IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE PIPES AND CISTERNS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes, both of
Rotherham, in the County of York, Engineers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM
SERVICE PIPES AND CISTERNS,"
Sealed the 5th June 1857, and dated the 12th January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Eskholme and
Henry Wilkes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 12th January 1857.
We, GEORGE ESкHOLME and HENRY WILKES, both of Rotherham, in the
County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM
SERVICE PIPES AND CISTERNS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
apparatus, whereby the waste of water from service pipes, stand pipes, and
cisterns is obviated, whilst at the same time a certain fixed amount of water
is allowed to flow through the apparatus each time it is used.
This apparatus is particularly applicable to water-closets, or any purpose

page_text: where prevention of waste of water is desirable. The body of the apparatus
consists of a cylinder fitted with a piston; on the lower end of the stem of
the piston is fitted a double-faced valve, the seat of which is situated between
the two faces. When this valve rises or falls, so as to bring either one or
the other of the two faces on to the valve seat, a flow of water will pass into
the closet, such flow continuing only during the time that the valve occupies
in rising or falling.
The movement of this valve is controlled in the following manner :-The
inlet pipe leading from the service pipe or main opens into the cylinder
below the piston, which is of larger area than the valve, and consequently
the pressure tends to elevate the piston and raise the valve, unless an equi-
librium of pressure be established on both sides of the piston. For this
purpose a waterway leads from the inlet pipe to the interior of the cylinder
above the piston, and this waterway is capable of being opened or closed
by means of a conical ground plug, the handle of which answers as the pull
of the closet. A second waterway, similar to the first one, leads from the
upper end of the cylinder above the piston to below the seat of the double-
faced supply valve, herein-before referred to.
The conical plug or cock is so constructed, that by turning it partially round,
one of these waterways will be made to communicate with the top of the
cylinder, and the other will be shut off therefrom. The action of this apparatus
is a follows: Supposing the piston to be up and the lower valve face to be
consequently pressed against the under side of the seating, if it be desired
to flush the closet the conical plug or cock must be turned partially, so as
to admit of the fluid pressure acting upon the top of the piston. This has the
effect of producing an equilibrium of pressure on both sides of the piston,
but the extra downward pressure on the valve causes it to descend and open,
the time occupied by such descent being regulated by the size of opening
through which the water enters the top of the cylinder. This aperture may
be adjusted to any desired extent by means of a screw plug. After the
proper supply has passed down the closet, the upper face of the valve will
come into action, and stop all further supply until the next time the closet
is used. If the cock be now turned so as to open a communication with
the escape waterway, and which closing the first mentioned or pressure water
way, the equilibrium will be destroyed, and the fluid pressure exerted on the
under side of the piston will raise it and open the valve, the water above the
piston escaping through the small aperture before referred to, and thence
passing down the closet with the rest of the supply. It will thus be obvious

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 11th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
ESKHOLME and HENRY WILKES, both of Rotherham, in the County of York,
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousanil eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes, Her special license that we, tho
said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes,
our 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN APPARATUS FOR
PREVENTING WASTE OF WATER FROM SERVICE PIPES AND CISTERNS,"
condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Eskholme and Henry
Wilkes, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
upon
the
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, 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:
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar construction & arrangement of
apparatus, whereby the waste of water from service pipes, stand pipes, and
cisterns is obviated, whilst at the same time a certain fixed amount of water

page_text: is allowed to flow through the apparatus each time it is used. This apparatus
is particularly applicable to water-closets, or any purpose when prevention of
waste of water is desirable.
The body of the apparatus consists of a cylinder fitted with a piston. On
the lower end of the stem of the piston is fitted a double-faced valve, the
seat of which is situated between the two faces. When this valve rises or
falls, so as to bring either one or the other of the two faces on to the
valve seat, a flow of water will pass into the closet, such flow continuing
only during the time that the valve occupies in rising or falling. The
movement of this valve is controlled in the following manner :-The
inlet pipe leading from the service pipe or main opens into the cylinder
below the piston, which is of larger area than the valve, and consequently
the pressure tends to elevate the piston and raise the valvo, unless an equi-
librium of pressure be established on both sides of the piston. For this
purpose a waterway leads from the inlet pipe to the interior of the cylinder
above the piston, and this waterway is capable of being opened or closed
by means of a conical ground plug, the handle of which answers as the pull
of the closet. A second waterway, similar to the first one, leads from the
upper end of the cylinder above the piston to below the seat of the double-
faced supply valve, herein-before referred to. The conical plug or cock is
so constructed, that by turning it partially round one of these waterways will
be made to communicate with the top of the cylinder and the other will be
shut off therefrom. The action of this apparatus is as follows:-Supposing
the piston to be up, and the lower valve face to be consequently pressed
against the under side of the seating, if it be desired to flush the closet the
conical plug or cock must be turned partially, so as to admit of the fluid
pressure acting upon the top of the piston; this has the effect of producing
an equilibrium of pressure on both sides of the piston, but the extra downward
pressure on the valve causes it to descend and open, the time occupied by
such descent being regulated by the size of opening through which the water
enters the top of the cylinder. This aperture may be adjusted to any desired
extent by means of a screw plug. After the proper supply has passed down
the closet, the upper face of the valve will come into action, and stop all
further supply until the next time the closet is used. If the cock be now
turned, so as to open a communication with the escape waterway, and at
the same time close the first-mentioned or. pressure waterway, the equilibrium
will be destroyed, and the fluid pressure exerted on the under side of the
piston will raise it and open the valve; the water above the piston will

page_text: then be forced through the small aperture before referred to, and will pass.
down the closet with the rest of the supply. It will thus be obvious that
both faces of the valve act as permanent valves alternately, the apparatus
working equally well whether the piston be up or down when the closet is.
used.
And in order that our said Invention may be clearly understood we shall
now proceed to describe the Figure on the accompanying Drawing, which
represents a vertical section of our apparatus ready for action, the piston and
upper valve being down, so as to exclude the water from the closet if applied
to that purpose.
A is the supply pipe, which opens into the vertical cylinder B, to the lower
end of which cylinder is screwed the closet pipe C. D represents a piston.
working water-tight within the cylinder, and fitted to a stem E, which is so
cut away between the valves, herein-after mentioned, as to allow the water to
flow between it and the side of the aperture through which it works.
The lower portion of the stem carries the two valve faces F, F, which.
are caused to press alternately upon the valve seat G, placed between them.
His a waterway, leading from the inlet or supply pipe A to the upper end
of the cylinder above the piston D; and H¹ is a second or escape waterway,
leading from the upper end of the cylinder to any convenient part of the.
closet pipe below the valve seat G. A conical metal plug K, connected with;
the spindle L, is accurately ground into a corresponding aperture in the top
of the cylinder. This plug has an opening made in it, which is so arranged,.
that by turning the plug partially round one way or the other, by means of:
the cross handle on the spindle L, the opening will communicate with one
or other of the two waterways H, H, and so bring them separately into
communication with the part of the cylinder above the piston. N is a small
adjustable plug, which is screwed into the opening in the conical plug K, and
has a tapered slot made on one or more sides to allow the water to flow slowly.
through it. By making this slot tapered, it will be obvious that by turning
the screw plug, so as to cause it to penetrate more or less inside the conical.
plug, the size of the orifice in the slot will be diminished or increased at:
pleasure, so as to regulate the flow of water therethrough. The plug K
in the annexed Drawing is shewn as turned to admit of the entrance of water
from the inlet pipe by the passage H to the upper side of the piston.
In this state of the apparatus there is no pressure on the inner side of the
piston which is not balanced by an equal pressure on the upper side, con-
sequently the pressure acting upon the valve face F will hold the valve down

page_text: on its seat, and this valve will remain in this position as long as an equilibrium
of pressure on the two faces of the piston is maintained.
If it is required to flush the closet, the conical plug K is turned half round,
so as to bring its lateral opening into the position shewn by the dotted lines,
whereupon the communication with the passage H is closed, and a communica-
tion is opened with the escape passage H'. The pressure is thus removed from
the upper side of the piston, whilst the pressure on the under side of it causes it
to rise slowly and raise the valve F from off its seat, whilst the under valve F¹
gradually approaches its seat, so as to allow the water to flow through the
central aperture in the valve seat and flush the closet during the time occupied
by the reversing of the valves. This space of time is regulated by the speed
at which the water above the piston escapes through the adjustable screw plug
into the escape waterway H. So soon as the lower valve F¹ reaches its seat
the water supply will be cut off, and will remain so until the closet is again
used, and the conical plug is reversed, so as to restore the equilibrium of
pressure upon both sides of the piston. The pressure upon the valve F¹ being
no longer counteracted by the upward pressure of the water on the under side
of the piston, will then cause the piston to descend gradually and bring the
upper valve down again on to its seat, the time occupied by such descent being
regulated as before, by the size of the aperture in the screw plug which admits
the water above the piston.
It will thus be seen that both the valve faces act as permanent valves, the
apparatus requiring no readjustment of position after use, but always remains
in working order and ready for action.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine or restrict
ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of our said Invention; but
what we consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
for preventing waste of water from service pipes or cisterns, as herein-before
described.
Second, the application and use of the conical plug K in combination with
the waterways H and H, for the purpose herein-before described.
Thirdly, the combination of the valve faces F & F with the piston D in

page_text: such a manner that each valve face will act as a permanent water-tight valve
without requiring readjustment after use, as hercin-before described.
Fourthly, the system or mode of regulating the amount of water to flow
down the closet by means of an adjustable screw plug having a conical
or tapered slot formed therein, in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Eskholme and Henry Wilkes,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Ninth day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
GEORGE ESKHOLME. (L.S.)
HENRY WILKES.
(L.S.)