IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING AND TREATING SEWAGE
Year: 1884

page_text: JOHN CARTER, 66 Beaufort Street, Chelsea, London, S.W. England, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERING AND TREATING
SEWAGE, to be as follows:-
For filtering I have perforated, triple, recepticles, with, inner compartment per-
forated, to receive the filtered water, with perforated pipe, in its centre, having a
Ecrew cap, at bottom; to screw, on to nipple, leading to reservoir. below. The pipe,
would be six feet 6 inches long, more or less. The inner perforated receptical, five
feet high, more or less. The outer one about five feet six inches, and the two
"intermediate partitions, about the same. To save trouble, I would use a cloth, or
double bag, instead of having the units triple, one for coarse sand, one for fine
filtering material, and the other for coarse sand again. With the cloth, or double
bag, to hold the fine filtering material, one compartment, would be sufficient, The
size of the unit round, would be about 3 feet more or less, the inner compartment,
eighteen inches round; I do not. bind myself to size in any way. These units,
would be unlimited in number. They would stand about six inches above the roof
of the filtered water receptical below, or diaphragm, or floor, as it may be called.
These units, would be placed, nearly close together, and partitioned off into com-
partitions, to suit any number of workmen, that they, may be regularly imployed,
taking away and replacing, the fresh filled units. These units would not be
perforated quite to the top, and would have a cover, not perforated, so that
sediment would not rest on the filtering material, and would fall to the floor. A
filter of this construction, one acre in size, would filter, as much water, as twenty
acres, arranged in the ordinary way. Besides the advantage, of not filtering
through the sediment, & facility of frequent, changes.
For filtering sewage, I should, in the first place have circular recepticals, or
chambers, with shaft, at top, in the centre, with grate at top of it, to hold burning
coke or charcoal, when the chamber was being filled. These recepticals should hold
about twenty four hours sewage, or not less than twelve hours sewage, and there
should be not less than three .or six in number. These chambers would have
several openings on the top, to introduce the disinfectants, or precipitants, and
might be as high, or nearly, as the shafts, at ordinary pumping stations. And
constructed, preferably, of iron, bolted, or rivited together, and so constructed, to
be able to acertain, the state of the sediment, and how_dense, and whether, fit for
Pasion S11

page_text: drawing off. And how far down the contents was clear, and fit for drawing off,
for the filtering compartments, which would be the same, as those for filtering
water, with the exception, of being, rather coarser, and cheaper, and the material,
for purifying, less important. The filling of the chamber would be from the
centre, part of the way up, The drawing off would be from the side, at several
heights, as the deposit settled. The sediment would be drawn off, into sacks, or
sugar bags, and pressed, and dried, in the sun, in summer, and in the winter, baked.
The filters would be better closed, and the filtered sewer water, let into the river,
on top of the water, as the tide receds.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. ·
JOHN CARTER, Agent 66 Beaufort Street Chelsea London S.W. do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for FILTERING AND TREATING SEWAGE and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 'to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Prior to 'filtering water containing much sewage, I have the liquid pumped
into a circular receptical which I will call a sewage meter, as shown in
drawing A 1, having a pipe in its centre to conduct the liquid to the top,
when the sowage meter is more than half full, 2 until half full, the liquid is
allowed to enter at the bottom, through openings constructed at the base of the
pipe 3, which are closed by floats and levers, 4 and also opened by the same device,
when the sewage-meter is being emptied; at the top of the pipe is a circular
cap 5, which throws the liquid on to a circular scrubber, or mixer 6, above the pipe
is a shaft to convey the smell upwards 7, around the shaft are many flaps or doors,
which open inwards, being hung or hinged on from the outside 8, so that they
will close the moment anything is thrown through on to the scrubber or mixer, on
the roof of the sewage meter is a circle fenced in to prepare the disinfectants or
precipitants in 9, which should be roofed over in very large sewage meters,' the
sewage meter is constructed much like a gas meter, only supported from the inside,
the floor is constructed sloping from the centre to the sides, round which there is
'a ditch, sloping each way to the sediment outlets 10, which should be about 20 feet
apart in large sewage meters;' a little above the sediment ditch is the lower outlet
to the filters 11 & 12 is the upper outlet to the filters; the sewage on entering at
the base of the inlet is discharged into a pit 13, which regulates its velocity in
driving the sediment to the sides; I have one or two pockets for furnaces with
fews 14, 14 running up inside the sewage meter to keep the sewage from 'freezing
in extremely cold climates, also several plates secured with bolts for taking out, in
'case of repairs, or cleaning out 15. The sewage meter should have a shed round

page_text: it to cover the drying pans & for stores, cooperage, sackmaking &c, 25 feet, wide.
The precipitants &c will be raised to the top of the sewage meter by any of the
modern appliances in accordance to its size.
The drawing off the sediment, from the outlets, drawing B 16 which must be
done before the whole of the liquid is drawn off, the quantity of liquid left in the
sewage meter to drive out the deposit, must be in accordance with the strength of
the outlet sacks; while the precipit is dense enough, the sacks will only be used as
conduits to the drying pans, when thin, the sacks will be closed at the nosle 17,
and the sediment retained, during the time the liquid is being squeezed out 18, to
return to the sewage meter again. The sacks are fixed on to the outlets by means
of cord or wire, and are on an incline, supported by a shallow trough, which reaches
nearly to the drying pans. The nosle of the sacks are drawn together by three
chains or cords, and drawn together the same as a bag, with two strings. The
chains are retained in their place by treble dees, which are sewn onto the sacks
at regular intervals, leaving a plait or two to fill up the centre; the chains
could be drawn by a double screw which would pull the chains both ways at once.
When loosened, the sediment will be forced into the the drying pans. The sacks
are made with rods running the whole length, and fastened thereto by long staples,
from the inside, and on the rods, at the outside, are treble dees, to keep the cords
or chains in their place, and prevent the sack from wearing out, the cords or
chains are drawn by weights 19 which squeeze out the liquid and help to expel
the sediment. The sediment pans are about ten feet wide by twenty feet long
and two feet deep 20, having pipe flews, passing the entire length, right through
the midst of the sediment, & raised about six inches from the bottom. The
drying pans should be placed as low as possible, so that the sediment outlet posts
might be kept as near the bottom of the sewage ditch as possible.
1
For filtering I have perforated triple circular recepticles, which I will call units,
for the filtering material, and an inner space in the centre in which is a pipe,
which is also perforated, to convey the filtered liquid to the reservoirs below,
drawing C 21 this pipe fits into a socket, which is secured to the floor of the
filter, and has a screw at its base with nut, or a graduated pin passed through to
prevent its rising when the filter is suddenly filled, and the contents are light & dry.
The base of the unit is a tray with circular partitions, and is cast on to the
pipe, the body of the unit is in two halves, as shewn in section drawing, which
is constructed for complete immersion,' and has a circular weight at top 22 and a
screw cap with eye to raise it, for taking out for refilling, and also to retain the
three covers in their place. The closed unit is not for completo immersion, has
weights at the top, and with the exception of the one cover instead of three
covers is the same. The perforations or splits or mouths the under part being
slightly pressed in to prevent anything lodging on them. The outer compartment
is for course material, the inner for fine and the middle for the finest filtering
material. These units would be unlimited in number, and be in compartitions, so
that a portion could be removed at a time, in large filters I should have tramways
laid down for the passage of trucks, with small crane, to lift the units out, and
drop them into corresponding holes in the truck, the tramway to be so arranged as
to let the truck run out of the filter to the filling sheds. I have used a cloth, or
double bag, and one compartment for the fine filtering material, but I prefer the
three compartments, as described. The size of the units would according to
requirement, and would stand about six inches above the floor, and would be
placed nearly close together, except where the liquid comes into the filter,
Drawing B & D 23 shows the floor of a filter with the sockets fixed therein.
Having described the construction of my patent, I will give the precipitants
I use, and the filtering material. I take the ashes as collected by the dustmen
from dwellings, and I seperate it by sifting, first the large pieces, and then the
small, and thirdly the dust.
For precipitating sewage, I use stone lime slacked before using; Burned alum
or alum desolved before throwing onto the scrubber, and the fine dust from the

page_text: ashes: the precipitation takes place at once. The throwing in onto the scrubber
only commences, when the sewage meter is more than half full. For filtering
sewage water after precipitation, I take the small pieces of the ashes for my course
material & the dust for my fine filtering material. For filtering water for potable
purposes, I take sea sand and fine granulated wood carbon for my course filtering
material, and finer sand & carbon for my fine filtering material. For my furnaces
I take the large pieces of dust, and the small pieces that have been used in the
units, the fine portion from the units might be mixed with the manure in the
drying pans.
Having now particularly described and acertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. 2. 3. & 4. The construction of sewage meter, with its inlet & outlets, and
pump saving aperatus.
:
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. The construction of outlet sacks, with the squeezeing arrangement,
The units. The filtering beds. The circular scrubber & the drying pans.
11. 12. & 13. The manner of manipulating. The ingredients for precipitating
the sewage. And the mode of filtering with ashes, sand & carbon.
Dated this 98th day of Annil 100%