IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRY AND WATER CLOSETS, AND OF APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Francis Thomas Bond at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
29th September 1874.
I, FRANCIS THOMAS BOND, M.D., of Gloucester, in the County of
Gloucester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRY AND WATER CLOSETS, AND OF
APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
:-
In regard to water closets, I have in the Specification of a previous
Patent described the nature of my improved distributor for supplying
ashes or disinfecting materials to dry closets. I now propose to apply
the same apparatus for the purpose of supplying disinfecting and
deodorising materials to water closets. For this purpose I attach the
distributor constructed generally after the mode described in the aforesaid
Specification, but without any sifter in it, to the upper surface of the seat
of the closet, the channel leading from the interior of the apparatus to
the aperture on its under surface being so adjusted in size as to discharge
as much of the disinfecting material into the pan of the closet as may he
thought requisite. In this way every time that the distributor is raised

page_text: and replaced a charge of disinfecting material is sent into the pan, and
thence when the water is let out into the pipe connected therewith.
;
In regard to dry closets, as it is sometimes considered undesirable to
introduce an ash distributor into the interior of a closet on account of the
dust and dirt which may be left upon the seat, I have designed the
following form of distributor for attachment to the outside of a closet,
the nature of which will be understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings-A is a wooden case or chamber consisting of two sides, a roof
which slopes downwards and forwards, and a floor which slopes in the
opposite direction, behind and in front it is open. In this chamber is
suspended a cradle B by means of an iron rod E, which passes through
holes made in the sides of the cradle and of the chamber for that purpose.
The cradle is closed at the sides and has a floor of wire gauze or
perforated metal to act as a sifter. The front of the cradle is open, with
the exception of cross bars at the bottom and top, for the purpose of
strengthening it, to the latter of which is attached a handle for agitating
the cradle. The back is closed except for the space of an inch or two
along the bottom. On the floor of the chamber is placed a board which
acts as a distributor, and which corresponds to the floor in width, and is
hinged by its upper end to the front margin of the floor. This board
projects downwards for. .a short distance beyond the floor, and to its
lower end is attached an iron rod or a piece of stout wire with a handle
at the other end. The chamber, with cradle, &c., thus made is attached
by its longest side to the outer surface of the side or back wall of the
closet, a hole having been previously made in the wall sufficiently large
to allow of the distributing board being introduced through it into the
excrement receptacle below the seat, and of its moving freely up and.
down. In doing this the end of the board should be so adjusted that it
will project an inch or two short of a line dropped from the margin of
the hole in the seat. At the same time the rod or wire attached to the.
end of the distributing board is carried up through the seat, so that by.
raising it the board may be shaken.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-A charge of ashes and
cinders is introduced into the front aperture of the cradle, which is then
agitated for a short time until the ashes have passed through the
perforated bottom on to the distributing board beneath. On this, if it is
hinged at a proper slope, they will lic until the board is shaken by the
handle attached to the other end. By pulling the cradle forwards and

page_text: upwards, the aperture on the back part is brought just outside the front
margin of the floor of the chamber, and the cinders fall out of it into a
vessel which may be placed beneath for the purpose of receiving them.
By lifting the handle attached to the distributing board inside the closet
the ashes are shaken off upon the excrement in the receptacle.
In constructing my improved dry closet I also avail myself of an
improved form of separator for the purpose of preventing the urine and
the fæces from mixing with one another, in order to prevent their
decomposition, and to facilitate the cleansing of the receptacle.
My improved separator consists of two curved metallic plates, so united
to one another that one acts as a guard preventing the urine of males
from impinging upon the riser of the seat, and directing it downwards to
an aperture at its base; the other, which is fixed nearly horizontally in
position, serves to direct the urine of females forwards towards the same
aperture. To the upper surface of this latter plate a piece of perforated
metal is attached in such a way as to prevent the fæces of children from
dropping into the separator, and to throw them back into the
excrement receptacle.