IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID FROM FLUID FECAL MATTERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edouard Amourous, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING
SOLID FROM FLUID FECAL MATTERS."
Sealed the 19th January 1864, and dated the 28th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edouard Amourous at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th August 1868.
I, EDOUARD AMOUROUS, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID FROM FLUID FECAL MATTERS," to be as follows,.
that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the construction of an apparatus applicable to
moveable and fixed cesspools for separating the solid from the liquid portions
of fecal matters before they enter into the said cesspools or reservoirs..
The accompanying Drawing will serve to describe my Invention. a, a,, are
reservoirs or cesspools; b, cover of the cesspool, on which are fixed the casing
and conical shaped pans d, d; e, valve; f, pipe for the discharge of the liquid
matters; 9, elbow junction of the soil pipe, the bottom parte of which is
enlarged to form a casing round the conical shaped vessels; h, casing which
forms a reservoir for the running off of the liquids; i, soil pipe; j, drain pipe.
The operation which takes place in these apparatuses is as follows:-The
fecal matters entering by the soil pipe from the waterclosets separate, the
solids falling perpendicularly, and the liquids in the direction of the sides of

page_text: the pipe; when the solid reaches the bottom of the elbow pipe it falls on the
valve, which opens and closes immediately after the fecal matter has passed
through; the liquids follow the sides, of the enlarged part of the pipe, and then
descend to the interior of the casing. If a small quantity of liquid escapes
it is stopped by the valve placed over the second pan which has a narrower
opening than the first, and causes it to follow the sides, and thence into the
casing, but if a small quantity escapes through the valve it is taken up by
the third pan, which is narrower than the second, and diverts it also into the
reservoir placed outside; by this arrangement the solid portion alone falls
into the reservoir below. In the case of a strong fall of water an additional
valve should be placed above the first cone to break the fall and divert the
water. As soon as the reservoir of the portable apparatus is full it can be
replaced by another one. To prevent any unpleasant smell, a small quantity of
disinfecting powder should be thrown from time to time into the reservoir.
When a large quantity of water flows down it should pass over salts or sulphates,
which will thus help to clean the drain.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edouard Amourous in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, EDOUARD
AMOUROUS, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edouard Amourous, Her special licence that I, the said Edouard
Amourous, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edouard Amourous, 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 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID FROM FLUID FECAL MATTERS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edouard Amourous, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,

page_text: 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 Edouard Amourous, 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 follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to the.
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :—
My Invention consists in the construction of a portable apparatus for
separating instantaneously the solid from fluid fecal matters. Until now the
division of fecal matters has been effected in reservoirs by means of perforated
separators of various forms allowing the liquids to run off through the holes;
but the liquid being in contact with the solid has liquified the latter, and
carried off a portion of the fecal matter into the sewer to the detriment of the
solid matters, which would have been converted into manure. I have obviated
this defect by my improved apparatus, in which the separation takes place
before the entrance of the matters into the reservoir, the liquid part always
running off before the introduction of the solid into the reservoir, and in
which this part alone falls, and thus all fermentation is prevented. A small
quantity of disinfecting powder thrown from time to time into the reservoir
suffices to prevent the disengaging of any insalubrious emanations; even if
large quantities of liquid are thrown in they can be made to pass through
salts or sulphates, and will thus serve to wash out the sewers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 a modification of the same.
A is the reservoir; B is the cover, on which is fixed the casing H and conical-
shaped pans D; C, valves; E, conical-shaped pan connected with the delivery
pipe; F, discharge pipe for the liquid; G, junction pipe; H, casing forming
a discharge reservoir for the liquids; I, delivery pipe for solids and liquids;
J, discharge pipe in connection with the street drains.
The operation of the apparatus is easily understood, and is as follows:-
The fecal matters descending by the delivery pipe I from the watercloset
separate in their descent, the solids falling perpendicularly, and the liquids
running down against the sides of the pipe. When they have both reached
the end of the elbow pipe G, the solids fall on the valve C, which opens and
closes immediately. The liquids flow along the side of the conical pan E. -

page_text: and descend into the interior of the chamber H. Were a small portion of
liquid to escape it will be stopped by the valve of the pan D, which has a
narrower neck than the first, and compelled to follow the sides of the pan, and
thence to fall into the chamber or reservoir H; the solids alone enter
therefore into the reservoir A, which is made of sheet iron or wood. In the
arrangement shewn in Figure 2, the double internal cone is suppressed, and
only one valve is employed, which separates the liquids on the sides of the
cone and detains a few moments the solid matters on the valve until a sufficient
quantity has accumulated to cause it to operate by their own weight. The
change of the reservoir when full for an empty one is effected in a moment,
and without interrupting the use of the seat of the watercloset. A weight is
fixed momentarily to the upper valve to render it steady, which serves to stop
the solid, whilst the liquid matters are alone allowed to flow continually
through the junction pipe G during the change of reservoirs.
And having now described my said Invention, and the manner of carrying
the same into execution, I declare that I do not restrict myself to the details
of construction herein-before described, as the same may be varied without
deviating from the principle of my Invention; but what I claim as new, and
intended to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,
is, the construction of an apparatus for separating solid from fluid fecal matters
before their entrance into reservoirs, as herein-before described and represented
in the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edouard Amourous, have hereto sét
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
HY. GILBEE,
10, Rue de la Fidélité,
Paris.
E. AMOUROUS. (L.B.)