IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, of the Firm of J.
Brandt and G. W. v. Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS."
A communication from Doctor David Meerowitz and Nicolaus Gubieff,
Engineer, both of St. Petersburg, Russia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von
Nawrocki at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th March
1879.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, of the Firm of J. Brandt and G. W. v.
Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Patent Agents. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATER CLOSETS." (A communication from Doctor David Meerowitz
and Nicolaus Gubieff, Engineer, both of St. Petersburgh, Russia.)
In apparatus constructed according to this Invention the disinfection of the foeces
and urine takes place at once, and even while the apparatus is being emptied, so
that an oxydation of the soil by admission of the air cannot happen. Only thereby
is it possible to render the evacuations from persons infected with noxious diseases
harmless, and thus prevent the spreading of iniasmatic diseases. The disinfection
is perfectly regular and can always be controlled. With some attention and care
no water need be used, as the urine and the disinfecting fluid suffice for the rinsing
of the pan. If the apparatus for convenience sake is used with water the quantity
of same is very small compared with that ordinarily used, for in this apparatus the
water only serves to rinse the pan and not to prevent egress of the illsmelling
gases, for, because of the immediate disinfection, there is scarcely any bad smell in
the cesspool, and a water lute at the lower opening of the pan prevents the rising
of gases into the closet, and also the entry of draught or cold air.
The apparatus may be connected to a water supply direct, and the disinfecting
appliance may be set to work by connection with the closet door.
I will now describe various modifications or arrangements of these apparatus.
The basin is, by means of metal straps or brackets, fastened to the seat, and has
a pan below, which can turn on a fulcrum pin, and is kept closed by a counter-
weight on a lever fastened to the pan; this counterweight rests on a fixed arm and

page_text: has on one side two teeth and on the other a stud. The fixed arm carries a double
armed lever fitted on one end with a tumbler turning on a pin. When the
counterweight is raised by lever and rod connected to the pull lever, the teeth on
the counterweight turn up the tumbler without moving the lever on which it is
placed; but when the teeth have passed the tumbler and the latter has come into
its original position, and when the pull lever has been let go again, the counter-
weight will, with its teeth, rest on the tumbler and press its lever down; its other
end will thereby rise, push against a buffer or block, and open a valve admitting
disinfecting fluid from a reservoir through the pipe into the basin. Simultaneously
the stud on the counterweight would, while the counterweight was being raised,
actuate a lever serving to push against another buffer or block, and open a valve
for admitting water from a reservoir or the water main through the pipe to the
basin.
As only very little fluid is needed for the disinfecting each time, the valve need
only be opened very little; this valve, as well as the water valve, closed by their
own weight and by the hydrostatic weight thereon.
Instead of raising the weight by the lever connection described, it may be raised
by a pulling rod direct or by the closet door.
Where the excrements have not to be kept long in the cesspool much disinfection
is not needed, and the disinfecting appliances may be quite omitted.
The teeth on the counter weight are in these cases omitted, and the valve is
raised by a friction roller on the lever gearing with the stud on the counterweight
and by a rod. The valve is in a glass cylinder in connection with the reservoir or
the water main. This cylinder is below provided with two pipes, one of which is
for the basin and the other for a urinal. The cylinder may be made large if
intended to rinse several urinals.
The counterweight may be raised by simple pulling rod or otherwise. By its
being raised the flap or pan at the bottom of the basin is opened, and the soil falls
into the drain or cesspool; then the lever gearing with the stud on the counter-
weight pushes with its friction roller against a buffer or block, whereby the valve
is raised and disinfecting fluid or water, or both mixed, pass into the connecting
pipe and a rim pipe in the usual manner into the basin in a tangential direction.
Or the closet may be made with door connection. The lever on the pan fulcrum
pin has a counterweight as before. The door has a bracket, which by a rod is
jointed to a lever, one end of which by a rod is connected to a bell crank lever,
the horizontal arm of which is under the lever on the pan fulcrum. When the
door is opened or closed the disinfection takes place; when the pan is closed so
much fluid remains on it as to form a lute.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th September 1879.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, of the Firm of J. Brandt and G. W. v.
Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Patent Agents. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATERCLOSETS." (A communication from Doctor David Meerowitz
and Nicolaus Gubieff, Engineer, both of St. Petersburgh, Russia.)
In apparatus constructed according to this Invention the disinfection of the fœces
and urine takes place at once, and even while the apparatus is being emptied, so
than an oxydation of the soil by admission of the air cannot happen. Only thereby
is it possible to render the evacuations from persons having noxious or infectious
diseases barinless, and thus prevent the spreading of miasmatic diseases. The dis-
infection is perfectly regular and can always be controlled. With some attention
and care no water need be used, as the urine and the disinfecting fluid suffice for
the rinsing of the pan. If the apparatus, for convenience sake, is used with water,
the quantity of same used is very small compared with that ordinarily used, for in
this apparatus the water only serves to rinse the pan, and not to prevent egress of
the illsmelling gases, for, because of the immediate disinfection, there is scarcely
any bad smell in the cesspool and still less in the closet, as a water lute at the lower
opening of the pan prevents the rising of gases into the closets and also the entry
of draught or cold air.
The apparatus may be connected to a water supply direct, and the disinfecting
appliance may be set to work by connection with the closet door.
I will now describe various modifications or arrangements of these apparatus.
Figures 1 to 3 are various views of one arrangement.
The basin A is by means of metal straps or brackets a fastened to the seat B,
and has a pan b below, which can turn on a fulcrum pin d, and is kept closed by
a counterweight i on a lever h fastened to the pan b; this counterweight rests
on a fixed arm f, and has on one side two teeth k and on the other a stud k¹;
the fixed arm f carries a double armed lever g fitted on one end with a tumbler g¹
turning on a pin. When the counterweight i is raised by lever v and rod u
connected to the pull lever t, the teeth k on the counterweight i turn up the
tumbler g without moving the lever g on which it is placed; but when the teeth
have passed the tumbler g¹ and the latter has come into its original position, see
Figure 1, and when the pull lever has been let go again, the counterweight i
will with its teeth k rest on the tumbler g' and press its lever g down; its other
end will thereby rise, push against a buffer or block n, and open a valve o, Figure 6,
admitting disinfecting fluid from a reservoir D through the pipe p into the basin A.
Simultaneously the stud k¹ on the counterweight i, see Figure 3, which is a side
view from the opposite side, would, while the counterweight was being raised,
actuate a lever serving to push against another buffer n¹ or block, and open a
valve o' for admitting water from a reservoir E, or the water main through the
pipe q to the basin.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the pull lever t is raised the weight i is thereby lifted and the pan b let
down, dropping the soil lying thereon into the cesspool. By lifting the weight the
lever is also raised, and the valve o' opened, so that the pan will be simul-
taneously rinsed with water. Instead of one pipe q, two such may be applied
for admitting water to the pan in two places, and thus effecting a better rinsing.
The pan being rinsed, the pull t is let go; the weight i descends, and its pro-
jection meets the tumbler g₁ and opens the valve o by means of the lever g, 80
that disinfecting fluid from D flows by the piper into the now closed basin A; this
fluid purifies the air in the latter and remains standing on the pan 6 until the closet
b
is used again.

page_text: As only very little fluid is needed for the disinfecting each time, the valve o
needs only to be opened very little; this valve, as well as the water valve, close by
their own weight and by the hydrostatic weight thereon.
Instead of raising the weight i by the lever connection described, it may be
raised by a pulling rod direct or by the closet door; Figures 4 and 5 shew such
a mode.
The lever vis worked from the door F through the rod w, bell crank lever 8,
connecting rod u and lever z, which latter turns on the fulcrum z¹ and is formed
with a slot for a bolt fastened on the door to work in; as the door is moved this
bolt moves the lever z and lifts the weight i.
Figure 6 is a detail view of the valve o.
Where the excrements have not to be kept long in the cesspool much disin-
fection is not needed, and the disinfecting appliances may be quite omitted ;
Figures 7 to 12 show such and arrangement, Figure 7 being a cross section, and
Figure 8 a plan.
The teeth k on the counterweight i are in these cases omitted, and the valve o is
raised by a friction roller m on the lever 7, gearing with the stud on the counter-
weight and by a rod u. The valve o is in a glass cylinder o¹ in connection with
the reservoir or the water main. This cylinder o¹ is below provided with two
.outlet pipes, one of which p is for the basin A and the other for a pissoir. The
cylinder may be made large if intended to rinse several pissoirs.
The counterweight i may be raised by simple pulling rod or otherwise. By its
being raised the flap or pan b at the bottom of the basin is opened, and the soil
falls into the drain or cesspool. Then the lever gearing with the stud on the
counter weight i pushes with its friction roller m against a buffer n or block,
whereby the valve o is raised, and disinfecting fluid or water, or both mixed, pass
into the connecting pipe p and a rim pipe q in the usual manner into the basin A
in a tangential direction and terminates at r.
Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12 show a closet made with door connection. The lever h
on the pan fulcrum pin has a counterweight as before. The door F has a bracket r,
which by a rod t is jointed to a lever 8, one end 8¹ of which, by a rod, is connected
to a bell crank lever u, the horizontal arm of which is under the lever / on the
pan fulcrum. When the door is opened or closed the disinfection takes place; when
the pan is closed, so much fluid remains on it as to form a lute.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention, I declare
that I claim,
Firstly. So constructing an automatically closing closet with disinfecting appliance
that the basin or pan is rinsed by water during the emptying of it and then disin-
fected, as set forth.
Secondly. The arrangements of closets with disinfecting appliances, substantially
as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.
Thirdly. The arrangements of automatically closing closets, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 7 to 12, whereby the pan is rinsed with clean
water or with water mixed with disinfecting substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.