner.
example in the case of marshy land, we dig dykes or ditches through which the
water flows into a pit or tank on or below the ground level in a manner well under-
stood. The catch-pits, cess-pools or filters are constructed in the usual manner of
a capacity suited to the amount of water it is desired to deal with and may be
lined or not as desired. The solid matter suspended in the water settles in the pits
or is filtered from the sewage so that the effluent is comparatively clear. We then
dig a well or make a boring in the earth to a sufficient depth to reach a main spring
or other suitable level and connect the pit or cess-pool or filter to the top of the
well or boring in such a manner that the over-flow from such pit or the like shall
flow into the well or boring. The water is thereby led into a spring or discharged
at the bottom of the well or shaft into the earth and percolates and disperses itself
in the ground.
We prefer to line the well or boring with a tube of metal or other suitable
material so as to ensure the water being discharged at the bottom thereof. When
we provide a filter we preferably arrange that the upper outlet of the well or
boring shall be below the level of the filter bed, and we furnish suitable gratings
or the like to prevent any solid matter from passing into the said well or boring.
The catch-pits, cess-pools or filters require to be cleaned periodically but in the
case of rain-water or other comparatively pure surface-water it is not necessary
that this should be done very often.
The depth of the well varies considerably according to the nature of the ground
but it is preferably made deep enough to ensure that a comparatively water-tight
stratum lies between the opening at the bottom and the land or surface which is
drained.
Dated this 10th day of January 1895.
ROBERT MATTHEWS,
WILLIAM TUFFEE,
JAMES BUDD,
Applicants.

page_text: We, ROBERT MATTHEWS, WILLIAM TUFFEE, and JAMES BUDD, all of
17, King Street, Gravesend, in the County of Kent do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to drainage and has for its object to provide an improved
system of drainage by means of which surface-water, the clear effluent from sewage,
water from marshy or water-logged land or other surplus water may be discharged
or got rid of.
Heretofore it has been the general practice to convey such water by means
of open ditches or underground pipes or conduits to an out-fall and discharge
the same into a river or into the sen. This method of proceeding is however
in many cases impracticable owing to the expense and is open to other serious
objections.
According to our invention we provide for discharging the water into under-
ground springs instead of into a river or the sea thus in most cases obviating the
necessity for conveying such water to any considerable distance on or parallel to
the surface of the ground.
For
In carrying our invention into practical effect we proceed somewhat as follows,
that is to say we provide catch-pits or cess-pools or filters into which the surface-
water or more or less liquid sewage is drained in any suitable manner.
example in the case of marshy land, we dig dykes or ditches through which the
water flows into a pit or tank on or below the ground level in a manner well
understood. The catch-pits, cess-pools or filters are constructed in the usual
manner of a capacity suited to the amount of water it is desired to deal with and
may be lined or not as desired with brick or concrete or the like. The solid matter
suspended in the water settles in the pits or is filtered from the sewage so that the
effluent is comparatively clear. We then dig a well or make a boring in the carth
to a sufficient depth to reach a main spring or other suitable level and connect the
pit or cess-pool or filter to the top of the well or boring in such a manner that the
over-flow from such pit or the like shall flow into the well or boring. The water
is thereby led into a spring or discharged at the bottom of the well or shaft into
the earth and percolates and disperses itself in the ground.
As an example, in a system which we have carried out in accordance with our
invention the whole area drained, which has a chalk subsoil, is about one acre with
a population of 60 persons. The settling pit in this case has a capacity of about
6000 gallons and the effective thickness of the filter provided is 3 feet. The depth
of the well which is four inches in diameter is about forty feet and the bottom
discharges into a spring below the chalk.
We prefer to line the well or boring with a tube of metal or other suitable
material so as to ensure the water being discharged at the bottom thereof. When
we provide a filter we preferably arrange that the upper outlet of the well or
boring shall be below the level of the filter bed, and we furnish suitable gratings
or the like to prevent any solid matter from passing into the said well or boring.
The catch-pits, cess-pools or filters require to be cleaned periodically but in the
case of rain-water or other comparatively pure surface-water it is not necessary
that this should be done very frequently.
The depth of the well varies considerably according to the nature of the ground
but it is preferably made deep enough to ensure that a comparatively water-tight
stratum lies between the opening at the bottom and the land or surface which is
drained.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A system of drainage in which the surplus water or sewage is first collected
in settling pits the clear effluent being then delivered to a well or boring and
discharged at an underground spring level or allowed to percolate through the
earth at the bottom of the well or boring.
2. In the system of drainage described in Claim 1 the provision of means for
filtering the effluent from the settling pit before it is delivered to the well or
boring.
3. In a drainage systein the combination with a settling pit, cess-pool, filter or
the like, of a well or boring communicating with an underground spring or water
bearing stratum, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 11th day of October 1895
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
31, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicants.