CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING THE INHABITANTS OF TOWNS AND OTHER PLACES WITH WATER
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PILBROW, of Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of March, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James 1
Pilbrow, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her special licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said James Pilbrow, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said James
Pilbrow, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
fourteen years therein mentioned, to be computed from the day of the date of
the said Letters Patent, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING THE
INHABITANTS OF TOWNS AND OTHER PLACES WITH WATER;" and in the said
Letters Patent was contained a proviso that I, the said James Pilbrow, should,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, describe and ascertain

page_text: the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Pilbrow, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention of
"Certain Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying the Inhabitants of
Towns and other Places with Water," and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, and the Drawing on one Sheet hereunto annexed:-
This Invention has reference to certain arrangements, by means of an
enlarged tube or chamber containing a ball regulated to a certain specific
gravity, and which chamber and ball is to be placed between the water main
and the tap or cock at the end of the "service pipe" by which the water is to
be drawn for domestic or other use, flushing waterclosets, &c., whereby the
accidental or wilful waste will be prevented, as hereafter described. The
chamber may be of any required length and diameter to allow the quantity to
be divided at each turn of the cock suitable to the case or requirements of the
individual or family to be supplied, truly cylindrical, and of smooth bore. The
ball may be made of any suitable material truly spherical, and its weight be
so adjusted (by loading with heavier material, if required) so that its specific
gravity may be somewhat greater than that of water. This ball must also
be made so as to freely pass through the tube or chamber, but not allowing
too much space around it. The chamber is attached to the main by a short
piece of tube or ferrule in the usual manner, and will itself lie at an inclination,
as the case may require; for instance, usually at 1 in 4, the highest or elevated
end being that furthermost from the water main; from this elevated end will
proceed the usual service pipe, terminating with a cock as usual in the house,
watercloset, or other place where it is desired to convey the supply of water.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents the apparatus (which I call a "water
waste preventer") in section, shewing the ball A as lying at the lower end of
the chamber, and its position when driven up the chamber, as at B. Figure 2
represents a side view of the apparatus as complete, A being the ferrule
or screw to be inserted, and by which it is to be attached to the water
main, and B the "service pipe" leading to the place where the water is to be
drawn by a cock in the usual manner. The proportions, or form, or
arrangement however may be modified, the principle remaining the same by
which the object may be accomplished; for instance, the chamber may be

page_text: placed vertically and the ball acting either by its gravity or buoyancy, as may
be readily understood by any mechanical man.
Having now described the general nature of the Invention, and the several
parts of the apparatus and their use, I will explain the operation of or manner
of its working. This foregoing apparatus or chamber and ball having been
properly affixed or inserted between the main and service pipe, and at an
elevation which may vary according to the pressure with which the water is
supplied, if there is no leakage or draw upon the pipes, the ball will be and
remain at the bottom of the tube (as at A, Figure 1); but when water is
required to be drawn and the tap is opened for that purpose, or should the
pipe be burst, or water running to waste from any cause, the ball immediately
and gradually descends, until the quantity of water the machine is intended to
deliver has taken place, when the ball will have moved to the top of the tube
(as at B, Figure 1) and closed the aperture of the "service" supply pipe,
which may be formed simply by the metal itself or by a cushion of gutta
percha or other material, and the delivery will cease until the tap be closed or
the defects remedied, when the ball will return again to the bottom of the tube
by its superior gravity and further deliveries in succession may be obtained.
From this it will be seen that the ball is urged up by the flow of water and
descends when that ceases by its own gravity. It must be observed that a
very minute leakage must be allowed between the ball and its seat or cushion
when up, so as to place the pressure before and behind the ball in equilibrium
when the cock is shut or the ball might not descend. It is evident that
several modifications of the foregoing arrangements may be made to answer
the purpose with partial or more or less success, the principle remaining the
same in them all, and that the apparatus may be made to deliver any
reasonable quantity of water at one turn of the tap, from half a pint to many
gallons, by regulating the size of the chamber, its elevation, weight and size
of ball, with the pressure of the water by which it is supplied.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I make no claim
to the exclusive use of tubes or balls, except as applied and adapted to and
for the prevention of wilful or accidental waste of water, as described. But
what I do claim as my Invention is, the use of any tube or chamber, with any
ball or other similar apparatus, to be in any way connected with the mains or
water service pipes, whereby the waste or continual flow of water from acci-
dent or wantonness may be checked or prevented. And such my Invention
entirely new and never
being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
before used within that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland called England, and Her said Dominion of Wales, and
Her Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my Speci-
fication of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification
doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise, with the
proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
whereupon I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention and "Certain Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying the
Inhabitants of Towns and other Places with Water."
In witness whereof, I, the said James Pilbrow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, One thousand eight