AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIN PUMP."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Murray, of Oakley Cottages, Old
Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Machinist, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIN PUMP."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Murray
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd February 1857.
I, CHARLES HENRY MURRAY, of Oakley Cottages, Old Kent Road, in the
County of Surrey, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIN PUMP," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to make chain pumps more efficient in their
operation and more simple in construction than heretofore. This. I propose
to effect by adopting an arrangement that will prevent their liability to choke
and yet enable them to act on the suction principle throughout the wholo
lift. To this end, I employ flat lifting plates (packed or not at their edges),
which work in a vertical tube, by preference oblong in its cross section.
These lifting plates I hinge at one edge to a pair of endless chains, which
work over pulleys, as usual, and the other, or outer edge of the plates,
I support by supplementary chains pendent from the main chains. The
lifting plates are, therefore, free to turu upon their hinges when required.

page_text: This they will do when moving over or under the chain pullies, but when
passing up the tube they will stand at right angles to or across its trough. I
employ three or more of these lifting plates, according to the length of lift
designed to be given to the pump, and I set them apart any distance not
exceeding twenty-eight feet. Water communication being made between the
tube and the receptacle (say the hold of a vessel) containing the water to be
elevated, rotary motion is given to the endless chains, and the water is then
raised by the lifting plates and discharged from the tap of the tube with great
rapidity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Henry Murray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY MURRAY, of Oakley Cottages, Old Kent Road, in, the County of Surrey,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing dato tho Twenty-third day of February; in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Henry Murray, Her special license that. I, the said Charles
Henry Murray, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Charles Henry Murray, my executors, administrators, and 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
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF CHAIN PUMP," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Henry Murray, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describo and ascertain tho
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to. bo
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.-
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Henry. Murray, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of my Invention of "An Improved Construction of Chain Pump"
is to make chain pumps moro efficient in their operation and more simple in
construction than heretofore. This I propose to effect by adapting an arrange-
inent that will prevent their liability to choke and yet enable them to act on
the suction principle throughout the whole lift. I effect this object by the
employment of a series of flat lifting plates, packed or not at their edges, and
attached to travelling vertical chains, so that they may be made to work in a
vertical tube, which I prefer to make oblong in its cross section. These lifting
plates are to be hinged at one edge to a pair of endless chains, which work
over pulleys mounted at the top of the vertical tube, and the other, or outer
edge of the plates, is supported by supplementary chains pendent from tho
mains chains. The lifting plates are, therefore, free to turn upon their hinges
when required. This they will do when moving over or under the chain
pullies, but when passing up the vertical tube they will stand at right, angles
to or across its trough. Three, four, or more of these lifting plates aro
employed, according to the length of lift designed to be given to the pump,
and they may be set apart any distance not exceeding twenty-eight feet.
Water communication being made between the lower end of the tube and the
receptacle (say the hold of a vessel) containing the water to be elevated,
rotary motion is given to the endless chains, and the water is then raised by
the lifting plates and discharged from the top of the tube with great rapidity.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of a chain pump
constructed according to my improved plan. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the
pump; Fig. 2 is a tranverse vertical section, shewing the internal arrangement
of the parts; and Fig. 3 is a partial plan view. a, a, a, a, is the vertical
trunk or tube, which is open at bottom for the admission of the water, and
also to allow the travelling chains b, b, with their lifting plates c, c, to enter
from below and travel up the tube. The tubo is also open at top, and is
provided with a horizontal spout d, d, from which the water is discharged.
The endless travelling chains b, b, are passed over pullics or wheels
and by
actuating these wheels or pullies, either by manual labour or by steam power,
motion is communicated to the chains and the lifting plates. It will be seen,
by referring to Fig. 3 that the vertical tube or trunk a, a, is rectangular and
oblong in its cross section, this being the form I prefer, but any other form
that may be deemed preferable may be adopted if desired. I propose, as tho
most convenient mode of construction, to make the vertical trunk or tube a, a,
of cast iron, and it may be made in lengths of tube, bolted together by their
e, e,

page_text: flanges, or, if preferred, it may be constructed of front; back, and side pieces
of convenient length, and bolted together, in the manner shewn in the Drawing.
In some cases it may be found convenient to construct the vertical tube of
wood, or of wood and slate, or other materials, but for most general purposes
I consider that cast iron is preferable; but whatever material be employed the
internal bore of the tube should be made with tolerable accuracy, so that tho
lifting plates c should fit tho tube throughout its whole length, as shewn in
Fig. 3, without, however, rubbing or scraping the sides, so as to create
unnecessary friction. The lifting plates c, c, are hinged or jointed to the end-
less chains b, b; so that when passing over the pullies or wheels e at top they
may fold over, as shewn in Fig. 2; but when the plates enter the bottom of
the vertical tube, and begin to ascend, they will fall back into a horizontal
position, and are maintained in that position by the supplementary chains f, f,
which are attached at one end to the main or endless travelling chains b, b, and
at the lower end to the side, or some other convenient part of the lifting
plate c. If thought desirable, the endless travelling chains may be passed
under a roller or pulley placed at the bottom of the tube, for the purpose of
guiding it, and the plates c, c, attached thereto into the mouth or opening of
the tube. The operation of the various parts is as follows:-Upon com-
municating motion to the endless travelling chains b, b, the lifting plates will be
carried down into the water, which must of course cover the opening at the
bottom of the vertical tube a, a, and one of the lifting plates when entering
the tube will carry before it into the tube a certain quantity of water, which will
act as a water joint or packing between the edges of the ascending plate c and
the sides of the tube; the consequence will be that a vacuum will be formed
beneath the plate as it rises, and the water will therefore rush in and follow
the plate up the tube. Now, although (as is well known) the pressure of the
atmosphere is sufficient to support a column of water from twenty-eight to
twenty-nine feet high, I do not propose in practice to place the lifting plates
more than from ten to fifteen feet apart, so that by the time that the first plate
with a column of water beneath it has risen, say, fifteen feet in the tube, a
second plate will have entered the tube beneath the column of water, which
will therefore be supported and lifted by this plate until it is discharged from
the mouth or spout & at the top of the tube, the column of water during tho
ascent acting as a water joint .or packing to the second plate, which as it
rises will draw a second column of water behind it, until a third plate enters
and supports and lifts the second column of water, and so on, as long as the
endless chains and lifting plates are kept in motion.
d
Having now described my improved construction of chain pump, and the

page_text: manner of operating the same, I would observe, that although I have described
and shewn travelling endless chains as the mechanical contrivances whereby
the lifting plates are actuated in the vertical tube or trunk, yet ropes or bands
made of gutta percha, hemp, wire, or other suitable material may be employed,
if preferred, suitable provision of course being made to hinge or otherwise
attach the lifting plates to the said rope or band; I do not, therefore, mean or
intend to confine myself to any particular materials of which my improved
chain pump may be constructed, nor do I intend to limit myself to the precise
arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and described, as they
may perhaps be varied without departing from the nature and object of my
Invention.
In conclusion, I claim, as the Invention to be secured to me, the combina-
tion with a tube or trunk of an endless travelling chain or chains, or other
equivalent contrivance, provided with lifting plates, which, when the endless
chain or chains or other equivalent contrivance is set in motion, will draw and
lift water in the tube until it is discharged from a suitable aperture, mouth, or
spout at the top, as shewn and described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Charles Henry Murray, have hereunto
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
set my
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lanc.
CHARLES HENRY MURRAY. (L.S.)