IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING AND TRAPPING SEWERS AND FOR AFFORDING ACCESS THERETO
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jesse Hildred, of Batley, in the County of
York, Borough Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING AND TRAPPING SEWERS AND FOR AFFORDING
ACCESS THERETO."
Sealed the 29th August 1871, and dated the 4th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jesse Hildred at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1871.
I, JESSE HILDRED, of Batley, in' the County of York, Borough
Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING AND TRAPPING SEWERS AND FOR
AFFORDING ACCESS THERETO," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar combination of ventilator and
trap for sewers with a man-hole cover and grating, and consists in
combining a ventilating charcoal tray or receptacle for other oxidizing
substance with the trap through which latter the surface water falls,
the said tray or receptacle and trap being separated by a partition or

page_text: diaphragm extending nearly but not quite up to the man-hole cover;
that portion of the cover which is over the tray or receptacle for
the charcoal or other oxidizing agent on the ventilating side of the
diaphragm is made solid, whilst the other half or portion which is over
the trap is in the form of an open grating for the free descent of the
surface water through it into the trap. In place of the partition and
diaphragm a tube may be arranged to pass through the centre of the
tray, and the tray may be made separate from the trap, or the tray
and trap may be combined together in one box, which in both cases
is provided with an outer lip or flange round its upper edge which
rests upon an internal lip or flange in the frame of the man-hole cover
and forms a sealed joint therewith in a manner well understood, thus
by lifting out this box bodily free access may be gained at any time
directly into the sewer. The man-hole cover may be of any desired
shape, and may open on a hinge or be made to lift bodily out of its
frame or socket.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jesse Hildred in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JESSE
HILDRED, of Batley, in the County of York, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the 34th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jesse Hildred, Her special license that I, the
said Jesse Hildred, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Jesse Hildred, my executors, administrators, or
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 APPARATUS FOR
VENTILATING AND TRAPPING SEWERS AND FOR AFFORDING ACCESS THERETO," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jesse Hildred, my

page_text: executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jesse Hildred, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
My said Invention relates to a peculiar combination of ventilator
and trap for sewers with a man-hole cover and grating, whereby perfect
ventilation is assured and free access is afforded at any time to the
sewer.
The improvement consists in combining a ventilating tray or receptacle
for charcoal or other oxidizing substance with the trap, through which
the surface water falls, the said tray or receptacle and trap being readily
removeable, and being separated by a partition or diaphragm extending
nearly, but not quite up to the man-hole cover. That portion of the
cover which is over the tray or receptacle for the charcoal or other
oxidizing agent on the ventilating side of the diaphragm is made solid
whilst the other half or portion which is over the trap is in the form
of an open grating for the free descent of the surface water through
it into the trap. In place of the said transverse partition or diaphragm
a tube may be arranged to pass through the centre of the trap, and
the tray be made separate from the trap, or the tray and trap may be
combined together in one box, which box is, in both cases, provided with
an outer lip or flange round its upper edge which rests upon an internal
lip or flange in the frame of the man-hole cover and forms a sealed
joint therewith in a manner well understood. Thus by lifting out this
box and tray bodily free access may be gained at any time directly into
the sewer. The man-hole cover may be of any desired shape and may
open on a hinge or be made to lift bodily out of its frame or socket.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of

page_text: Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts,
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a vertical section of one arrange-
ment of my improved combined removeable ventilator and trap for
sewers, and Figure 2 is a plan of the combined man-hole cover and
grating for the same.
A is a rectangular or other shaped box which is suspended within
the ventilating shaft B of the sewer by an external flange a which rests
in and forms a sealed joint with the corresponding trough-shaped pro-
jection 6 formed on or attached to the inner sides of the man-hole
frame C. This box may be either of cast or wrought iron or other
suitable material, as shewn in Figure 1 and combines within itself the
receptacle D for containing charcoal or -other-oxidizing agent and the
trap E, the transverse partition or diaphragm F of which serves to
separate the receptacle D from the said trap and extends nearly up.
to the under side of the manhole cover G. This partition is so situate
as to effectually prevent all access of the surface water to the charcoal or
other oxidizing agent at D whilst passing through the grating in the
cover direct through the trap E. For this purpose the solid portion of
the man-hole cover should extend a little over or beyond the upper lip
of the partition or diaphragm F. The man-hole cover G may be fitted
in any convenient or well-known manner into the frame C, so as to be
capable of being readily opened at any time, and the box A with the
trap E and receptacle D for oxidizing agents may be lifted bodily out
of the ventilating shaft B, so as to afford direct access to the sewer.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of another modification of my
improved combined removeable ventilator and trap for sewers, and
Figure 4 is a plan of the combined man-hole cover and grating. In this
arrangement the tray or receptacle D for the charcoal or other oxi-
dizing agent is detachable or removeable from the box A which forms
the trap, an internal ledge c cast in the said box A serving as the
support for the tray or receptacle D. In lieu of the transverse diaphragm
or partition Fa central pipe F" is employed cast in one with or secured
to the receptacle D; such pipe being sealed by dipping at its lower end
into the water in the trap E. In order to preserve the oxidizing
material which surrounds the pipe F from wet the exterior portions
of the man-hole cover G are made solid, the central part alone being
perforated (see Figure 4), to allow of the passage into the sewer of the

page_text: surface water. In order to prevent such water gaining access to the
charcoal or other oxidizing agent a funnel mouth H is cast on or
secured to the under side of the manhole cover G, which funnel mouth
directs the down flowing water direct into the upper expanded mouth
of the sealed pipe F. One or more lateral openings d are formed in the
side of the removeable box A for the escape of the gases from the
entrance of the water into the sewer. When the oxidizing material
in the tray D requires to be renewed the tray can be readily removed
without disturbing the box A, but when access to the same is required
then the box A is to be lifted out along with the tray D. In both
arrangements, of course, the bottom of the tray or receptacle D con-
taining the charcoal or other oxidizing agents is perforated or made.
of wire guaze so as to allow the sewer gas to penetrate the oxidizing
agent as is well understood.
The box A in Figure 3 is represented as of cast iron of a cylindrical
shape with a rounded bottom, but I sometimes propose to make it
of wrought iron or other suitable material with a flat or other shaped
bottom.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I con-
sider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
construction and use of combined ventilating and trapping apparatus
for sewers wherein the tray or receptacle for the charcoal or other
oxidizing agent and the trap are both removeable, so as to afford
ready access to the sewer when required, substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jesse Hildred, have to this my
Specification set my hand and scal, this Twenty-seventh day of