IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MEANS OF RAISING WATER
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Antoine Pothetos, Medical Doctor, of the Island
of Naxos, in the Kingdom of Grecce, but at present of No. 6,
Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MEANS
OF RAISING WATER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Pothetos at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd November 1875.
I, ANTOINE POTHETOS, Medical Doctor, of the Island of Naxos, in the
5 Kingdom of Greece, but at present of No. 6, Southampton Buildings,
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE
MEANS OF RAISING WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to hydraulic apparatus for raising water in

page_text: large quantities by the effect of a slight force, the water thus raised to
be then applied to various uses, as example, water may be lifted by it
from ponds, wells, canals, or marshes, and utilized for watering lands
situated at a higher level than that from which the water is drawn, or
for supplying towns and villages more or less elevated, or for feeding or
filling canals, for conveying sea water to distant villages for use as sea
baths, or for storing it in large reservoirs. It may also be used in feeding
boilers of steam engines, for creating artificial falls for use as motors for
corn, saw, and other mills, for driving threshing and other machines,
or for draining water from damaged ships or vessels.
The principal feature of the Invention consists in the action of a cup
chain, which to facilitate ascension is made to pass over a series of
drums in such a manner as to form a screw, the object of such arrange-
ment being to cause the greater part of the weight of the raised water
to be borne on the axes of the drums, so that all the force that is 1
required is merely that which is necessary for the traction of the
chain.
In ordinary chain pumps the weight of the raised water acts directly
and tangentially on the drawing or driving drum, whilst in the present
case this drum only bears the strain consequent on the conveyance of
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Antoine Pothetos in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTOINE 25
POTHETOS, Medical Doctor, of the Island of Naxos, in the Kingdom of
Greece, but at present of No. 6, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the 30
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the

page_text: thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Antoine Pothetos, Her special licence
that I, the said Antoine Pothetos, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Antoine Pothetos, 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 APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE MEANS OF RAISING WATER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Antoine Pothetos,
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 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 Antoine Pothetos, 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:
This Invention relates to hydraulic apparatus for raising water in
large quantities by the effect of a slight force, the water thus raised to
be then applied to various uses, as example, water may be lifted by it
from ponds, wells, canals, or marshes and utilized for watering lands
situated at a higher level than that from which water is drawn, or
for supplying towns and villages more or less elevated, or for feeding or
filling canals for conveying sea water to distant villages for use as sea
baths, or for storing it in large reservoirs. It may also be used for
feeding boilers of steam engines, for creating artificial falls for use as
motors for corn, saw, and other mills, for driving threshing machines, or
other machinery for drawing and draining water from damaged vessels
or ships.
The principal feature of the Invention consists in the action of a cup
chain, which to facilitate ascension is made to pass over a series of
drums in such a manner as to form a screw O in a helicoidal foun 41

page_text: object of such arrangement being to cause the greater part of the weight
of the raised water to be borne on the axes of the drums, so that all
the force that is required is merely that which is necessary for the
traction of the chain.
In ordinary chain pumps the weight of the raised water acts directly
and tangentially on the drawing or driving drum, whilst in the present
case this drum only bears the strain consequent on the conveyance of
the chain:
In Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings a side view of the apparatus
is shown; and in Figure 2, a front view. In these Drawings a double
series of cups are shown, but a single set may be employed as exigences
may require, the object of employing two being to augment the effect.
The axes a of the drums 6 are supported in the frame c; the upper
and lower drums b¹ are of a larger diameter than the intermediate
ones ; a space is made or left between the drums sufficient to accom-
modate the cups & and admit of their free passage over and between the
sides of the drums; the cups d are connected to the chains e so as to
admit of their pivoting on their axes f; each drum is furnished with an
outer rim g for the passage of the chains e; the upper ones are supplied
with notches on the upper edges to receive the axes of the cups in their
ascent or descent; these notches are equidistant and establish the tem-
porary solidarity of the axes of the cups and drums in their passage.
The apparatus is worked by a screw thread h and wheel i actuated
by any suitable mechanism. In the Drawings the machine is represent
as driven from the top drum, but it may with advantage be also worked
from the centre. This is easily effected by lengthening the shaft of the
screw thread and fixing the screw wheel to one of the centre drums.
The upper drum b¹ is provided with a number of rods passing from one
side of the drum to the other within the recess formed by the rising
sides. These rods are equidistant and their object is to cant the cups
as they pass over the top and discharge their contents into a trough k
placed in front and beneath the upper drum, from whence it is con-
ducted to any desired point, as herein-before explained.
The descending or empty cups and chains extend from the unner to

page_text: filled ones on the contrary pass from one drum to the other forming an
undulated line. So as to obtain the greatest circumferential contact the
drums are arranged as close together as possible.
In order to allow of the trough k being as large as possible a space is
left between the upper drum and the first intermediate one by con-
ducting the cup chain over a drum in rear of the others.
Instead of producing the canting of the cups by their contact with
the bars above alluded to the same effect may be produced by reducing
the cylindrical part of the upper drum and in place of the bars sub-
stituting projections at regulated intervals. By this means the discharge
of the cups may be effected outside the frame of the machine and in
front thereof instead of as the Drawings represent.
An accelerated speed and a minimum working power may be effected
by placing an overshot water wheel on one of the axes of the lower
intermediate drums, actuated by conducting water from the reservoir or
trough k to it by means of a pipe fixed beneath the trough and reaching
above the wheel.
The action of the machine is as follows:-Supposing the apparatus
placed in water below the surface of the earth, on turning the handles m
the pegs of the wheel n engage in the lantern wheel o and motion is
communicated to the screw-thread shaft h which actuates the wheel i
fixed on the axis of the upper drum 6¹; this sets the cup chain in
motion, and the immersed cups commence to ascend by passing over the
intermediate drums b, and on reaching the top drum they are canted
on coming in contact with the bars or projections, as described, and
discharge their contents into the trough %, whence the water is utilized
as desired.
Although here described as intended more especially for raising water
the machine can be used for dredging purposes or for raising minerals,
or for descending building materials, and so forth.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the method
herein described of causing the cup chain to pass helically over the
respective drums so that each drum bears a proportional part of the

page_text: the filled cups, whilst the descent of the empty ones without a like
support assists and facilitates the effort necessary for working the
machine, which is thus reduced to a minimum.
In witness whereof, I, the said Antoine Pothetos, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
A. C. HENDERSON,
6, Southampton Buildings.
DR. A. POTHETOS. (L.S.)