IMPROVEMENTS IN VEHICLES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIQUIDS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Pearson, of Kennington Cross, in the
County of Surrey, Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VEHICLES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIQUIDS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Pearson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th June 1874.
I, THOMAS PEARSON, of Kennington Cross; in the County of Surrey,
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VEHICLES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIQUIDS AND IN APPLIANCES
CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This. Invention relates to improvements in carts, vans, and other
similar vehicles for the distribution of water and liquid manure, also to
appliances connected therewith. The objects being, firstly, to enable a
portion only of the distributor to discharge water or liquor at a time;

page_text: and 2ndly, to strain or clear the impurities and foreign matters from the
water before it enters the distributor.
The Invention consists in dividing the distributor pipes of water carts
or other vehicles for the distribution of liquids into partitions, which
may be of any convenient number, but preferably two. Into each of
these divisions or partitions of the distributor a pipe from the water cart
is led. Each of these pipes is provided with a valve and cach of these
valves is under the control of the driver of the cart, so that he is enabled
to govern the flow of liquid from the distributor to that portion of the
road which it may be necessary to moisten.
My Invention also consists in covering the valves through which the
wator flows into the partitions of the distributor, with a cap or cage of
wire gauze sufficiently high to allow the complete lifting of the valve to
produce an adequate flow of water, and which thus strains the water
passing through it and prevents the choking of the connecting pipes or
distributors with the stones, straw, or other impurities or solid matters
which the water as drawn from the hydrants usually contains.
My Invention also consists in filling the cart with water from the
front instead of at the back, and in placing a sort of screen barrier in
the vehicle with the object of preventing the approach of the stones or
impurities to the valves.
The advantages of my new form of water cart or distributor will be
obvious with the present construction of water cart when it is desired to
water a road of say 30 fect in breadth with a cart having a distributor
20 feet in length, it will be necessary to draw the cart twice over it, and
in the second passage one-half of the water flowing from the cart is
wasted, thereby causing a loss of power, water, and time, which with
my new system of cart is obviated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Pearson in the Great Seal Patent Office on 3
the 18th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Thomas
PEARSON, of Kennington Cross, in the County of Surrey, Contractor,
send greeting.

page_text: to govern the flow of liquid from the distributor to that portion of the
road which it may be necessary to moisten.
My Invention also consists in covering the valves through which the
water flows into the partitions of the distributor with a cap or cage of
wire gauze sufficiently high to allow the complete lifting of the valve to
produce an adequate flow of water, and which thus strains the water
passing through it and prevents the choking of the connecting pipes or
distributors with the stones, straw, or other impurities or solid matters
which the water as drawn from the hydrants usually contains.
My Invention also consists in filling the cart with water from the
front instead of at the back, and in placing a sort of screen barrier in the
vehicle with the object of preventing the approach of the stones or
impurities to the valves.
The advantages of my new form of water cart or van or distributor
will be obvious. With the present construction of water cart or van
when it is desired to water a road of say 30 feet in breadth with a
vehicle having a distributor 20 feet in length, it will be necessary to
draw the cart twice over it, and in the second passage one-half of tho
water flowing from the cart is wasted, thereby causing a loss of power,
water, and time, which with my new system of cart is obviated.
The manner of carrying my Invention into practice is clearly
represented in the annexed Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional
elevation of a vehicle upon four wheels, the two front wheels having the
usual locking or turning mechanism to enable the vehicle to turn
corners of streets or other places or to be turned round almost upon its
own ground; this being effected through either of the two front wheels
running under the body; Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same
vehicle; and Figure 3, a plan view.
A is the body of wood or metal; and B, B, the wheels. The after
part of the body is furnished with two outlet pipes C, C, each being
fitted with valves D, D, whose lower faces are provided with rubber
discs or rings which bear upon the top edges of the outlet pipes C, C, by
the weight of the valves when the chains E, E, are let loose by the
driver or other attendant taking his foot from the plates F, F, arranged
upon the footboard G to which the plates are hinged in the usual
manner, the chains E, E, being attached to the valves D, D, as well as to
the plates.

page_text: The valves and the top ends of the outlet pipes are protected from
grit, straws, or other impurities by cages H, H, of perforated metal or
wire gauze, so that the water passes into the pipes in the state most
suitable for delivery by the distributors J, J, at the rear of the hind
wheels, the holes in the distributors being of about the same diameter or
area as the holes or meshes of the cages H, H. The end or side
distributors have a greater number of holes in them than the centre, so
that streets or thoroughfares having the kerbs within range of the sprays
or jets of water can become moistened or watered to a greater degree
than the middle of the roadway, an arrangement of pipes or distributors
of decided advantage for watering streets whose curves are well
defined or the centres. well sprung, and on which the traffic causes a
gradual dispersion of light dust towards the sides, which therefore
require more water to be spread than upon the middle of the roadway,
which in the majority of cases is almost free from dust or dirt, and
consequently requires a mere sprinkling of water only.
In streets or other places which are of greater width than the range
of the sprays or jets from the distributors I am enabled to work the
vehicle near to the central line of the roadway, and then by opening
one valve only I can cause that portion of the way to be watered, the
largest distribution taking place at the side near to the kerb where the
largest amount of dust and dirt has accumulated; and then I run
the vehicle back upon the other half of the roadway, so that the whole
of the surface, except say a foot or so, along the centre is watered, the
central part having no dust upon it, not requiring water; it soon however
becomes damped by the wheels of other vehicles crossing or running
over it after travelling upon the wetted portions.
The distributing pipes are so arranged by a division piece K, shown
more clearly in Figure 4, that on the opening of one valve only the
water from the vehicle will flow down its outlet pipe and from thence
to its distributor, only one-half of the street or roadway being watered by
the flow, but by the driver or attendant opening both of the valves,
which he can by depressing the plates F, F, a general distribution over
the entire width of the roadway can take place.
I arrange two filling holes or apertures L, L, at the fore part of the
body of my vehicle, so that the supply to the cart or van may take
place at the front, and so that the filling may be effected from either

page_text: side of the street, according to the position of the hydrant or stand post,
without necessitating the vehicle being turned round for the purpose of
being filled as is commonly done, or of backing the vehicle to the
hydrant, as is sometimes done with vehicles having only one filling
aperture, and that one mid-distance between the two sides at the back of
the body.
My method of filling from the front part of the body has this
advantage. The stones and other solid foreign bodies which pass through
the hydrants fall to the bottom of the vehicle at that part, and in the
absence of a partition or check bar, while the vehicle is moving over
the road for the distribution, gradually roll or slide to the cages where
they only tend to obstruct the passage of the lower strata of water; but
in order to prevent this obstruction occurring I fit a partition M perforated
or not at about the centre of the body and transversely to it, as in
Figure 1, to check and hold back such solid substances against the front
face of which they accumulate, and can from time to time be easily
removed by hand or as desired, the straws and other light floating
substances being in their turn stopped from passing into the outlet pipes
by the cages H, H.
It will be seen that the valves can be lifted perfectly clear of the top
ends of the outlet pipe, and that they are guided in their up-and-down
movements by guide irons or uprights N, N, so that when permitted to
fall they drop directly upon the ends of the pipes and shut off the flow,
the tops of the valves being weighted to ensure their close connection
thereto when down.
I provide my apertures with sliding shutters P, P, and to enable the
valves or the cages to be easily got at for repairs or otherwise, I form an
opening at the back of the vehicle, the opening being large enough for a
person to pass through when its lid is removed or slid clear.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. The combination of divisional distribution pipes, valve cages,
middle partition, and front supply apertures in or to carts or vans as
herein-before described when such carts or vans are employed for dis-
tributing water upon roads, streets, or other ways, or liquid manure
upon land,

page_text: Secondly. I claim the employment of divisional water distributing
pipes and caged valves, as an improvement upon or to existing or
ordinary water carts or vans, as and for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly. I claim the employment of a central transverse partition and
front filling apertures to existing or ordinary watering carts or vans, as
and for the purposes set forth.