A NEW APPLICATION OF THE SYPHON AS AN IRRIGATOR AND A MOTIVE POWER MACHINE
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Smith at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th May 1856.-
A communication.
I, WILLIAM SMITH, of No. 10, Salisbury St., Adelphi, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for A NEW APPLICATION OF
THE SYPHON AS AN IRRIGATOR AND A MOTIVE POWER MACHINE, (a communication
from Mons Alexandre Herault, of Angers, in the Empire of France), to be
as follows:-
The Invention consists in the peculiar arrangement of an apparatus fitted
to the upper part of a syphon, which is provided with receptacles, which permit
the withdrawal of a certain quantity of water from it without disturbing it or
its action, and employing this water at the same time as a motive power by
the means and through the instrumentality of the apparatus itself, and also
by its fall working an bydraulic power of any description, or feeding a system
of irrigation.
Although the mechanical means to obtain this result will form accessory
parts of the Patent, I think it useful, in order to distinctly define the nature
of this Invention, to describe the arrangements I have devised, and by the aid
of which this apparatus can operate.
Fig. 1, Plan 1, of the Drawing accompanying this description, represents a
vertical section of the syphon, to which is applied one of the arrangements of
the apparatus, which constitutes the object of the present Invention; Fig. 2
is an horizontal view; Fig. 3, a side view. In each of these three Figures the

page_text: same parts are represented by the same letters. E & F are two resevoir
receptacles, each attached to (and forming part of) the syphon by lamp ducts;
they are fixed in a manner that precludes oscillation. A, B, C, D, are the
four keys of taps or plugs acting as valves; these turn in the same direction,
but, according to the disposition of their parts, one opens while the other shuts.
Their heads or caps terminate in pinions, each consisting of 12 teeth. In
their movements to and fro they can only accomplish half a revolution, whether
to open or to shut the channels from the reservoir receptacles; this is secured
by means of stops placed purposely with this object.
A wheel C, D, E, furnished with portions of racks I, K, G, H, each por-
tion consisting of 6 teeth, & disposed at such distances that any one rack does
not act at the same time as the opposite rack; so that when the wheel turns
in one direction T, U, the tap D corresponding turns first, and C the connected
one afterwards. On the opposite side the tap A opens first, and its connected
tap B afterwards, and when the wheel turns in the contrary direction V, X,
the contrary effect is produced.
A balance or pendulum B, Z, S, having its point of support P' upon a
column G, Z', is connected and worked as follows:-P, Z', is a stem forming
an integral portion of the balance or pendulum, which rests against suitable
pegs A', B', and imparts to the wheel a certain revolution towards D', follow-
ing a necessary angle for the working of the racks; R & S two bowls, intended
to receive the water from the reservoir receptacle corresponding to it; N, O,
are perforated balls, made to rotate on P, N, or on O, Q, acting as axeses.
To explain the mechanism of this syphon, suppose that instead of having
two resevoir receptacles the syphon has but one; suppose the two valves
described A & B are shut, the syphon would act like an ordinary syphon, save
that there would be a deposit of water in the pipe or duct in one of the
resevoirs over A. Now, allowing always B to remain closed, and open A, the
water in the duct by its weight forces the air to escape from the resevoir E
and rushes in to supply its place; the air escapes by the longer arm of the
syphon without disturbing the action of the latter. The resevoir E finishes
by filling itself with water, the syphon meanwhile not ceasing to act. If now
the valve A is shut and the valve B is subsequently opened, the water of the
resevoir will run away, the syphon meanwhile continuing to operate; then, if
the resevoir receptacle being empty, the valve B is reclosed and the valve A
opened; similar results will be indefinitely produced.
It is upon this principle that this Invention is worked, and there are pro-
vided two resevoir receptacles, to the end that the water, flowing alternately
into the bowls, serves as a motive power. In fact, suppose one of the bowls R

page_text: turns itself towards the trough which is placed under the apparatus, the cup S
mounts towards M; the bal! O has slipped from Q to O, and has lightened to
that extent the resistance by resting upon the point of support; on the other
hand, N has slid to P, and has drawn to that extent the side P, R; but in this
movement the arm Z has pressed against A¹ and forced it down to B'. In
this way the rackwork G₁ has shut C, and immediately afterwards the rack-
work H has opened D on the other side; whilst C is shut B is also shut, and
immediately afterwards, whilst D opens A opens likewise. In the resevoir
movement D shuts, then its opposite valve C opens, so that the syphon is
never exposed in its upper part to the exterior pressure of the air. It is
necessary to give to the resevoir receptacle a sufficient capacity in order to
obtain adequate power for the movement of the apparatus, and to construct
their orifices in such proportions as shall permit of their filling in less time
than they take to discharge themselves, and at the same time it must not be
neglected to regulate the movement of the wheel, and that of the balance
by stops.
Finally, by means of this apparatus water can be thrown to a height of from
3 to 7 or 8 yards, without cessation, by making the exit vent of the trough in
a proportion agreeing to the quantity or volume of water that it receives.