AN IMPROVED PORTABLE IRRIGATOR FOR WATERING GARDENS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Josiah Pumphrey at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd April
1866.
I, JOSIAH PUMPHREY, of the Firm of Josiah and Alfred Pumphrey, Manu-
facturers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PORTABLE IRRIGATOR FOR
WATERING GARDENS AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My improvements consist in securing a suction valve to a foot stand or
otherwise according to the object and purpose for which the apparatus may
be required; but if for portable garden irrigation I prefer to use a flat,
circular, or other shaped base for the user to put the foot on for the better
steadying its action, concentrically with the metal base for receiving the suction
way and valve, I secure a vertical tube or barrel for the piston to work in,
leaving the way perfectly free at the bottom for the fluid to rise as the piston
is elevated, around this cylinder and close to the bottom I apply a ferrule or
broad ring of thin india-rubuer or suitable material, which covers over one,
two, or more holes formed through the cylinder beneath the india-rubber or
elastic ferrule, over this I apply a larger tube leaving an annular space
between its interior and the outer surface of the inner tube or barrel. This
outer tube is secured by being tapped and screwed to the inlet valve seat before

page_text: referred to, and when so secured the inner or concentric barrel or cylinder
will rise slightly above the top level of the outer tube for the purpose of
embedding its top end in an elastic cover, which is held and secured in position
between a metal cap and a projecting flange on the top edge of the outer
case, this metal cap rises concentrically for the purpose of receiving packing for
preventing any escape of water around the piston rod. The piston for working
tight up and down the inner cylinder and sucking or forcing the water may be
fitted with any suitable convenient packing, while to the top end of the piston
rod I attach a handle in the ordinary way for working these kinds of hydraulic
apparatus, providing a small tube for the ingress and escape of air above the
piston. The egress way is formed at the lower end of the outer tube while
the whole annular space between the outer and inner tube or cylinder forms
an air chamber. By this arrangement I obtain a continuous flow, at the
same time avoiding all expensive fittings and provide the means at com-
paratively trifling cast of renewing, examining, and cleaning the inlet valve as
well as the elastic ferrule which forms the second valve, for the obvious reason
that the moment the piston rod is commenced and continued to be elevated
the pressure of air in the annular chamber will press on the exterior of the
elastic ferrule pressing it tight against the metal with which it is in contact,
while the inlet valve will be opened to permit the water to follow the piston
rod and rise in the cylinder, but by forcing down the piston the inlet valve
will be closed and the elastic ferrule expanded, the water will be forced
through into the outer chamber, which being under the pressure of the
confined air will be forced through the outlet delivery pipe and nozzle in a
continuous stream, while the piston is again elevated for the succeeding thrust
or stroke of the piston.