Improvements in the Ventilation of Sewers and Drains.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Ventilation of Sewers and Drains.
I SAMUEL HUBBARD JAMES of 3 Douglas Villas Streatham Common, London,
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
Danner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained'
in and by the following statement :-
i
The object of this invention is to prevent sewer gas or vitiated atmosphere
finding its way into dwellings or contaminating the atmosphere in the road or
footpaths, for where house drains are perfect, yet the smells from road ventilators
& side gullies, often spread disease broadcast, especially among children; or are
calculated to do.80.
It is a common saying that if drains smell worse than usual, that rain will quickly
follow, the truth of this saying is based upon the fact that usually before rain, the
barometric pressure of the atmosphere is reduced & thus the gases & vitiated
atmosphere in the sewers expand & find their way into houses where any defect
exists in the drains & if not into the houses then through the road & other
ventilators & sometimes may be the cause of serious or fatal illness, the origin of
which may be unsuspected.
The barometric pressure of the atmosphere is constantly changing & at every
fall, more or less vitiated atmosphere finds it way through unsealed openings or
rents.
My invention can be shortly described in 7 words viz., "Artificially maintaining
a partial vacuum in sewers & I accomplish this as follows,
"
At or near the outfall & at overflow openings of. the sewer or drain I construct
a syphon or a trap so that the sewage can find an outlet, while the atmosphere
cannot get into the sewer at its outfall or overflow openings, I also close all or
nearly all the road & other ventilators, manholes &c. by covers. (removeable in the
case of manholes) & I also trap all the road side gullies if not already so
constructed.
In some convenient spot preferrably (but not necessarilly) near the outfall,
which is generally some distance from dwelling houses, I erect air exhausters and
necessary appliances for working the same not limiting myself to any particular
kind & connect such exhausters by suitable pipes or conduits to the top or crown
of the sower or drain. When therefore these exhausters are at work a partial
vacuum is established in the sewer & all branches properly connected therewith,
so that the tendency is to cause an indraught of air into the sewer from every house
drain open manhole or ventilator or any unsealed opening whatsoever whether in
road, footpath or elsewhere preventing the exit or escape of foul atmosphere at
any other place than at the exhauster exit, which I usually provide with a tall
chimney so as to discharge the whole of the vitiated gasses into the upper regions
of the atmosphere at a distance from the towns or cities. Where the outfall of the
sewer & exhauster are situated a sufficient distance away, the chimney may not be
necessary.
Where very large areas have to be dealt with, having sewers at different
levels, with one or more pumping stations, I treat the pumping stations as if they
were the outfalls of the low level sewers & syphon or trap both the low & high
level sewers & then connect the crown of the low level sewer by means of suitable
air tight pipes or conduits to the top or crown of the high level sewer, so that if

page_text: desired, the same exhauster or exhausters, placed near the final outfall may create
the partial vacuum necessary for the whole of the sewers notwithstanding that they
may be at different levels, but for special purposes where necessary 1 treat every
main sewer in a large area as if it were an independant, sewer & erect a separate
exhauster therefor.
1-217
The same general system applies to small towns, large cities or the Metropolis
itself, but the minor details must be regulated to suit the requirements of each case,
always making due allowance for the amount of work required.
50
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is, to be performed' I. declare that what I
claim is
1
..
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1st. A system of artificially maintaining a partial vacuum in the sewers or
drains sufficient, to cause an indraught of air into the sewers or drains from
or through any unsealed opening or vent in the sewer or drain substantially as
described & for the purposes set forth...
2nd. Joining or connecting the top or crown of a low, level sewer to the top.or
crown of a high level sewer by means of a pipe or conduit substantially as
described & for the purposes set forth. is
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