IMPROVEMENTS IN GARDEN ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR HAND PUMPS FOR THROWING JETS OF WATER
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Burnet Robins, late of New York, but
now residing at 23, South Moulton Street, Oxford Street, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GARDEN ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR HAND PUMPS FOR THROWING JETS OF
WATER,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Burnet Robins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th April 1868.
I, WILLIAM BURNET ROBINS, late of New York, but now residing at
23, South Moulton Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GARDEN ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR HAND PUMPS FOR THROWING JETS OF.
WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in garden engines.
and other similar hand pumps for throwing jets of water.
I employ a cylinder or vessel with a ball or other valve at its lower end
to admit the water from the suction pipe or passage. This cylinder or
vessel may be so constructed as to be firmly held by the feet of the

page_text: operator. At its upper end is a stuffing box through which a hollow or
tubular plunger passes. The plunger is so formed at its lower end that
the interior of the cylinder or vessel guides it truly as it is worked
up and down, but free passage is given to the water past the end of
the plunger. The plunger itself forms the outlet passage for the water,
and in it is the outlet valve which by preference is of a globular form.
The upper end of the plunger carries a horizontal rod which projects
on each side of the plunger, and receives upon -it tubular handles, by
means of which the operator works the plunger up and down. The
handles also carry by a suitable connecting piece a tube receiving the
jet or rose through which the water is forced, and a connection is made
between the upper end of the hollow plunger and the tube having the
jet or rose upon it by means of a flexible tube. Thus it will be seen
that when the operator raises the plunger water is drawn into the
cylinder or vessel, and when he forces down the plunger he expels this
water past the exit valve in the plunger and through the jet or rose;
also it will be seen that the operator can direct the stream or streams of
water as he pleases whilst still pressing with both hands on the handles
of the plunger. He obtains the horizontal direction he requires by
turning the plunger round in its stuffing box, and the elevation of the
stream or streams of water he regulates by turning. round the handles
on the rod which carries them, and to the handles as before mentioned
the jet or rose is connected...
It is not essential that the plunger above described for forcing the
water should be used in combination with the roller handle for directing
the jet or jets. Thus the improved plunger may be employed when the
jet is carried by a flexible pipe held in the hand, and the roller handle
may be employed for directing the jet or jets when the water is forced
by an ordinary piston; or in other ways the plunger and the roller
handle may be separately employed.

page_text: Moulton Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first
year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Burnet Robins, Her special licence
that I, the said William Burnet Robins, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others, as I, the said William Burnet Robins, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GARDEN ENGINES AND OTHER SIMILAR HAND PUMPS FOR THROWING JETS OF
WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Burnet Robins, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Burnet Robins, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in garden engines
and other similar hand pumps for throwing jets of water.
According to the first part of my Invention I employ a cylinder or
vessel with a ball or other valve at its lower end to admit the water
from the suction pipe or passage. This cylinder or vessel has at its
upper end a stuffing box through which a hollow or tubular plunger
passes. The plunger is so formed at its lower end that the interior of
the cylinder or vessel guides it truly as it is worked up and down, but
free passage is given to the water past the end of the plunger. The
plunger itself forms the outlet passage for the water, and in. it is the
outlet valve, which by preference is of a globular form. The upper end
:

page_text: of the plunger carries a handle. Thus it will be seen that when the
operator raises the plunger water is drawn into the cylinder or vessel,
and when he forces down the plunger he expels this water past
the exit valve in the plunger and through a jet or rose in connection
with it.
According to the second part of my Invention in hand pumps I connect
the delivery nozzle with the handles by which the plunger (or in this
case it may be a piston) is worked in such manner that by means of
them the nozzles may be directed at pleasure. By preference I use
a plunger as described in respect to the first part of my Invention, and
I connect with the plunger a horizontal rod which projects on each
side of the plunger and receives upon it tubular handles, by means of
which the operator works the plunger up and down. The handles also
carry by a suitable connecting piece a tube receiving the jet or rose
through which the water is forced, and a connection is made between
the upper end of the hollow plunger and the tube having the jet or
rose upon it by means of a flexible or jointed tube. It will be seen
that with this arrangement the operator can direct the stream or streams
of water as he pleases whilst still pressing with both hands on the handles
of the plunger. He obtains the horizontal direction he requires by
turning the plunger round in its stuffing box, and the elevation of the
stream or streams of water he regulates by turning round the handles
on the rod which carries them, and to the handles as before mentioned
the jet or rose is connected.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a hand syringe constructed
according to the first part of my Invention. a, a, is a cylinder, it is
connected at a with a flexible suction pipe, say, 4 feet in length, which
is dipped into a pail or tank; a is the suction valve at the lower end
of this cylinder, it is by preference globular; b is the hollow plunger;
it works through a stuffing box a³ at the top of the cylinder a. At its

page_text: end view of the plunger is shown at Figure 2. By this construction
the lower end of the plunger is guided by the cylinder whilst the
water is able to pass around it freely. This arrangement is preferable
to the tightly fitting piston hitherto employed in syringes. ² is the
delivering valve, also by preference globular at the lower end of the
plunger; 63 is a handle formed on the plunger by which it is worked
in and out of the cylinder a, the cylinder being held in one hand whilst
the plunger is worked with the other; b' is the delivery nozzle at the
top of the plunger, it is continued internally in a small tube 6** as I
find that a better jet is by this means obtained; 65 is a cap or rose
with fine holes in it, which is screwed on over the nozzle * when it
is desired, that the water as it issues should be divided up into numerous
fine streams.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the upper part of a garden engine
constructed according to the second part of my Invention. The lower
part of the engine is constructed like the syringe shown at Figure 1,
except that it is usually of larger size and made with a base on which
the feet are placed whilst the engine is worked, the suction pipe coming
in at the side; with this engine a flexible suction pipe three fect in
length is convenient. In Figure 3, 6 is the upper end of the plunger,
and 66 a passage formed through it, into which the rod c is fitted. Upon
this rod the handles d, d, are placed, and fast with the handles are the
arms or connecting pieces e, e, for carrying the nozzle f and nozzle
tube g. The nozzle tube passes through a socket h, which is able to
pivot on the arms, and a flexible tube i, or it may be a jointed tube,
connects the delivery passage 67 of the plunger with the nozzle. By
turning the handles around the rod c and by moving the plunger round
in its stuffing box any direction can be given to the jet, and the nozzle
tube being able to slide through the socket h allows the flexible
tube i to adjust itself easily to the position of the arms or connecting
pieces e, e.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I
claim is the constructing garden engines and other similar hand pumps
with (in lieu of a piston) a hollow plunger through which the water
passes to the jet, as herein described.
I also claim the constructing garden engines and other similar hand
pumps with the handles by which the plunger or moving part of the

page_text: pump is worked connected with the delivery nozzle in such manner that
the handles may be used to direct the said nozzle, as above described.
I also claim the constructing garden engines and other similar hand
pumps with an outlet plunger with projections at its inner end guiding
it in the cylinder or vessel in which it works and continued internally
at its outer end, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Burnet Robins, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
WILLIAM BURNET ROBINS. (L.S.)