IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR TREATING SEWAGE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Towle, of the Town and County of Oxford,
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace of the City of Oxford,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR
TREATING SEWAGE."
Sealed the 20th February 1874, and dated the 15th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Towle at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1873.
I, JOHN TOWLE, of the Town and County of Oxford, one of Her
Majesty's Justices of the Peace of the City of Oxford, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS
EMPLOYED FOR TREATING SEWAGE," to be as follows:-
1
My Invention which relates to improvements in the means employed
for treating sewage consists in filtering the liquid sewage through beds.
of town refuse contained in pits or receivers having perforated floors, and
placed over a pumping well or receptacle for the filtered sewage.
In carrying out my Invention the towns should be mainly sewered
with pipes by which the sewage is conducted into, say, two such pits or
receivers, capacious enough to receive the whole refuse of the town.

page_text: during, say 24 hours, and sufficiently deep to afford a considerable
thickness of refuse for the sewage to percolate through. The two pits
or receivers are provided with perforated floors as before mentioned, but
it is not absolutely necessary that the pumping well should be directly
under the receivers so long as the under chamber can discharge its
contents by pipe communication to the pumping well. These chambers
are filled and emptied alternately, and are constructed at such a level as
to allow the outfall pipes to thoroughly empty themselves over the top
of this compost. I pump the sewage when filtered into a tank placed
at a sufficient height to convey the contents where desirable by means
of pipes to which suitable hose and stand pipes can be attached for
distributing the sewage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Towle in the Great Seal Patent Office of
on the 3rd March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TOWLE, of the Town and County of Oxford, one of Her Majesty's
Justices of the Peace of the City of Oxford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Towle, Her special
license that I, the said John Towle, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Towle, 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 Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR TREATING SEWAGE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Towle, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Towle, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention which relates to improvements in the means employed
for treating sewage consists in filtering the liquid sewage through beds
of town refuse contained in pits or receivers having perforated floors,
and placed over a pumping well or receptacle for the filtered sewage.
In carrying out my Invention the town should be mainly sewered
with pipes by which the sewage is conducted into, say, two such pits at
least, but not confined to any number, or receivers capacious enough to
receive the whole refuse of the town during, say 24 hours, and suffi-
ciently deep to afford a considerable thickness of refuse for the sewage
to percolate through. The said pits or receivers are provided with
perforated floors as before mentioned, but it is not absolutely necessary
that the pumping well should be directly under the receivers so long as
the under chamber can discharge its contents by pipe communication
to the pumping well. These receivers or upper chambers are filled and
emptied alternately, and are constructed at such a level as to allow the
outfall pipes to thoroughly empty themselves over the top of this
compost. I pump the sewage when filtered into a tank placed at a
sufficient height to convey the contents where desirable by means of
pipes laid on the siphon principle, to which suitable hose and stand pipes
can be attached for distributing the sewage, similar to taps in a main
for watering the streets or dousing a fire.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Towle, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
JOHN TOWLE. (L.S.)