Improvements in Means for Receiving the Refuse of Horses, Elephants, or like Animals.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Receiving the Refuse of Horses,
Elephants, or like Animals.
EDMUND SEYMOUR COLCHESTER of Ashleworth Honor Oak Park in the
County of Surrey Commercial Traveller and Gentleman Farmer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in means for receiving the refuse of
horses, elephants or like animals and has for its object to collect and prevent the
distribution about the streets of animal refuse.
In the streets of important cities it is now the universal practice to employ a
number of lads to sweep up the refuse of animals as it falls and deposit it in a bin
or receptacle provided for that purpose and this work involves a considerable outlay
for labour, added to which it does not fully answer its purpose as the roadway
becomes very foul notwithstanding the exertion of the sweepers.
Now the object of the present invention is to receive collect and disinfect the
refuse from the animal and prevent it falling to the ground so that a great saving
will be effected inasmuch as the sweepers will be unnecessary and in addition to this
the unsightly appearance of the refuse lying about the ground and the unpleasantness
resulting therefrom will be avoided and furthermore in suburbs and districts out
of town instead of the roads being fouled and the refuse lost, it will be preserved
for use as manure.
In carrying the invention into effect a bag or receptacle, preferably of pear
shape is employed which is suspended by its narrow end from the tail strap of the
harness and is at its lower part supported by the breeches strap passing around the
haunches of the animal, whilst in some cases an additional stay is obtained by
means of a strap fastened to the belly-band of the animal.
This bag or receptacle is formed of india rubber, leather or other suitable
material and is held distended by means of hoops of whalebone, vulcanite spring
wirework or other suitable means and at its upper or narrow end it is formed with
an inclined opening adapted to receive the refuse from the animal.
Within the bag or receptacle is arranged a box adapted to contain disinfecting
material so that any unpleasant odour arising from the refuse contained in the bag
or receptacle will be compelled to commingle with the vapour from the disinfecting
material before it passes away and this box is so constructed that whilst permitting
the disinfecting material to evaporate and pass away in that form it will not
become choked by the falling refuse whilst at the same time the falling refuse will
actuate the door of the box in such manner that a proportion of the disinfecting
material will be discharged from the box so as to commingle therewith.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully to
describe the same.

page_text: Figure 4 is a vertical section thereof taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a sectional side view drawn to an enlarged scale of the box for
containing disinfecting material.
In the several figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
a represents the bag or receptacle which is preferably of pear shape and is
suspended by its narrow end from the tail.strap 6 of the harness, and represents
the ordinary breeches strap of the harness which passes around the haunches of the
animal and from which a loop * extends and embraces and supports the lower
part of the bag or receptacle a, whilst in some cases an additional stay is obtained
by means of a strap 62* extending from the bag or receptacle a to the belly-band 62
of the harness.
In applying the invention to riding horses in which the breeches strap is absent
a strap such as 2* serves to support. the bag or receptacle a at the lower part
thereof.
The bag or receptacle a is formed of india-rubber or leather or other suitable
material and is held distended by means of hoops a² of whalebone, vulcanite,
spring wire-work or by other suitable means, and at its upper or narrow end it
is formed with an inclined opening a' surrounded by a distending hoop or band a²
and adapted to receive the refuse from the animal the hoop or band a² at the narrow
opening being at its ends formed with hooks a²* by the aid of which the device
may be suspended from the tail strap b.
Within the bag or receptacle a is arranged a box c adapted to contain disinfecting
material, so that any unpleasant odour arising from the refuse contained in the bag
or receptacle a will be compelled to commingle with the vapour from the
disinfecting material before it passes away and to this end the box c is so constructed
that the door or lid thereof will be automatically opened by the refuse falling into
the bag or receptacle a and discharge some of the contained disinfecting material
amongst the deposited refuse.
The box c is formed with a curved front c' provided with an opening or doorway c
at the lower part thereof to allow of the escape at the times desired of the
disinfecting material with which the box c is charged, but the doorway c² is normally
closed by means of a door or shutter c3 which is by means of a spring hinge c³*
normally held in the position indicated by the full lines in Figures 4 and 5 so as to
close the doorway or opening c² and prevent the escape of disinfecting material
from the box e except at the times desired.
The door is prolonged so as to project into the path of the refuse material
entering the bag or receptacle a by the opening a' so that any material deposited in
the bag or receptacle a will fall upon the curved extension of the door and turn
it upon its hinge * as indicated by the dotted lines in Figures 4 and 5, thereby
unclosing the doorway c² and permitting some of the disinfecting material to escape
from the box c and commingle with the deposited refuse.
The box c is furnished at the back and upper part thereof with a hook e by the
aid of which it may be removeably suspended from a correspondingly formed bar or
projection a³ carried by the back of the bag or receptacle a by which arrangement
it may be readily removed from the bag or receptacle for the purpose of recharging
it with disinfecting material or when it is desired to discharge the contents of the
bag or receptacle a.
By the means hereinbefore described a device is obtained which is inexpensive to
produce and therefore within the reach of all persons and by the aid of which a
considerable economy in labour and consequently expense will be effected in the
collection of animal refuse, whilst the streets will be preserved in a more cleanly
and sanitary condition than by the employment of the present method of sweeping
and consequently there will be less liability for horses to fall and the lives of street
sweepers will be preserved, whilst a larger proportion of the refuse will be collected
and preserved for use as farm manure than heretofore.
I would have it understood that although I have hereinbefore shown and
described the best means that I am at present acquainted with for carrying my

page_text: invention into effect I do not confine myself to the precise details thereof, as it will
be evident that the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In means for collecting the refuse of horses and other animals the combination
of a bag or receptacle of flexible material formed with an opening at its upper end,
means for suspending the bag beneath the tail of the animal and a removeable box
or holder for disinfecting material suspended within the bag or receptacle
substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In means for collecting the refuse of horses and other animals the combination
of a bag or receptacle of flexible material formed with an opening at its upper end,
means for suspending the bag beneath the tail of the animal and a box or holder
for disinfecting material formed with an opening or doorway normally closed by
means of a spring door or shutter projecting into the path of the falling refuse in
such manner that the latter will automatically open the door and discharge some of
the disinfecting material substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1895.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.