IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND STUFFING BOXES, APPLICABLE TO PUMPS AND COCKS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BEETSON, of Brick Lane, Old Saint Lukes, in the County of Middlesex,
Brass Founder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of August, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Beetson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said William Beetson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Beetson, my exors, adññiors, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CLOSETS AND STUFFING
BOXES, APPLICABLE TO PUMPS AND COCKS;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said William Beetson, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within 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 thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Beetson, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of constructing water closets, and in
such manner that the valve, when closed; is an inclined position in place of
being horizontal, whereby the handle, in opening the valve, has to be moved
through a less space to get the valve into a vertical position, and when moving
the handle to a like extent as heretofore, would cause the valve to be moved
considerably more out of the way than heretofore, and thus ensure the better
action of the valve by rendering it less possible for paper or the soil to adhere
and interfere with the well closing of the valve when it is again shut.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of rendering the opening through
which a lever handle of a pump or cock passes and works water or fluid tight,
and thus producing an improved stuffing box. And in order that my Invention
may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
--
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of constructing water closets, and in
such manner that the valve, when closed; is an inclined position in place of
being horizontal, whereby the handle, in opening the valve, has to be moved
through a less space to get the valve into a vertical position, and when moving
the handle to a like extent as heretofore, would cause the valve to be moved
considerably more out of the way than heretofore, and thus ensure the better
action of the valve by rendering it less possible for paper or the soil to adhere
and interfere with the well closing of the valve when it is again shut.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of rendering the opening through
which a lever handle of a pump or cock passes and works water or fluid tight,
and thus producing an improved stuffing box. And in order that my Invention
may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a plan of a water closet constructed according to my In-
vention; Figure 2 is a front view thereof; Figure 3 is a left-hand end view
thereof. Figure 4 shews a section of the lower parts of a water closet
without the basin. Figure 5 is a plan of the lower chamber or part of the
water closet, and Figure 6 is an underside view of the cover of the lower
chamber, shewing how the valve is applied.
It will be seen that the seat of the valve stands at an angle, so that when
the valve is closed, it also stands at an angle, and consequently when it has to
be opened it will only require a very small movement of the handle to bring it
to the vertical position, which heretofore has been the extent to which such
valves have been opened, but I consider that it is of great advantage to have
the valve to open further, as is shewn in Figure 4, so as to ensure the soil and
paper being prevented adhering, and such an extent of opening of the valve,
as is shewn, may be accomplished when moving from a seat placed in an
angular position, as shewn, with about the same quantity of movement of the
handle as was heretofore necessary for causing the valve to move from the
horizontal position to the vertical position. I would remark that the angle
shewn I believe will be found to be the best for practical purposes, but I do
not confine myself thereto. In Figures 1, 2, and 3, the parts necessary for
working the valve by a handle are shewn. I would, however, remark that

page_text: they form no part of my Invention, and they may be varied. In each of the
Figures a, a, represents the seat of the valve; b is the valve which moves on
an axis b', having a square end to receive the curved arm c, having a slot
therein as shewn. It will be seen that the valve is similar to ordinary valves
for such descriptions of closets, but the seat a, in place of being horizontal, is
formed in an angular position, which only renders it necessary to move the
valve through a less space in order to get as large an opening for the soil,
water, &c., to pass pass away as was heretofore obtained when moving the
valve from a horizontal to a vertical position, but the parts I prefer to be so
arranged as to open the valve away considerably beyond the vertical position.
e is a lever which carries a friction roller f, moving in the slot of the arm c,
and consequently moves the arm c when the lever e is raised by the handle g,
which is affixed to the rod h, such rod being connected to the lever e by a pin
joint as is shewn, i being a weight to cause the valve at all times to be closed.
jis the overflow pipe from the basin, and I apply a valve k, which has at all
times a tendency to remain closed, and is only opened when there is a pressure
of overflow water, by this means no effluvia can pass from below up into the
basin, even should the water fall below the bend in that pipe, and it also
prevents the soil from the pan or basin splashing or passing into the overflow
or waste pipe. 1 is a lever handle to the supply cock, such lever handle passing
through an opening in a plate m affixed to the rod h, consequently by moving
the handle g up and down, the cock will be opened or closed, but as the cock
shown is similar to what constitutes part of the second object of my Invention,
which I will now proceed to describe such second part of the Invention, but
as the improvements in stuffing boxes are applicable to pumps and to cocks, I
will first describe them as applied to pumps. Figure 7 represents a pump
having my improvements applied thereto. Figure 8 is a section of Figure 7,
by which the internal arrangements of the parts will more readily be under-
stood. Figure 9 shows an interior view and an external view of the means of
forming stuffing boxes, as in such cases as levers pass through openings into
pump barrels in order to work the pistons or buckets of the pumps. Figure
10 shows a plan and side view of the slings, piston rod, bucket, and guide,
separately. The pump shown by the above Figures being suitable as a beer
engine or pump, or for similar purposes; and Figure 11 shows a pump suitable
for street or other fixed pump, which will serve as a force pump or fire engine,
or pump, when a proper leather pipe is screwed or applied to the spout, the
upper parts of such pumps acting as air vessels to regulate the flow of water or
other liquid. In each of the above Figures the same letters are used to indi-
cate similar parts. j is the lever handle which works on an axis or fulcrum at

page_text: k; this fulcrum or axis is carried by the dished plate or cover of the opening
through which the lever j works, as is shown, the circular portion of the lever
jworking in an opening formed through the dished plate or cover. The
bucket is connected to the lever j by means of the slings or rods m, by means
of pin joints, as is shown, the piston rod n being guided in its movement up
and down by the frame o, which is affixed at the upper end of the piston rod,
and fits easily within the pump barrel, the frame o not being a complete
circle, there being a recess in order to its passing the spout and the opening
through which the lever j passes. p is the pump barrel; pl the cover which
is a flexible cup,
makes the upper part air-tight; q the piston or bucket.
which I prefer to be of leather (though waterproof fabrics may be used), which
is clamped all round at its edges between the plate 7 and the exterior surface
of the pump barrel, so as to make it fluid-tight all round at the edges; and I
may remark that although I have shown the flexible cup to be quadrangular
at its edges, it will be evident that it might be circular or oblong, with
rounded edges; but whatever be the shape of the outer edges of the flexible
cup, it is to be so clamped and held as to be fluid-tight all round. The lever
passes through the centre of the flexible cup, and the screw nut s clumps the
leather between it and the enlargement of the lever, as is shown, and thus
makes that joint fluid-tight. I would, however, remark that although I have
been particular in showing what I consider to be the best mode of fixing the
flexible cup,
I do not confine myself thereto so long as all round the edges
thereof are made fluid-tight, and that the same is the case where the lever
passes through the cup. By this means it will be evident that a very improved
stuffing box will be formed for such descriptions of pumps as require a lever
to pass through into the pump barrel. Figures 12, 13, and 14 show a front
view, a side view, and a section of a cock, having similar means of obtaining a
stuffing box for the lever which works the slide; Figures 15 and 16 shewing a
side view and plan of another cock, such as is shown applied to the water
closet above explained; and I would remark that I do not confine myself to the
particular forms of the pump barrels, as they will be varied according to the
use to which they are to be applied. is a dished plate or cover through which
the lever works in like manner to what has been already described in respect
to the pumps, and the flexible cup is similar, and marked with the same letter
of reference, and it is fixed fluid-tight all round, and at the part where the
cover passes through as above described. is a slide moving in a groove at
each side. The lever j passing through works freely in an opening in the slide,
as is shown. is the cock barrel. It will be seen on a careful examination
of the Figures now under description, that the stuffing box formed to the cock

page_text: will allow of the lever handle working freely, yet prevent the passage of the
fluid.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately; but what I do claim is,--
First, the mode of applying the valve seats and valves to water closets,
whereby the valves are in an inclined position when closed, as above described.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of applying flexible cups to close the
openings through which the lever handles of pumps and cocks pass, in order
to form stuffing boxes thereto, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beetson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, One thousand eight hundred
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid William Beetson came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, 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.
Inrolled the Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one.