IMPROVEMENTS. IN FOUNTAINS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick. Taylor,. of 40, Carey Street, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN FOUNTAINS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said: Frederick Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
July 1865.
I, FREDERICK TAYLOR,. of 40; Carey Street, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention. for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fountains..
For these purposes, in constructing a fountain according to this Invention,.
there is a closed reservoir or cistern at the bottom, to which a small air pump..
is applied in order that a quantiry of air may be introduced. under pressure.
In the centre of this cistern or reservoir there is a column which rises to any
desired height above its top. This column descends nearly to the bottom of
the reservoir or cistern where the column is open. The column is hollow,
and has within it a cupped piston which is constantly pressed downwards by

page_text: weights. In the centre of. the-column is a pipe which at its upper end has
a, nozzle or jet outlet, and the piston slides on the central pipe. The lower
end of the central pipe leading to the jet or nozzle descends. to. pearly the
bottom of the cistern, or reservoir, and such pipe is open at the bottom.. At
the upper:
end of the column. there is an open ornamental basin. into which the
water descends. from the jet;, from the interior of the basin, a pipe descends,.
by which pipe when a cock, upon it is open the water descends from the basin.
into the reservoir or cistern. below, there being an air cock or valve to the.
cistern or reservoir, which on being opened allows the air compressed in the-
lower reservoir or cistern to escape. The upper end of the column rises to
such a height in the basin as to allow the water to flow into the column
above the piston and weights, so that the upper part of the column becomes.
full of water as the water below the piston in the column is driven out
therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said Frederick Taylor in, the Great, Seal Patent, Office on, the,
10th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, FREDERICK
TAYLOR, of 40, Carey Street, Chancery Lane, in, the County of Middlesex,,
send, greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her:
reign; did, for Herself; Her heirs and, successors, give and.grant unto me, the
said Frederick Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Taylor,
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.. as I, the said
Frederick Taylor, 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
FOUNTAINS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick
Taylor, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of thie
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Taylor, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is 'to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in fountains.
For these purposes, in constructing a fountain according to this Invention,
there is a closed reservoir or cistern at the bottom, to which a small air pump
is applied in order that a quantity of air may be introduced under pressure.
In the centre of this cistern or reservoir there is a column which rises to any
desired height above its top. This column descends nearly to the bottom of
the reservoir or cistern where the column is open. The column is hollow
and has within it a cupped piston which is constantly pressed downwards by
weights. In the centre of the column is a pipe which at its upper end has a
nozzle or jet outlet, and the piston slides on the central pipe. The lower
end of the central pipe leading to the jet or nozzle descends to nearly the
bottom of the cistern or reservòir, and such pipe is open at the bottom. At
the upper end of the column there is an open ornamental basin into which
the water descends from the jet; from the interior of the basin a pipe
descends, by which pipe when a tock upon it is open the water descends
from the basin into the reservoir or cistern below, there being an air cock or
valve to the cistern or reservoir, which on being opened allows the air com-
pressed in the lower reservoir or cistern to escape. The upper end of the
column rises to such a height in the basin as to allow the water to flow into
the column above the piston and weights, so that the upper part of the
column becomes full of water as the water below the piston in the column is
driven out therèfrom:
.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
The Drawing Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a fountain con-
structed and combined according to my Invention.
a, a; is a closed reservoir to which is applied a force plimp, which I prefer
to be of the most siniple construction, consisting of a wooden plunger or piston
working in the cylinder b. At the bottom of this cylinder b is a valve
opening inwards, by which the cylinder becomes filled with air when the
piston or plunger is raised by the handle: Near the bottom of the cylinder
is an outlet tube or passage which enters the closed reservoir or cistern b
and there is a valve in this tube or passage which opens outwards from the

page_text: b
pump cylinder, so that the air (received into the pump cylinder 6 during the
up stroke of the plunger or piston) is by the descent of the plunger or piston
driven from the pump cylinder through the tube or passage into the closed
reservoir or cistern a; some of the parts of the pump are shewn in detail at
Figure 2. I make no claim to this air pump separately, and other forms of
air pump may be used in place thereof. The shape of the reservoir or
cistern a may be greatly varied, and it may be made more or less ornamental.
c, c, is a hollow column, usually of a cylindrical form, this however is not
essential; but it is desirable that the interior of it should be cylindrical, as a
cupped piston & works therein. This piston d is weighted in order to force it
down, and thus cause the water to rise up the central pipe or tube
e, and pass
off at the nozzle or jet f fixed on the upper end of the central pipe or tube e.
The piston has a stuffing box in its centre in order to render the central
passage through it water-tight when sliding down the central pipe or tube.e.
The column c, c, and the central tube e are open at their lower ends, which
descend nearly to the bottom of the reservoir or cistern a.
At the upper
end of the column c is an open basin g, which may be of any desired shape,
and when required it may be made according to any ornamental device.
h¹ is an air cock on the outlet pipe h.. by which the air in the reservoir or
cistern a, a, may be allowed to escape; i is a pipe with a cock therein, the
upper end of this pipe is made with a bell mouth and covered with line wire
gauze; this pipe communicates both with the open basing and the closed
reservoir or cistern a, a, and by it the water from the basin g will, when the
cock on the pipe i and the cock on the pipe h are opened, descend.into
the reservoir a, a. Supposing the cocks h' and ' to be closed, and the piston d
to be at its highest position in the column c, and the column c to be filled
with water below the piston, the fountain will commence to play on the
cock e¹ on the top of the pipe e being opened. The fountain will continue to
play till the water below the piston has been driven out of the lower part of
the column through the central pipe e and the nozzle; during this time the
water will remain at the same level in the basin 9, as the surplus runs into
the part of the column over the piston, and this is an important advantage
obtained by my system of construction. When the fountain has ceased
playing, the piston having come to the bottom of the column in order to set
it again to work, the cock h' is opened, and then the cock which allows
the basing to empty itself into the reservoir a, a, then on closing the
cocks h, i, and by working the pump air will be driven into and compressed
or condensed within the upper part of the closed reservoir or cistern a, a, and
this compressed air will drive the piston d again to the top of the column £,

page_text: whilst the water in the column over the piston again fills the basin g, and the
fountain is again ready to play.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Taylor, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
FREDERICK TAYLOR. (L.s.)