Improvements in Closets or Privies and in Treating Collecting, and Utilizing Night-soil or Human Excreta and Dust-bin Refuse, and in Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
Improvements in Closets or Privies and in Treating Collecting, and
Utilizing Night-soil or Human Excreta and Dust-bin Refuse, and
in Apparatus Employed therein.
I, THOMAS PHILIP MARSH, of Churchfield West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in closets or
privies, the object of the said improvements being so to construct certain parts of
the closets as to facilitate the treatment and collection of the night-soil or excreta
by the system hereinafter described.
My invention consists further in treating collecting and utilising night-soil or
human excreta and dust-bin refuse in the manner hereinafter described and in the
apparatus employed therein.
The essential feature of a portion of my invention consists in treating the
night-soil or human excreta at the closet so that its collection and removal may be
effected in a cleanly and inoffensive manner.
In carrying my invention into effect I use a closet or privy modified in the
following manner. The closet proper is constructed as usual but instead of
employing a small outlet in the back wall of the closet, opening into the outer
cistern or ash pit situated below the level of the closet and ground, I use an outlet
of the same width as the closet seat and the outer cistern or ashpit of the closet.
The wide outlet described in the back wall is formed by supporting the back wall
by means of a girder, beam or scantling at a little below the level of the closet seat.
The soil in the closet is by this arrangement so exposed that it can be readily
mixed with fine ash or ember riddlings or other solid or liquid disinfectant
introduced at the mouth of the outer cistern or ash pit. The mouth of the said
cistern or ash pit is situated at the ground level and is closed by a tight fitting
door. By opening this door the contents of the closet can be treated removed and
collected and utilized in the manner hereinafter described. A ventilating shaft
may be used in connection with the closet cistern or ash pit.
The system of treating and collecting and utilizing night soil or human excreta
and dust-bin refuse and the apparatus employed therein constituting part of my
invention are as follows:-
In collecting dust bin refuse I use a horse drawn lorry so constructed as to be
capable of carrying a number of dust-bins or receptacles. A double set of bins is
by preference used with each lorry so that an empty bin may be left at each house
from which a filled bin has been collected. The dust bin refuse so collected is
of the refuse may be crushed or pulverised by is used in treating the night-soil
conveyed to a depôt and the fine ash separated from it; or the whole or a portion
rollers or otherwise into a fine
powder. This fine or prepared ash or compo
or human excreta prior to and after its collection as hereinafter described.
"
For collecting closet matter or human excreta the horse drawn lorry before
described is employed but in this case it is loaded with a number of empty bins and
with a number of charged bins filled with the "compo or prepared ash and also
with a larger empty bin in which the night soil or excreta is treated at the closet.
Arriving at the closet the contents of which are to be removed the excreta in the
closet and closet cistern is first mixed with a portion of the "compo
or ash from
the bins until the excreta has been brought to the desired consistency for convenient
removal when it is lifted from the closet cistern into the larger bin hereinbefore
"

page_text: referred to where it is further mixed with "compo" or fine ash. The treated
excreta is removed from the large bin to the smaller bins and the latter are placed
in the lorry and conveyed to the depot where the treated excreta is emptied into a
receptacle in which it can be drained and dried, either by exposure to the
atmosphere or by artificial heat, the said receptacle being so arranged that the
treated and dried excreta can be conveniently loaded into carts or wagons for
removal.
For the purpose of removing and collecting any liquid matter from the closet
cistern prior to the treatment hereinbefore described of the solid contents, a
portable combined tank and pump with spout and flexible suction pipe is used. By
means of the said pump the tank may be filled with the liquid matter from the
closet cistern without disturbing the mass.
Dated this 12th day of December 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Closets or Privies and in Treating, Collecting, and
Utilizing Night Soil or Human Excreta and Dust-bin Refuse, and
in Apparatus Employed therein.
I, THOMAS PHILIP MARSH of Churchfield, West Bromwich in the County of
Stafford, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in closets or
privies, the object of the said improvements being so to construct certain parts of
the closets as to facilitate the treatment and collection of the night soil or excreta
by the system hereinafter described.
•
My invention consists further in treating, collecting and utilizing night soil or
human excreta and dust-bin refuse in the manner hereinafter described and in the
apparatus employed therein.
The essential feature of a portion of my invention consists in treating the night
soil or human excreta at the closet so that its collection and removal may be effected
in a cleanly and inoffensive manner.
In carrying my invention into effect I use a closet or privy modified in the
following manner. The closet proper is constructed as usual, but instead of
employing a small outlet in the back wall of the closet opening into the outer
cistern or ashpit, situated below the level of the closet and ground, I use an outlet
of the same width as the closet seat and the outer cistern or ash pit of the closet.
The wide outlet described in the back wall is formed by supporting the
back wall by means of a girder, beam or scantling at a little below the ground level
of the closet. The soil in the closet is by this arrangement so exposed that it
can readily be mixed with fine ash or ember riddlings or other solid or liquid
disinfectant introduced at the mouth of the outer cistern or ash pit. The mouth of
the said cistern or ash pit is situated at the ground level and is closed by a tight
fitting door. By opening this door the contents of the closet can be treated,
removed and collected and utilized in the manner hereinafter described.
ventilating shaft may be used in connection with the closet cistern or ash pit.
A
The system of treating and collecting and utilizing night soil or human excreta
and dust bin refuse and the apparatus employed therein constituting part of my
invention are as follows;-In collecting dust-bin refuse I use a horse drawn lorry
so constructed as to be capable of carrying a number of dust bins or receptacles.
A double set of bins is by preference used with each lorry so that an empty bin
may be left at each house from which a filled bin has been collected. The dust bin

page_text: refuse so collected is conveyed to a depôt and the fine ash separated from it; or
the whole or a portion of the refuse may be crushed or pulverized by rollers or
otherwise into a fine powder. This fine or prepared ash or
treating the night soil or human excreta prior to and after its collection as
compo is used in
5 hereinafter described.
"
For collecting closet matter or human excreta, the horse drawn lorry before
described is employed but in this case it is loaded with a number of empty bins and
with a number of charged bins filled with the "compo
with a larger empty bin in which the night soil or excreta is treated at the closet.
or prepared ash and also
Arriving at the closet the contents of which are to be removed, the excreta, in the
closet well and closet cistern is first mixed with a portion of the "
from the bins until the excreta has been brought to the desired consistency, for
"
compo or ash
convenient removal when it is lifted from the closet cistern into the larger bin
herein before referred to, where it is further mixed with "compo
treated excreta is removed from the larger bin to the smaller bins and the latter are
or fine ash. The
placed on the lorry and conveyed to the depot where the treated excreta is emptied
into a receptacle in which it can be drained and dried, either by exposure to the
atmosphere or by artificial heat the said receptacle being so arranged that the
treated and dried excreta can be conveniently loaded into carts or wagons for
removal.
"
For the purpose of removing and collecting any liquid matter from the closet
cistern prior to the treatment herein before described of the solid contents, a portable
combined tank and pump with spout and flexible suction pipe is used. By means
of the said pump, the tank may be filled with the liquid matter from the closet
cistern without disturbing the mass.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in perspective, partly broken
away and partly in vertical section a closet or privy constructed according to my
invention, which I use to facilitate the treatment and collection of the night soil or
excreta and dust bin refuse by the system constituting part of my invention;
Figure 2 represents a horizontal section of a portion of the closet exhibiting the
wide outlet between the well of the closet and the outer cistern or ash pit and
Figure 3 represents a vertical section of the same taken through the back
supporting wall and its supporting girder or scantling.
Figure 4 represents in perspective and Figure 5 in cross section, the collecting
dust bin or box and its case which are placed in the neighbourhood of the closet
for collecting the dust bin refuse instead of placing the dust bin refuse, as usual,
n the outer cistern or ashpit.
Figure 6 represents the dust bin or box withdrawn from its case.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
nd 6.
•
a is the closet well beneath the seat for receiving the soil or human excreta and
is the outer cistern commonly used for receiving dust bin refuse, but utilized by
ne for treating and collecting the soil or human excreta, the said closet well a and
uter cistern being situated below the level of the closet and ground. In the
uter closet or cistern b the prepared ash or "compo" is placed for the treatment
f the soil or excreta. The outlet e between the closet well a and outer cistern b
of the same width as the closet and the back wall d of the closet is supported by
he beam or scantling e at a little below the ground level of the closet. There is
us formed a continuous chamber below the ground level extending from the back
the outer cistern b to the back of the closet well a, in which continuous chamber
e soil is so exposed that it can be readily mixed with fine ash or ember riddlings
compo or other solid or liquid disinfectant introduced at the mouth of the
stern b. The said cistern bis closed by a sliding or hinged tight fitting door f
opening which the contents of the closet can be treated in the chambers a and b
the manner hereinbefore described and the treated soil removed therefrom
d again treated in the larger bin prior to its conveyance to the depot also
reinbefore described. To remove any liquid matter in the closet cistern prior
"

page_text: A
to the treatment of its solid contents, I use a portable combined tank and pump of
the kind represented iu Figure 1. The said pump is marked and is supported on
the tripod stand and the spout of the pump is connected by the flexible pipe i
with the tank k. The suction pipe of the pump is provided with the flexible
pipe which is passed through a slot in the cover of the cistern 6 the perforated
nozzle of the said pipe being situated at or near the bottom of the cistern.
disc above the nozzle prevents the choking of the said nozzle by the contents of
the cistern. By working the pump, the liquid in the closet can be drawn from it
and stored in the tank k, so as to drain as much as possible the soil before it is
treated with the prepared fine ash or "compo" in the manner before described.
The dust bin for containing the ashes and ash refuse is marked m and the open
ended case into which it is passed and from which it is withdrawn by a sliding
motion is marked n. The bin m is filled by opening the hinged lid p of the case.
For the purpose of screening (or screening and grinding) the dust bin refuse and
producing therefrom the fine ash or "compo" with which I treat the excreta, I
use the screening apparatus represented in side elevation in Figure 7, plan in
Figure 8 and cross section, through the sieves, in Figure 9.
The same letters of reference indicate the same, parts in Figures 7, 8 and 9.
a is a coarse grating or screen at the top of the apparatus onto which the
contents of the dust bins (which have been placed first on the lower platform band
next on the upper platform c) are emptied. The cinders or coarse pieces on the
grating or screen a are pushed by hand therefrom, while the fine ash or particles
pass into the hopper d and are received on the first fine sieve or screen è in the
screening box, the larger particles which will not pass through the screene being
delivered to the spout or shute e². The fine particles passing through the first
screen e are received on the second and still finer screen g, below it so as to
produce very fine ash, the coarser particles not passing through the screen g, being
delivered to the spout or shute g. The box f containing the two fine screens e
and g is supported and turns on the joints, so as to enable it to have a limited
horizontal reciprocating or shaking motion given to it to facilitate the screening
operation. The fine ash passing through the second screen g in the screening
box is delivered into the inclined receiver h, from the well or lowest part h³ of
which the said ash is raised and delivered to the spout or shute i, by the endless
band k working over the rollers 1, m the said band being provided with arms or
lifters, k, which on the ascending side of the endless band, work closely in the
case p. As the arms or lifters pass through the well containing the fine ash,
they push before them the said ash into the case p which ash on reaching the top
of the said case is delivered into the spout or chute i down which it falls into a
receptacle placed to receive it. The fine ash as it is delivered into the spout or
chute i is mixed with a liquid or powdered disinfectant. In the drawing I have
represented a cistern n containing a liquid disinfectant which is delivered by the
pipe n³ in the form of jets to the fine ash passing down the spout or chute i. The
quantity of liquid disinfectant delivered from the cistern n is regulated and cut
off by a stopcock in the pipe π².
In order still further to reduce the fine ash lifted from the receiver h, the said
ash may be delivered to the pair of rollers p³, p' and crushed or ground by the said
rollers. These rollers are indicated in dotted lines in Figures 7 and 8.
The several moving parts of the apparatus are operated in the following manner;
is the driving shaft which drives by means of the band q the parallel shaft
from which the endless chain lifting apparatus is driven as hereinafter described.
The reciprocating rocking or shaking motion of the sieve or screen box fis effected
through the eccentric g* on the driving shaft q and the connecting rod 2 jointed at q
to about the middle of the said box as seen in Figures 8 and 9. The ashlifting
apparatus is worked from the parallel shaft g by the following gearing. On the axis
of the upper roller m of the endless band k, k is a large toothed wheel r which gears
with the pinion on the pinion axis. By means of a driving bands passing over
pulleys on the said pinion axis and parallel shaft q³ the said pinion axis is rotated,

page_text: the motion being transmitted through the gearing and to the top roller m of the
endless band as seen in Figure 8.
apparatus they are driven from the parallel shaft q' by a driving band t and pulleys as
When grinding rollers are combined in the
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8.
In case the dust bin refuse is moist or too damp to be screened sufficiently fine
for use as <<
compo," the said refuse may be dried after, partial screening, in the
following manner :-
The refuse is first passed through a separating apparatus having a screen box of
the kind represented in Figure 9 excepting that the said screen box is fitted with
coarse screens. The coarser matter is delivered as before described but the finer
portion is delivered to a drying pan over which passes a travelling belt fitted with
wings or scrapers by the action of which the screened refuse is moved and carried
along the heated plates of the drying pan so as to dry the said refuse.
refuse is sufficiently dry, a slot in the bottom of the drying pan is opened and the
When the
dried refuse is delivered into a hopper and taken up by an elevator and delivered
to a second separating apparatus of the kind herein before described but fitted
with fine sieves to complete the screening operation and produce the fine ash or
compo."
66
When the dust-bin refuse is delivered by carts instead of by boxes or pans, the
rubbish may be delivered to a hopper or shute from whence it is taken by an
elevator to the screening apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in closets or privies and in treating collecting and
utilizing night soil or human excreta and dust-bin refuse and in apparatus employed
therein
"
First. Connecting the outer cistern of the closet with the well in which the soil
is deposited by an outlet of the same width as the said outer cistern and supporting
the back wall of the closet by a girder, beam or scantling whereby a continuous
chamber below the ground level of the closet is made in which the night soil or
human excreta can be conveniently treated and collected substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
"
Secondly. The method herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Irawings of treating, collecting and utilizing night soil or human excreta and dust
in refuse; that is to say; treating the night soil or excreta at the closet by first
nixing the excreta in the continuous chamber of the closet with fine or powdered
sh or "compo of the kind and prepared preferably in the manner described,
o as to bring the excreta to the desired consistency for convenient removal;
fterwards placing the prepared excreta in a bin or receptacle in which it is
urther mixed with fine or powdered ash or "compo" and finally transferring the
reated excreta in bins to the depôt to be drained and dried and utilized substantially
described and illustrated.
Thirdly. The portable combined tank and pump hereinbefore described and
lustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings to be used for removing and
ollecting liquid matter from the closet prior to the treatment in the manner
ereinbefore described of the solid contents of the closet.
Fourthly. Preparing from dust-bin refuse the fine ash or "compo" with which
e night soil or human excreta is treated by the process referred to in the
ior claim by means of the apparatus herein before described and illustrated in
igures 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twenty-fourth day of August 1894.
THOMAS PHILIP MARSH.