IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GARDEN PUMPS, PART OF WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO FIRE ENGINES AND OTHER HYDRAULIC MACHINES."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomas Oakley and Thomas Oakley, both of
Grange Road, Bermondsey, Engineers and Millwrights, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GARDEN PUMPS, PART OF WHICH
SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO FIRE ENGINES AND OTHER HYDRAULIC
MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomas Oakley
and Thomas Oakley, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd May 1863.
We, JOHN THOMAS OAKLEY and THOMAS OAKLEY, both of Grange Road,
Bermondsey, Engineers and Millwrights, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GARDEN PUMPS, PART
OF WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO FIRE ENGINES AND OTHER
HYDRAULIC MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing garden pumps in the following
manner: Within a vessel, somewhat similar in form and size to an ordinary
pail when inverted, and to the bottom thereof we adapt a rectangular-shapel
wooden box fitted with a suitablo valve or valves, and one or more pump
barrels open at top and fitted with a piston or pistons, packed or otherwise, so
as to work water-tight. Inside the barrels the rods of these pistons are made
to work vertically by suitable handles or connected to a horizontal lever working
on a pin or fulcrum in a piece of wood fixed upright. In the aforesaid vessel
there is a loose pipe connected to the aforesaid box. The suction is within the

page_text: There
aforesaid vessel, or attached by an union to the outside of the same.
is also connected to the aforesaid box an air vessel formed of vulcanized india-
rubber or other suitable elastic material, which when the pump is in action
becomes distended by the compressed air as the water is forced therein, so that
in addition to the force of the compressed air in said air vessel we obtain and
utilize the elastic force of the distended india-rubber air vessel aforesaid, which
materially increases the power of the pump, secures a velocity of flow, and
forces a column of water to a greater height than when the air vessel is made
of metal, as heretofore practised in the construction of force pumps; and wo
consider the above-mentioned elastic air vessel to be a novelty and a great
improvement in force pumps, especially in fire engines, and in the action of force
pumps generally. The forcing action of the garden pump is intended to be
effected by the downward action or movement of the aforesaid pistons, whereby
the vessel aforesaid containing water is kept steady, and a pump thus con-
structed requires but little exertion to work the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by tho said John Thomas Oakley and Thomas Oakley in the Groat Soal
Patent Office on the 2nd November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JoHN
THOMAS OAKLEY and THOMAS OAKLEY, both of Grange Road, Bermondsey,
Engineers and Millwrights, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Thomas Oakley and Thomas Oakley, Her special licence that
we, the said John Thomas Oakley and Thomas Oakley, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Thomas
Oakley and Thomas Oakley, our 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 "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GARDEN PUMPS, PART OF
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO FIRE ENGINES AND OTHER HYDRAULIC MACHINES,"
upon the coudition (amongst others) that we, the said John Thomas Oakley

page_text: and Thomas Oakley, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, 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 we, the said John Thomas Oakley and Thomas
Oakley, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in constructing. garden pumps in the following
manner: Within a vessel, somewhat similar in form aud sizo to an ordinary
pail when inverted, and to the bottom thereof we adapt a rectangular-shaped
wooden box fitted with a suitable valve or valves, and one or more pump
barrels open at top and fitted with a piston or pistons, packed or otherwise, so
as to work water-tight inside the barrels. The rods of these pistons are made
to work vertically by suitable handles, or may be connected to a horizontal
lever working on a pin or fulcrum in a pieco of wood fixed upright. In the
aforesaid vessel there is a hose pipe connected to the aforesaid box. Tho
suction is within the aforesaid vessel, or attached by an union to the outside of
the same.
There is also connected to the aforesaid box an air vessel formed of
vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable elastic material, which when tho
pump is in action becomes distended by the compressed air as the water is
forced therein, so that in addition to the force of tho compressed air in said air
vessel we obtain and utilize the elastic force of the distended india-rubber air
vessel aforesaid, which materially increases the power of the pump, secures a
velocity of flow, and forces a column of water to a greater height than when
the air vessel is made of metal, as heretofore practised in the construction of
force pumps; and we consider the above-mentioned elastic air vessel to be a
novelty and a great improvement in force pumps requiring an uniform flow of
water, especially in fire engines, and in the action of force pumps generally.
The forcing action of the garden pump is intended to be effected by the down-
ward action or movement of the aforesaid pistons, whereby the vessel aforesaid
containing water is kept steady, and a pump thus constructed requires but
little exertion to work the same.

page_text: through the line A, B, at Figure 2. At each of the foregoing Figures we
employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts in so far as
such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A is a wooden vessel; B, a piece of wood fixed to the bottom of said vessel;
C, D, valves fitted in holes in the piece B, as at Figures 3 and 4; E, a pump
barrel fixed in B; G, a piston fitting water-tight in E; II, a piston rod
connected by its upper end to a lever handle I, the fulcrum whereof is a pin
at a passed through a hole in the standard K fixed to the vessel A; L is a
metal tube fixed to a hole in the piece B; L', a piece of vulcanized india-
rubber tubing fixed around the tube L; bis an opening for the passage of
water into the barrel of the pump; M is an air vessel of vulcanized india-
rubber or other suitable elastic material; the bottom or neck of the vessel M
is securely fixed to a short pipe N, said pipe fitting water-tight in a hole formed
in the piece B, as at Figures 3 and 4. O is a metal guard to limit the
expansion of the vessel M, and to prevent bursting of same. The thickness of
the material of which the vessel M is formed should be in proportion to the
pressure therein, and this rule applies to the air vessels of fire engines and
other hydraulic.machines.
The operations of the above arrangements are as follows:-As the piston G
is raised, the water in the vessel A ascends and fills the barrel E; the down-
ward movement of the piston closes the valve C and forces the water through
the valve D into the air vessel M, thereby compressing the air therein, and
distending said vessel with a force proportionate to the thickness of the material
of which the vessel M is formed. Simultaneously with this filling of the vessel M,
the pipes L, L', are also filled with water, but by reason of the opening in the
rose P screwed on to the hose pipe L' being small, the water cannot escape in a
large volume, so that at cach upstroke of the piston G, the combined pressure
of the compressed air in the vessel M, and elastic material of which said vessel
is formed, serve to keep up and discharge a continuous stream of water with
less expenditure of manual labor and to a greater height than has hitherto
been effected by hydraulic machines constructed with air vessels formed of
metal.
We would here remark that in practice we have found it advisable
when great pressure is required, instead of making the vessel M of the shapo
exhibited at Figure 3 of the Drawing, to employ a pieco of vulcanized india-
rubber tubing Q, which we securely fix to a short pipe marked d at Figure 4*
inserted in the valve box B. The upper end of the tubing Q is closed by a
stopper R when water is forced into this tube; it will expand in the direction
denoted by the dotted lines.

page_text: Another form of construction of elastic or expanding air vessel is represented
at Figure 5, where S, T, mark two metal cylinders, the inner one S being
fitted water-tight and capable of sliding in the outer cylinder T; this cylinder
we fix on the valve box in place of the vessels M and Q before described.
U, U, are strong lugs or pins fixed to formed upon the cylinders S and T;
W, W, are strong rings of vulcanized india-rubber passed over said lugs or
pins, which offer resistance to the water as it is forced into the cylinders S and T,
at the same time allowing the air vessel thus formed to expand after the manner
of the vessels M and Q before described, with the advantage of being con-
siderably stronger than those vessels.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention for "Improvements in the Construction of Garden Pumps, Part of
which said Improvements are applicable to Fire Engines and other Hydraulic
Machines," together with the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, we would remark, in conclusion, that we do
not intend to limit ourselves to the precise arrangements above described and
represented, as for example, in some cases it may be desirable to employ more
than one pump barrel and valve box; the machino may also be mounted on
wheels. And we desire it to be distinctly understood that what we claim as
our Invention intended to be secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is as follows:-We claim the general combination and arrange-
ment of parts above described and represented with reference to garden pumps,
as constituting improvements in the construction thereof, and especially we claim
the vessels marked M, Q, S, T, on the Drawings for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thomas Oakley, one of the parties
hereto, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three.
JOHN THOMAS OAKLEY. (L.S.)
JOHN THOMAS OAKLEY. (L.S.)