IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING SHIPS' AND OTHER PUMPS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Blair White, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, M.D.,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING SHIPS' AND OTHER
PUMPS."
Sealed the 28th June 1859, and dated the 4th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Blair White at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th April 1859.
I, DAVID BLAIR WHITE, of Newcastle-on-Tync, M.D., do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING SHIPS AND
OTHER PUMPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in arranging ships' and
other pumps. For this purpose when it is desired to raise water or other
fluids from a lower to a higher level over an intervening obstacle of greater
clevation than the higher level of the water or other fluid, I prefer to employ
an ordinary lift pump, which has combined with it a syphon-formed outlet
pipe, which is carried up from the upper or suitable part of the barrel of the
pump over the obstacle above which the water or other fluid has to pass; and
down again so as to dip below the water or other fluid at the higher level.
By this arrangement the water or other fluid is raised to the extent only that
the difference of levels renders necessary, the outlet pipe acting as a syphon to
carry the fluid over the obstacle. When arranging ships' pumps, the barrel is,
by preference, placed near the bottom of the hold of the ship, though it may
be otherwise situated, and the outlet pipe is carried over the ship's side, and

page_text: caused to dip into the external water below the line of floatation. In this
manner a great saving of labour is effected, the water having to be lifted only
a distance corresponding with the difference of the level of the water in the
interior of the ship and that at the exterior of the ship. When desired to carry
water or other fluid from a higher to a lower level over an intervening obstacle,
the same apparatus is applicable, for by forming a syphon on opening the com-
munication between the two levels, the higher at once commences to discharge
itself into the lower; but to carry water or other fluid from a lower level on
the outer side over an intervening obstacle to a higher on the inner or pump
side, then the syphon pipo is caused to communicate by suitable valves with
the lower part of the barrel of the pump under the bucket, and the syphon
pipe is thus caused to become the inlet pipo.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Blair White in .the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
BLAIR WHITE, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, M.D., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Hor heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said David Blair White, Her special licence that I, the said David Blair
White, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said David Blair White, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ARRANGING SHIPS' AND OTHER PUMPS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that 1, the said David Blair White, my executors or administra-
tors, 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 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Blair White, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in arranging ships' and
other pumps. For this purpose when it is desired to raise water or other
fluids from a lower to a higher level over an intervening obstacle of greater
elevation than the higher level of the water or other fluid, I prefer to employ
an ordinary lift pump, which has combined with it a syphon-formed outlet
pipe, which is carried up from the upper or suitable part of the barrel of the
pump over the obstacle above which the water or other fluid has to pass, and
down again so as to dip below the water or other fluid at the higher level.
By this arrangement the water or other fluid is raised to the extent only that
the difference of levels renders necessary, the outlet pipe acting as a syphon tỏ
carry the fluid over the obstacle. When arranging ship's pumps, the barrel is,
by preference, placed near the bottom of the hold of the ship, though it may
be otherwise situated, and the outlet pipe is carried over the ship's side, and
caused to dip into the external water below the line of floatation. In this
manner a great saving of labour is effected, the water having to be lifted only
a distance corresponding with the difference of the level of the water in the
interior of the ship and that at the exterior of the ship. When desired to
carry water or other fluid from a higher to a lower level over an intervening
obstacle, the same apparatus is applicable, for by forming a syphon on opening
the communication between the two levels, the higher at once commences to
discharge itself into the lower; but to carry water or other fluid from a lower
level on the outer side over an intervening obstacle to a higher on the inner
or pump side, then the syphon pipe is caused to communicate by suitable
valves with the lower part of the barrel of the pump under the bucket, and
the syphon pipe is thus caused to become the inlet pipe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a ship's pump A, with an additional branch
I, where it is desired to have the power of running water into the ship from
the sea.
The branch L runs from above the chaniber B to the deck, or
beneath it, and then runs down either inside or outside the ship, and generally
a little below the line of floatation; but this is not essential, except when
water is to be drawn through that pipe into the ship. The parts from d¹ to e¹
are, by preference, of copper or lead. A simple valve opening outwards only
is placed at II, having a slight spring to keep it tight when the air is not

page_text: being forced out. The action is as follows:-A few strokes of the bucket
raises the water in the pump to the cross branch D, it then passes along it,
expelling the air at the valve H, which then closes. On further pumping, the
air in the downward pipe E is forced down through the pipe outside the ship.
When this has been expelled, which a few strokes effects, the action of a
syphon is obtained, and the water in the pump at once falls to the external
level, which is all the column required to be pumped. By raising the valve II
the syphon action is immediately destroyed, and the communication between
the pump and the sea at once cut off.. If wished to introduce water into the
ship, the action of a syphon is obtained, as above explained, and then the cap
M is taken off the branch L, when the water of the external sea being higher
than the branch at L, commences to flow through the pipes E, D, C, and so
continues, ceasing however at once when the syphon action is destroyed by
opening the valve at H. Figure 2 is a vertical section of a nautical pump in
its simplest form, for merely discharging water from the ship as the ordinary
pump does. Figure 3 is a vertical section of a pump with the rod working
through a packed collar. R, S, are two vessels, and by the pump liquid can
be transferred either from R to S, or from S to R. By obtaining a syphon
action as before, if wanted to discharge liquid at a higher level in one vessel to
liquid at a lower level in the other, on the communication being made it will
flow itself from S to R by taking off the cap M until the liquids aro at a
level. If from a lower to a higher level, by making a syphon and pumping
with a force equivalent to the difference between the two columns.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately; but what I claim is, the combined apparatus
herein described.
In witness whereof, I the said David Blair White, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
DAVID BLAIR WHITE. (L.S.)