AN IMPROVED MODE OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Norton, of Ludgate Hill, in the City
of London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE
OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
Scaled the 20th April 1853, and dated the 7th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Norton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th December 1852.
I, JAMES NORTON, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER" to
be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to transmit power through the
agency of water or air confined in a tube or narrow channel, by
giving an impulse to the column of water or air, which will be com-
municated from one extremity of the tube or channel to the other.
At either end of the tube, and for the purpose of closing the same,
I apply thereto a collapsable chamber or flexible diaphragm, by de-
pressing or compressing one of which, at one extremity of the tube,
1 cause the other to expand, or rise and communicate an impulse
to any machinery or apparatus that may be in connection therewith.

page_text: Thus, if I require to ascertain at a glance the number of persons
that have entered or are entering a building at several entrances si-
multaneously, I connect one or more counting apparatus (set in any
convenient place) with turnstiles set at the entrance of the build-
ing, and acting respectively upon a column of water or air, when
they are themselves operated. By the turning, therefore, of each of
these turnstiles, the elevation of the flexible diaphragm, or the ex-
pansion of the chamber forming the termination of the distant end
of the tube containing the water or air, will be effected, and thus the
counting apparatus with which it is in connection will be set in action.
Another example of the application of this principle, as embodied
in the above description, will show the extent to which it may be
used. I propose to connect the flexible diaphragm of tubes con-
taining a column of water or air with what are known as Phillips'
fire annihilators, and by that means, (when a building containing
such means of extinguishing fire is burning, and the apartments
containing the same cannot safely be approached,) I can readily
effect the breaking of the vessel containing the acid which is to set
the fire anihilators in action, and thereby cause the extinction of the
fire.
It will be obvious also, that communication can by this means be
effected between the guard and engine driver of a railway train; and
the breaks of railway carriages may also be worked by the like
means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said James Norton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES NORTON, of Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the
. year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the

page_text: sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said James Norton, Her special
license that I, the said James Norton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Norton, my execu-
tors, adininistrators, 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 "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Norton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 James Norton, 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 following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
This invention consists in the transmission of power, through the
agency of water or other suitable fluid, such as air confined in a tube
or narrow channel, by giving an impulse to the column of water or
air, which impulse will be communicated from one extremity of the
tube or channel to the other, and may be variously employed as a
motive power. For this purpose, I apply to the two extremities of
the tube, a collapsable vessel or flexible diaphragm, and by depressing
or compressing one of these, I cause the other to expand or rise,
(as the case may be) in a proportionate degree, and communicate
an impulse to any machinery or apparatus that may be in connection
therewith.
In order to render the nature and object of this Invention the
more evident, I have shewn in the accompanying Drawings two

page_text: modes of carrying it into practice. The figures in Sheet I., shew the
Invention as applied to work a counting apparatus, which is supposed
to be set at a considerable distance from the machinery whence the
impulse for working the counting apparatus is derived. Let it be
supposed that the counting apparatus is brought into connection
with a turnstile or rotating gate, by means of a tube filled with water
for the purpose of indicating the number of persons admitted into a
building within a given period, the movement of the turnstile will
then be required to impart the requisite impulse to the column of
water, and thereby actuate the counting apparatus. To this end,
the tube which is to contain the water, and which I make of gutta
percha or other suitable material, as iron or lead, is furnished at its
opposite ends with a vulcanized india rubber or other collapsable
vessel enclosed in a rigid case, as shewn in side clevation at Figures
1, and in section at Figures 2; a, is the vessel nearest the turnstile,
and it is enclosed in a case b. To one side of this vessel a tube c,
is connected, and to the other side a disc d, is attached. This disc
carries a rod e, which works through a gland in the box b, and is
connected with the turnstile. At every movement of the turnstile
that is required-to be counted, the rod e, is pressed inwards, and the
capacity of the vessel a, is thereby contracted. This action will
cause the displacement of a portion of water contained in the vessel
a, and a corresponding addition to the water contained in the vessel
f, at the other end of the tube c, whereby that vessel will be ex-
panded. Attached to this vessel f, is a disc g, which is secured to
a lever h, carried by a fulcrum pin i, carried by the framing k, of
the counting apparatus; an inclination is given to the lever h, to
retain the position shewn at Figures 2, by reason of the spring 1,
which it carries, bearing against a pin m, fixed to the framing k.
Projecting from this lever (see the sectional plan, Fig. 3.), is a
bracket which carries a click n, and bearing upon the tail of this
click is a spring o, carried by the lever. This click is intended to
drive the star wheel p, of ten teeth, the arbor of which carries a
dial q, denoting units; on the unit's arbor, is a finger r, which
drives a star wheels, of teen teeth; the arbor of this wheels, carrics

page_text: a dial t, denoting tens, and by multiplying the driving fingers and
star wheels, any required range of numbers may be indicated, as is
well understood. It will now be seen, that if the rod e, in connection
with the turnstile, is driven inwards, and an expansion of the vessel
f, corresponding to the contraction of the vessel a, is effected, the
lever h, will be driven forward, and the click n, will be made to
drive round the star wheel p, one tooth, which movement will be
indicated on the dial 7; as soon, however, as the rod e, is released
from the pressure of the turnstile (which will be the case after every
admission by the turnstile of a person into the building), the spring
4, will drive back the lever h, into its former position, and the amount
of fluid recently forced into the vessel f, will be forced out and a
corresponding augmentation will take place in the vessel a; every
repetition of this action upon the water will therefore set in action
the counting apparatus, and cause the number of persons passing
through the turnstile to be indicated by the rotating dials.
tube c, and vessels a, and f, are supplied with water through a
cock u.
The
In Sheets II., and III., I have shewn the Invention as applied for
conveying motive power from a steam engine to any distance where
power is required, but where an engine and furnace could not with
convenience be erected. Fig. 4, Sheet II., represents, in longitudinal
sectional elevation, and Figure 5, in cross section, the apparatus which
I employ to receive the impulse from the engine; and Figures 6, and
7, Sheet III., shew respectively in longitudinal vertical section, and
in cross section, the apparatus for converting into a rotary motion the
impulse which is communicated thereto by two columns of water
or other suitable fluid a, a*. Fig. 4, are two collapsable vessels
enclosed in a casing b, and connected respectively to a tube c, con-
taining water. To these vessels discs d, d*, are attached, and these
discs carry respectively rods e, e*. The rods e, e*, are rigidly con-
nected to a rectangular frame f, which slides in guides in the main
framing g, and the rod e*, is also jointed to a link h, which con-
nects it with a crank shaft i. This shaft carries a pulley k, and
rotary motion is communicated thereto by a strap from the shafting

page_text: 2, in connection with the engine whose power is to be transmitted.
As the shaft i, rotates, it will cause the vessels a, a*, to expand and
contract alternately, and thereby drive forward the water contained
therein, to effect the expansion of the collapsable vessels a², and a²;
(Fig. 6), alternately, and allow of their subsequent alternate con-
traction by the recession of the water. To the vessels a¹, and a²,
discs m, m, are attached, and these discs carry rods n, which are
secured to a traversing frame o; within this frame works a toothed
wheel P₁ which is keyed to a shaft 7, having its bearings in the main
framing r. At opposite sides of this wheel p, the frame o, carries a
rack 8, into the teeth of which the wheel is caused to work alter-
nately, for the purpose of communicating a rotary motion to the
strap. These racks are connected by fulcrum pins to the frame o,
and are pressed into contact with the toothed wheel p, by springs, as
shewn in the Drawing; when, therefore, by the expansion of the vessel
a¹, (consequent on the forward movement of the disc d, Fig. 4,) the
frame o, is driven in the direction of the red arrow,
rack
the upper
s, will take into the teeth of the wheel p, and drive it round a portion
of a revolution, and the return motion of the frame o, (caused by the
thrust of the disc d*, Fig. 4,) will bring the lower rack into action,
and continue the rotation of the wheel p. To give an evenness to
the axial motion of the shaft q, a fly wheel is mounted thereon, and
the motion of the shaft is communicated by a pulley and strap u, to
any machinery that is required to be driven.
It will be obvious that other arrangements of apparatus than that
just described, might be employed, if thought desirable, for converting
the impulse imparted to columns of water or other fluid, into a
rotary motion, and also that other applications of the Invention
than those above set forth may be beneficially made. For example,
I propose to bring the flexible diaphragm or collapsable vessel, at
one end of the water containing tube into connection with what are
known as Phillips' fire annihilators, and by that means, when a
building containing such provisions against fire is ignited, to let fall
a hammer into, or otherwise to strike, the glass vessel containing the
acid which is to set the fire annihilators in action, and thereby to

page_text: effect the extinction of the fire. This contrivance will admit of the
fire annihilators being set in action, when they could not safely be
approached by reason of intercepting flames or smoke. In like
manner, alarums may be set in action for giving signals, whether in a
railway train, or in other situations.
I would remark, that when I desire to transmit power for the
working of heavy machinery, or for actuating any apparatus at a
great distance, I prefer to employ water as the medium of commu-
nication; but for short distances I find that air may be conveniently
used as the medium of communication from one collapsable vessel
or flexible diaphragm to the other.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood, that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim
the transmission of motive power from one point to another, through
the agency of water or other suitable fluid confined in a tube or
channel, which is capable of contracting and expanding simulta-
neously at its opposite ends, as above explained.
And particularly I claim applying the power transmitted by a
column of water or other suitable fluid, for the purposes above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Norton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
JAMES NORTON. (L.S.)