THE MEANS OF COLLECTING THE CONTENTS OF SEWERS AND DRAINS IN CITIES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES, AND FOR TREATING CHEMICALLY THE SAME, AND FOR APPLYING SUCH CONTENTS, WHEN SO TREATED, TO AGRI- CULTURAL AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HIGGS, of Westminster, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Higgs, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Higgs, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Higgs, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "THE MEANS OF COLLECTING THE
CONTENTS OF SEWERS AND DRAINS IN CITIES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES, AND FOR TREATING
CHEMICALLY THE SAME, AND FOR APPLYING SUCH CONTENTS, WHEN SO TREATED, TO AGRI-
CULTURAL AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said William Higgs, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within

page_text: six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being therounto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Higgs, do hereby declare that the nature of my suid Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be peformed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following description, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, in which
similar parts are indicated or referred to by means of similar letters or figures
(that is to say):
=
My Invention consists :-Firstly, in the construction of tanks or reservoirs,
in which the contents of sewers and drains in cities, towns, and villages
are to bo collected, and the solid animal and vegetable matters therein
contained solidified and dried, as hercin-after described;
Secondly, in the construction of buildings over such tanks or reservoirs in
which the vapours and gases evolved from the collected mass of sewage below
may be collected, retained, condensed; and combined with chemical agents as
herein-after described, and also in the arrangement of spars or bars, on which
the salts formed by the combination of such gases with other substances may
rest or crystallize;
Thirdly, in the construction and arrangement of machinery and apparatus to be
used in distributing and depositing chemical agents over the mass of sewage
collecting and collected in the tanks or reservoirs above mentioned, in manner
herein-after described; and
Fourthly, in the use and application of chemical agents, for the purpose of
precipitating the solid animal and vegetable matter contained in sewage water,
and also for the purpose of absorbing and combining with the gases evolved
from such sewage water, and the animal and vegetable matters contained therein,
or precipitated therefrom.
I will now proceed to describe the first part of my Invention, which relates
to the construction of tanks or reservoirs.
Figure 1 represents a transverso vertical section of three tanks or reservoirs,
in which the mass of sewage is to be collected; also a section of buildings to bo
erected over the tanks or reservoirs in which the vapours and gases arising
from the tanks aro to bo collected, and condensed or combined with other
substances.
Figure 2 represents a plan of the tanks or reservoirs taken through the
dotted line 1, 2, Figure 1. A, A, A, Figures 1 and 2, are the extremetics
of the sewers or drains (through which the sewage matter is to pass) com-

page_text: municating with the tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, Figures 1 and 2, in such a
manner that the sewage water will run freely into those tanks or resevoirs.
These drains or sewers A, A, A, arc furnished with suitable sluices or flood-
gates, C, C, C, which may opened or closed at pleasure, so as to allow or
prevent the flow of the sewage water and matter into the tanks or reservoirs
B, B, B, as may be desired. These tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, may be con-
structed of brick, stone, or other fit materials, and of any number, form, and
depth as may be found most suitable and convenient, according to their local
position and the quantity of sewage matter to be treated or operated upon. I
prefer that each tank should be made in the form of a parallelogram, the sides.
of which shall be three times the length of the ends, and varying in depth from
twelve to fifteen feet; and I think it better not to exceed this depth, my object
being to expose a large surface in the tank to the action of my chemical agents.
The bottoms of these tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, must be so constructed as
to drain down to some one or more places where a filter or filters is or are to
be placed for draining and drying the solid matter in the tanks as herein-after
mentioned, and with proper drains under such filters for carrying off the water
passing through them. I prefer constructing theso bottoms of my tanks with
double inclined planes, and with drains, such as shewn at D, D, D, (Figures
1 and 2,) the drains running down the centres of the tanks, and into which the
water in the tanks will drain. Over each of these drains I place horsehair
cloth (or some other porous and filtering material), as shown at a, a, a, Figures
1 and 3; these filters are to be supported upon gratings b, b, b, as seen repre-
sented at Figure 1. The drains under the filters D, D, D, must be made to com-
municate with a cistern or other receptacle for receiving the filtered water, and
so that the water may run freely from them into such cistern or receptacle.
The sewage water from time to time poured into the tanks B, B, B, after
being deprived of the solid animal and vegetable matter contained therein, is
to be let off through the floodgates C', C', C', into the waterways C², C, C³,
Figure 2 and Figure 8, herein-after mentioned, so as to leave the precipitated
animal and vegetable matter remaining in the tanks to bo afterwards
treated as herein-after described. The floodgates C', C', C', must be placed
about three feet or some such convenient distance from the bottoms of
the tanks, so as to leave a convenient space below the level of these
floodgates, in which the precipitated sewage matter may be deposited.
When a sufficient quantity of animal and vegetable matter has been collected
in a tank I close the floodgate (C) communicating therewith, so as to prevent.
any further flow of sewage into the tank until after it has been emptied of its
solid contents. The filtered water contained in the cistern or other receptacle.

page_text: must then be pumped up from time to time, or got rid of in some other way,
so that the drains under or communicating with the filters may bo kept free
from water, and the filters so left free to act efficiently. In order to facilitate
the process of depriving the solid matter in a tank of its moisture I havo
recourse to the expedient of creating a partial vacuum under the filtres, so
that the pressure of the air upon the contents of a tank may have the effect of
drawing the water contained in it down through the filtres into the drains below.
And for the purpose of producing and keeping up such a partial vacuum I
either use an air pump for exhausting the air in the drains under the filtres
from time to time, in the same manner as air pumps are generally and well
known to be applied to such purposes, or I produce and keep up such a
partial vacuum by means of the pump, by which from time to time the filtered
water is to be pumped out of the receptacle. The tanks or reservoirs B, B, B,
may be subdivided into two or more compartments by divisions as seen at
B', B', Figure 2. The dotted line E, E, Figure 1, represents the ground line
or level of the ground, shewing how much of the building I propose shall bo
raised above ground.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to the erection of buildings above the tanks and reservoirs already
described. F, F, F, F, Figure 1, represent the walls of a building erected
over a set of tanks or reservoirs, which may be built of brick, stone, or other
materials; G, G, G, are the roofs furnished with a number of suitable openings
H, H, I, through which the air may escape. I, I, I, are ceilings, which are
to be furnished with one or more of Day's Patent Archimedian screw venti-
lators, as shown at J, J, J, Figure 1, or other similar and competent machinery
for the purpose of effecting an upward current and drawing off the vapours
and gases evolved from the tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, and carrying them up
into the chambers K, K, K, there to be condensed or combined with some
chemical agents or matters as herein-after described; and the Archimedian
screw ventilators or other competent machinery may be set in motion by
steam or other motivo power as may be deemed most convenient and econo-
mical. In the chambers K', K', K', are fixed a number of uprights of wood
C, C, C, and to these a number of spars are secured in a longitudinal position
on which the salts or other substances formed from tho vapours or gases may
rest and attach themselves as herein-after described.
I will now describo the third part of my Invention, which relates to the
construction and arrangement of machinery and apparatus to be used in
distributing and depositing chemical agents over the mass of sewage collected
in tanks or reservoirs, which arrangements consist of trams or rails fixed along

page_text: the edges of cach side of the tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, on which suitable
carriages may travel. Figure 4 shews an end view of the hopper carriage
and rails, and a side view of the lower carriage and rails. Figure 5 shews the
side view of the hopper carriage and rails, and an end view of the lower
carriage and rails. d, d, Figure 4 and 5, is a strong square frame made of
wood or iron, securely made and fastened together with bolts and nuts in the
usual manner; e, e, aro the rails which are fixed to the edges of each of the
tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, more clearly seen by referring to Figure 2. ff.
are suitable flanged wheels fitting and made to travel on the rails e, e, e, e.
These wheels rotate with their axles 9, 9, in the brackets or bearings h, h,
which brackets are firmly secured to the square frame d. One of the axles are
furnished with a bevel wheel i, gearing into a bevel pinion j, which is fixed to
the winch handle k, by means of which the square frame d, d, or lower carriage
is made to travel along the rails e, e. m is a hopper-shapped waggon, through
the bottom of which, by an aperture or apertures made for the purpose, the
chemical agents or substance deposited therein are allowed to fall down into
the tank below. This hopper-shaped waggon m is fitted with four flanged
wheels n, n, travelling on the cross rails o, o, which are fixed one at each end
of the lower carriage or square frame d, d. The lower carriage or square
frame d, d, will travel lengthways of the tanks or reservoirs B, B, B, carrying
with it the upper carriage or waggon, whilst the hopper-shaped waggon m will
travel crossways. The operator will by these means be enabled to distributo
the chemical agents or substances in the hopper-shaped waggon equally over
the whole or any part of the surface of the contents of the tanks or reservoirs
B, B, B, as may be required. And for the purpose of more equally distributing
the contents of the waggon over the surface of the matter in a tank the bottom
of the waggon may be constructed like the hopper of a flour mill, and have
motion given to it in the same manner, or any other similar means may, if
thought fit, be adopted for making the bottom of the hopper self-acting,
for the purpose of distributing or throwing down its contents into the tank
below.
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention, the object of which
is to precipitate all the solid animal and vegetable matter contained in the
sewage water from time to time run into one of my tanks before described,
and to cause the vapours and gases arising therefrom to be condensed, absorbed,
or combined with some other substances in the chambers above. For the
purpose of precipitating the animal and vegetable matter contained in the
sewage water I prefer to employ hydrate of lime, commonly termed slacked
lime, which, so far as I know, is the cheapest and most efficient chemical agent

page_text: for effecting this purpose. But the carbonate of limo and some others of the
alkaline earths, either in their simple or compound states, as well as somo
other substances, may perhaps be employed for a similar purpose, but, so
far as I know, the employment of any other substance than hydrate of lime
will not be so efficient or convenient for effccting the purposes aforesaid.
Now, for the condensation of the vapours and gases arising from the mass of
sewage deposited in tanks or reservoirs (B, B, B,) I propose to use chlorine
gas to unite with and condenso all such vapours or gases as are composed of
ammonia or sulphuretted hydrogen, which are evolved whilst sewage matter is
collecting or under chemical treatment in the tanks or roservoirs. Hydro-
chloric acid gas and some other chemical agents may perhaps be capable of
effecting the condensation or absorption of the various vapours and gases
arising from sewage matter, but I prefer using chlorine gns, because of its
efficacy, and the facility and economy with which it may be obtained. The
solid animal and vegetable matter remaining in a tank after the greater part of
its water has been drained out of it by means of filters, as before described,
ought to be dried, so as to prevent the chemical decomposition of it, and render
it fit for being transported to distant places, for application to agricultural or
other useful purposes. This solid matter ought first to be formed into pieces
of suitable shapes and dimensions, and then dried by any means which may be
most convenient, according to circumstances. Various modes and methods may
be adopted to effect this purpose, but I will describe a method which I think
will, in many cases, be the most advantageous, although it forms no part of my
Invention. As it will most probably be necessary to have a steam engine on
the premises used for carrying my Invention into effect, for pumping and other
various purposes, I propose that the shaft of the furnace of such a steam engine
be constructed square and of a largo capacity, as shown at Figure 6 in plan,
and at Figuro 7 in vertical section. This shaft may be about one hundred feet
in height, more or less, as may be thought most convenient. p, p, represents
the brickwork of the shaft; q is a wrought or cast iron chimney or shaft,
rising upwards in the centre of the square shaft p, p, to within a few feet from
the top. Through this chimney or shaft 7 the smoke and hot air from the
steam-engine furnaco rise and escape, and, being made of wrought or cast iron,
will be a good conductor of heat, and thereby rarify, and to a considerable
degree raise, the temperaturo of the air surrounding it and contained in the
square shaft p, p, r, r, r, r, are four sets of endless chains, travelling over
suitable wheels S, S, S, S, seen in the vertical section at Figuro 7, which
wheels should be fixed in the squaro shaft p, p, in such a manner as may bo
found most convenient. The endless chains 1, 1, 1, 7, should be furnished with

page_text: a number of bucketts t, t, t, t, bung and secured to the endless chains ", ", in
such a manner that during their ascent and descent (which should be at the
rate of about one revolution of the endless chain per hour) they will always
maintain a vertical position. These buckets are to be successively filled with
solid sewage matter from a tank as they come to the bottom of the shaft, and
being then carried up and again brought down the shaft by the motion of the
endless chain, the contents of each bucket will be found to be sufficiently dried
and fit for use or transportation, and may be removed, and the bucket again
filled as before. By placing the iron shaft 7 in the centre of the brick shaft
P. p, four sets of theso endless chains may be placed and work in one shaft,
each of them receiving the same degree of heat.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim as
my Invention is,
of
Firstly, the construction of tanks and reservoirs having a space or portion
of the depth thereof below the level of the sluices in the sides thereof, in which
the solid animal and vegetable matters contained in sewage water may be pre-
cipitated and deposited as before described, and also having filtres for filtering
the water out of such matter in manner herein-before also described.
Secondly, I claim the construction of buildings over such tanks or rescr-
voirs, with suitable chambers, and furnished with ventilators, spars, and other
means for drawing up, condensing, combining, and crystallizing vapours and
gases, as before described.
Thirdly, I claim the constructing and arrangement of a frame or railway,
and double carriage, for producing a compound motion, so as to carry the upper
carriage or hopper along and over the tanks and reservoirs for distributing and
depositing therein chemical agents and substances, in manner herein-before
described.
Fourthly, I claim tho precipitation of animal and vegetable matter from
sewage water, and also the condensation, combination, and chrystalization of
vapours and gases arising from sewage matter in tanks or reservoirs, by the
means and in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Higgs, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
WILLIAM (L.s.) HIGGS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of October, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid William Higgs came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification nfore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.