IMPROVED MODE OF AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMOVING FROM SEWERS AND DEALING WITH DELETERIOUS GASES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Whitley, of Roundhay, near Leeds, in
f
the County of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MODE OF AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMOVING FROM SEWERS AND DEALING WITH
DELETERIOUS GASES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Whitley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th May 1875.
I, JOSEPH WHITLEY, of Roundhay, near Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MODE OF AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMOVING FROM SEWERS AND
DEALING WITH DELETERIOUS GASES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to exhaust and purify the deleterious
gases of common sewers by the application of heat in the following
manner :-I erect a shaft in proximity to a trunk sewer, and connect by
a suitable conduit.
At a proper height from the ground line I place a

page_text: series of Bunsen's burners or other mode of caloric force to heat the
entire area of the shaft. By these means the gases in the sewers are
caused to flow to the centre of heat, and in their passage through the
flames become purified prior to their discharge into the atmosphere.
For this purpose I provide a main for the supply of carburetted hydrogen
gas, from which main I convey such gas to a series of compounding
chambers, which supply the jets or burners over the area of the shaft or
chimney, "blue "
flame being thus created. All other apertures,
whether for lighting, inspection, testing apparatus, or other purpose are
hermetically scaled, and covered with glass, mica, or other transparent
substance.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Joseph
Whitley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th November
1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WHITLEY, of Roundhay, near Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Whitley, Her
special license that I, the said Joseph Whitley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Whitley, my exccutors, 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 "IMPROVED MODE OF AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMOVING FROM
SEWERS AND DEALING WITH DELETERIOUS GASES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Whitley, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office on or before the Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Whitley, 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, and the Sheet of Drawings therein
referred to (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to exhaust and purify the deleterious
gases of common sewers by the application of heat in the following
manner: I erect a shaft in proximity to a trunk sewer, and connect
the sewer to it by a suitable conduit. At a proper height from the
ground line I place (within the shaft or outside of it, as may be most
convenient in each case) a series of Bunsen's burners or other mode of
caloric force to heat the entire area of the shaft, and to destroy the
fever germs contained in the gases of the sewer. By these means the
gases in the sewers are caused to flow to the centre of heat, and in their
passage through the flames become purified prior to their discharge into
the atmosphere. For this purpose I provide a main for the supply of
carburetted hydrogen gas, from which main I convey such gas to a
series of compounding chambers, which supply the jets or burners over
the area of the shaft or chimney, "blue" flame being thus created. All
other apertures, whether for lighting, inspection, testing apparatus, or
other purpose, are hermetically sealed and covered with glass, mica, or
other transparent substance.
Such being the nature of my said Invention I proceed to describe the
manner of carrying it into practical effect as illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings whereof,-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the general arrangement of a shaft,
and the terminus of a sewer and the burners; Fig. 2 is a plan of the
above, without pipes; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation to an enlarged scale
and Fig. 4, a sectional plan.
Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 represent sectional elevation and plan of a modified
burner arrangement.
In Figs. 1 to 4 A is a shaft; B, the terminus of a common sewer;
C, an entrance door to the sewer; D, the main gas pipe supplying E, the

page_text: system of burners; F is a circular pipe around the base of the shaft, and
serving as a reservoir, whence the burners may be amply supplied. The
gas enters through D into the tubular gas reservoir F, from which it
passes through the pipes b, b, into the mixing chambers E'; a, a, are air
holes to allow air to enter the mixing chambers E¹, and to mix with the
gas. The flame produced is of an intense heat, and ample to destroy the
fever germs generated in the sewer.
Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 relate to an arrangement similar to that already
described, but modified to work with gas of inferior quality to the
ordinary coal gas. The gas to be used may be produced in gas retorts
or gas chambers, and may be conducted directly to the shaft pipes
without undergoing the process of purification, etc.
In Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 A is the shaft; B, the sewer; D, the gas supply
pipe; G is a deflector for the flame, and is to be made of material that
will resist high temperatures; H is a protector for the bottom part of the
shaft, where the flame will be most intense, and is to be made of same
material as deflector G; I, I, are air holes to allow a constant current of
air to pass through the annular space between the shaft and the pro-
tector H; N, N, are the supports for the deflector G; K is the nozzle of
the gas pipe encased in metal, and made of a heat-resisting material;
L, L, are air holes to allow a certain quantity of air to mix with the gas
before being discharged as a flame; M is a hole in the shaft to facilitate
the lighting of the gas when the apparatus is to be put in operation.
The action of this arrangement resembles that of the arrangement shewn
in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention for an "Improved
Mode of and Arrangements for Removing from Sewers and Dealing
with Deleterious Gases," and having explained the manner of carrying
it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I am aware
various plans have been proposed for exhausting sewers and dealing
with the foul gases, but so far as I know none of the arrangements
heretofore proposed have been such as would effectually destroy the
fever germs floating in the sewer gas, and which it is the object of my
Invention to remove, and which I effect by causing the said gas to pass
through an intense heat, as herein-above described; what I consider to
be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-

page_text: The mode of and arrangements for dealing with the deleterious gases
from sewers by subjecting them to the action of intense heat in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
I also claim the combination of parts forming the improved apparatus
for removing from sewers and dealing with deleterious gases constructed,
arranged, and operating as shewn in and described with reference to
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
I also claim the arrangement of apparatus, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6,
for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.