IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF SEWERS AND DRAINS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEWAGE MATTERS
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Towle at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
February. 1868.
I, JOHN TOWLE, of Cold Harbour, near Oxford, in the County of Berks,
Justice of the Peace, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF SEWERS AND DRAINS FOR THE
COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEWAGE MATTERS," to be as follows:-
..First. I propose to carry off the storm waters of towns by means of
a separate small barrel drain, or pipes of suitable material and size,
according to circumstances, laid under the present rain water gutters
close to the kerb of the footpath, one on each side of the way, except
the street be a narrow one. These drains are to be laid as shallow as
possible so as to be safe from injury by carriage wheels and for the
obtaining of one uniform fall.
Secondly. In order to collect the house sewage I propose to lay up
every alley, yard, and small bye-street a pipe or small sewer of
various sizes, according to circumstances, and connect them by means
of pipes to every house drain, so forming a gridiron of small pipes.
Thirdly. I propose that these house pipes, yard pipes, and bye-
street pipes, be placed in connection with the minor mains to be laid

page_text: down the main street of the neighbourhood, which as before men.
tioned, I provide with a separate storm water drain on each side of
the street close to the kerb of the footpath and as near the surface as
falls and levels will permit. These principal street sewers should have as
little communication with each other as possible, but as far as i
circumstances in regard to the outfall will permit should be independent
of each other, that is to say I avoid as much as possible laying two
mains into one, but rather lay them side by side as they approach
the outfall, if the ground and circumstances will permit.
Fourthly. After selecting the most suitable locality to fix the outfall
I propose to form two reservoirs side by side, in depth according to
circumstances, with an incline on one side of each, so that a cart and
horse may draw in or out of the reservoirs to load or unload. Into
these pits all the sewers are to be laid so as to thoroughly empty
themselves. Into these pits I propose to collect the whole refuse of 1
the town of every kind, street sweepings and as much ashes as possible
and thus make a thorough riddance of all nuisances and at same time
obtain a thoroughly deodorized and valuable compost.
Fifthly. I propose to provide my outfalls with navigable communi-
cation by means of pumps or barrows with boats suitably constructed
for conveying liquids or solids throughout the country, wherever a
market could be found, and thus clear the towns of every kind of
nuisance and turn it to profit. In large towns it would be desirable
to have two or three outfalls, but this is not absolutely necessary. In
very low parts of a town I propose sinking iron reservoirs of sufficient :
depth to clear away the house sewerage so long as the floods are
out of the houses. By the adoption of this improved system of drainage
sewers may be made considerably loss in size and so require to be
sunk at less depth, obviating the tearing up of streets to find stoppages
to which the present system is liable. The cost of construction and
maintainance is considerably reduced, and any portion of a town or
even a single street may have the improvements applied without
incurring vast outlays and possible failures as hitherto.