IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDROMETERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDROMETERS." -A communication
from abroad by Henry Krausse, of Mayence.
Sealed the 19th April 1872, and dated the 24th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th October 1871.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDROMETERS."-A communica-
tion to me from abroad, by Henry Krausse, of Mayence, to be as
follows:-
-
This Invention consists in the employment of two pistons formed as
discs of indian-rubber cast in special moulds so that the edges may be
dovetailed to enable them to be firmly fixed in the interiors of vaulted or
lentil shaped cylinders, and the rod of one piston gives motion to ordinary
toothed wheels and hands in connection with a dial for denoting the

page_text: number of times the cylinders have been filled. For cach piston
there is a slide valve worked by the corresponding piston rod, and as
these valves are worked the water or other liquid from the inlet pipe and
valve boxes passes to the piston, the water passing first through one
passage to one side of one piston then to one side of the other piston, and
afterwards to the second side of the first piston and the second side of
the second piston, and so on, the valves opening the inlet and outlet
passages to the cylinders accordingly. As long as the water flows
alternately through the channels and cylinders the pistons are kept in
motion, and as a consequence of pushing the pistons up or down in
vaulted spaces or cylinders the pistons have by their clasticity a tendency
to go to the middle and thereby overcome the greater part of the friction
of the slide valves.
These improved hydrometers are so simple as to require no rods or
collars nor any complicated interior mechanism, the valve motions being
regulated by the movements of the pistons and their rods, the water
being measured by the cylinders in which the pistons work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patont Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Thomas
Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for “IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDROMETERS," communicated to me from abroad by
Henry Kraussée, of Mayence, upon the condition, amongst others, that I,
the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing. under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
:-
This Invention communicated to me relates to a new system of
hydrometers, patented nearly in all States, obtained at Bruxelles the first
prize among a concurrence of 35 different constructions. The principal
advantages of this meter are:-
1stly. That it has an extraordinary great power.
2ndly. That the water flowing through it cannot destroy the pressure
in the slightest degree, so that for instance no matter if low or high
pressure the jets of two pipes, the one fixed on the inlet the other on the
outlet of the meter, must have one and the same lovel, as well as two
manometers fixed in the same way must indicate one and the same
water line.
3rdly. That by high pressure impacts produced by opening quickly
the cock or sluice are of no disadvantageous consequences.
4thly. That inexact registering cannot occur.
5thly. That no filtered water is required by low pressure, only a dirt
box which is very handy and does not want to be taken off on clearing it.
6thly. That hot water can be measured till 65 degrees " Réaumur,” it
only requires a different adjustment of the condensations.
7thly. That on account of its strong and solid construction it does not
require any repair, excepted that after a certain time the five rings of the
meter which are easily dismounted and fitted up again want to be
cleaned

page_text: This Invention is represented in the accompanying Drawings, in which
the 2 caoutchouc plates A and A', Fig. 2, represent the pistons,
which are in direct communication with the sliders and cause the motion
of the counter. The caoutchouc plates are of first quality, Para, and
melted in especial moulds. The plates are squeezed between the relative.
rings, and their borders being in the shape of dovetails can by no means
get out of the rings. B and B' represent the piston rods; C and C¹ the
sliders; D and D' the slider guides; E and E¹ the noses which are fitted
in the sliders; F and F' the support of the sliders serving at the same
time as dirt box.
.
The Drawing shows by the position of the sliders and pistons that the
water enters in the channel G, Fig. 2, from which it flows in the slider
boxes H and H', reaches afterwards into the channel 1, blue, and then
presses plate A forward; the slider fixed on A opens the channel 2,
yellow, and presses the plate backward; channel 1, blue, is then closed,
and channel 3, red, opened; the water in the lenticular room J passes
under the slider C, Fig. 3, and flows in the outlet channel K; the water
now runs in the channel 3, red, presses plate A forward, draws with
slider C, closes channel 2, yellow, but opens channel 4, green; and
channel 1, blue, is then opened and channel 3, red, closed.
It is easily understood that the motion of the plates will only remain
as long as the water flows in the channels 1, 2, 3, 4, Figure II., VII., V.,
in the contrary case the plates lay on the one or the other side of the
chamber.
The vaulted-in squeezed plates cannot be stretched by the pressure of
the water being stowed till they passed the centre of the lenticular room,
by which means they are pressed to and fro so that they can never presse,
that is to say stop in the midst of the chamber as Fig. 2 shows, and in
regard to the caoutchouc not at all diminishing its elasticity by laying
permanently in water, they reduce a good deal the friction of the sliders
too. It has been proved by experience after three years service of plates
of that kind that the flexibility of the plates did not suffer in the slightest
degree. It is known that caoutchouc of first quality, Para, only
hardens when variously exposed to water and air.
This meter besides its simple construction has the great advantage
that it has no stuffing box or inter-mechanism, the motion of the sliders

page_text: being directly caused by the pistons. The slider plains are the only and
solely mechanism used for shutting the plates.
The water is measured by the lenticular room which the plates
describe on their moving to and fro. Counter L over the front side of
the outlet channel exactly indicates the piston strokes which turn the
dial from the right to the left.
By 1,000 liters, a whole
An entire revolution of
When therefore the hand c
When the dial of a ½ inch meter passes one line of the scale under
the fixed border hand a it registers ten litres.
revolution the great hand 6 moves from 0 to 1.
hand moves the small hand c from 0 to 1.
makes one hand 6 ten or the dial a thousand revolutions, one million
litres are registered. The counter of the meter consequently will only
run off in one year by a daily consumption of 2,800 litres.
The dials of %, and 1 inch meters multiply the motion of the small
hand c transferring them to two further scales, so that one revolution of
this hand moves hand d from 0 to 1, and one revolution of hand d is
marked by the motion of hand e. The counter consequently runs off by
hundred million litres.
The dials of 1 and 2 inch meters are larger and register from one
line of the scale to the other hundred litres. One revolution of hand c
indicates thousand million litres of delivered water. This meter will be
satisfactory for the most extended measurings. The scale can easily be
changed into gallons-eleven gallons are equal to fifty litres.

page_text: This apparatus allowing the measuring of water and other liquidities is
of an extraordinary great power, and referring to the preceeding it is
thought that this meter giving full satisfaction to all pretences will
entirely supply the sensible lack which reigned for a long time in the
hydraulical sphere.
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the
manner of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details above enumerated, as these
may obviously be modified without departing from the principle of the
said Invention; but what I claim is an hydrometer constructed in the
manner as above described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
C. L. SIERMOSKI.
E. T. HUGHES. (L.S.)