IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE WATERCLOSETS PECULIARLY APPLICABLE POR USE ON BOARD SHIPS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hays Wilson, of the Firm of John Haysat the
Wilson and Company, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Brass
Founders and Ship's Ironmongers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PORTABLE WATERCLOSETS PECULIARLY APPLICABLE POR USE ON BOARD
SHIPS."
Sealed the 20th December 1864, and dated the 29th June 1864.
POVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hays Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th June 1864.
I, JOHN HAYS WILSON, of the Firm of John Hays Wilson and Company,
of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Brass Founders and Ships'
Ironmongers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE WATERCLOSETS PECULIARLY APPLICABLE FOR USE ON
BOARD SHIPS,' to be as follows (that is to say): -
-
The object of this Invention is the construction of waterclosets in such a
manner that the pan, cistern, valves, and other parts thereof are connected
together in such a way that they can be removed as a whole, and when placed
in any convenient position on board ship, or other place, and connected to a
soil pipe, are at once ready for use, and in some cases the soil pipe may be
attached to the apparatus before leaving the manufactory, and consist simply
in a pan, by preference formed of cast iron, enamelled internally, and em-
bossed or otherwise ornamented externally, and supported on suitable feet or
[Price 8d.1

page_text: rests, which are cast with or attached thereto. The supply cistern springs up
from the upper edge of the back of the closet-pan, and may be of one piece
therewith, or be permanently attached thereto. The supply cistern on the
side immediately above the pan is so shaped, curved, or recessed, as to form an
easy back to the closet seat. The closet seat it is preferred to joint in such
a manner that upon pressure being applied thereto it will elevate the outer
end of a curved arm, which is rigidly attached to the under side of the seat,
and extends some little distance up the flushing pipe for the purpose of
actuating the valves, that is to say, closing the discharge valve on the under
side of the measuring box, and opening a small valve which communicates
between the supply cistern and the measuring box, which is filled from the
cistern, during the time pressure is applied to the seat, and when the seat
is relieved of pressure it is again elevated by means of a counterweight con-
nected to the seat, which closes the small valve communicating between the
cistern and measuring box, and opens the discharge valve on the under side
of the measuring box, and allows the water therein to escape through the
flushing pipe. If preferred the valves may be actuated by a footboard, or
rest, extending across the front of the pan, or, if preferred, the valves may
be worked by hand. The soil pipe is fitted internally with a valve to
prevent an up current of air or water. The valve it is preferred to use is
one formed of india-rubber, or other elastic material, formed of a cylinder,
one end of which is provided with a flange to secure it in position, and the
other end is longitudinally corrugated or folded in such a manner as to
close that end when pressure is not applied from the interior. The folds
on the outer end of the valve, when closed, may resemble a cross, or any
number of lines radiating from a centre; these folds being formed in the
course of manufacture remain closed when pressure is not applied from
within; but when pressure is applied from within, the lips of the folds
open,
and form a figure first resembling a star, and afterwards form a circular or
nearly circular opening. On the pressure within the valve being removed,
the valve again closes, or a common clack, or any other suitable valve, may
be used. The seat of the closet it is preferred to form of plate metal, cut
to the required shape, and fitted on the top with a board of the required
form, and which is jointed or connected to the under plate, so that the
upper portion of the seat may be turned upwards and backwards, so that
the closet may be used as a urinal, or for the deposit of slops, without wet-
ting the upper surface of the seat. In place of using wood for the top of
the seat, vulcanite, papier mâché, or other suitable material may be used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hays Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAYS WILSON, of the Firm of John Hays Wilson and Company, of Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Brass Founders and Ships' Ironmongers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Hays Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said John
Hays Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Hays Wilson, 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 PORTABLE WATERCLOSETS PECULIARLY APPLICABLE FOR
USE ON BOARD SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Hays Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 John Hays Wilson, 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 (that is to say):-
The object of this my said Invention is the construction of waterclosets in such
a manner that the pan, cistern, valves, and other parts thereof are connected
together in such a way that they can be removed as a whole, and when placed
in any convenient position on board ship, or other place, and connected to a
soil pipe, are at once ready for use, and in some cases I attach the soil pipe to
the apparatus before leaving the manufactory, and consists simply in a pan,
by preference formed of cast iron, enamelled internally, and embossed, or
otherwise ornamented externally, and supported on suitable feet or rests,

page_text: which are cast with or attached thereto. The supply cistern I place so as to
spring up from the upper edge of the back of the closet pan, and may be of
one piece therewith, or be permanently attached thereto. The supply cistern,
on the side immediately above the pan, is so shaped, or curved, or recessed, as
to form an easy back to the closet seat. The closet seat I prefer to joint in
such a manner that upon pressure being applied thereto it will elevate the
outer end of a curved arm, which is rigidly attached to the under side of the
seat, and extends some little distance up the flushing pipe, for the purpose of
actuating the valves, that is to say, closing the discharge valve on the under-
side of a measuring box, and opening a small valve, which communicates
between the supply cistern and measuring box, which is filled from the cistern,
during the time pressure is applied to the seat; and when the seat is relieved
of pressure, it is again elevated by means of a counterweight connected to the
seat, which closes the small valve communicating between the cistern and
measuring box, and opens the discharge valve on the under side of the
measuring box, and allows the water therein to escape through the flushing
pipe. If preferred the valves may be actuated by a footboard or rest
extending across the front of the pan, or, if preferred, the valves may be
worked by hand. The soil pipe I fit internally with a valve to prevent an up
current of air or water. The valve I generally prefer to use is one formed
of india-rubber or other elastic material formed of a cylinder, one end of
which is provided with a flange to secure it in position, and the other end
is longitudinally corrugated or folded in such a manner as to close that end,
when pressure is not applied from the interior. The folds on the outer end
of the valve, when closed, may resemble a cross, or any number of lines
radiating from a centre; these folds being formed in the course of manu-
facture, remain closed when pressure is not applied from within; but when
pressure is applied from within, the lips of the fold open and form a figure,
first resembling a star and afterwards form a circular or nearly circular
opening. On the pressure within the valve being removed, the valve again
closes, or a common clack or any other suitable valve may be used.
The seat of the closet I prefer to form of plate metal, cut to the required
shape, and fitted on the top with a board of the required form, and which is
jointed or connected to the under plate, so that the upper portion of the
seat may be turned upwards and backwards, that the closet may be used
as a urinal or for the deposit of slops without wetting the upper surface of
the seat. In place of using wood for the top of the seat, vulcanite, papier
maché, or other suitable material may be used.
That this, my said Invention, may be the more readily seen and understood

page_text: I have hereunto annexed Drawings, illustrating two modifications of my
improved watercloset. Like letters and figures marked thereon being
used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a front elevation of one of my improved waterclosets
to be actuated by hand.
Figure 2 (Sheet 1) is a top view or plan of the cistern; Figure 3
(Sheet 1) is a side elevation of the closet; Figure 4 (Sheet 1) is a vertical
section of the same, and Figure 5 (Sheet 1) is an horizontal section of the
same, taken through the line a to b.
Figure 6 (Sheet 2) is a vertical sectional elevation of another modifica-
tion of my improved watercloset, fitted with my improved discharge
valve, for preventing an up current in the soil pipe.
Figure 7 (Sheet 2) is an enlarged side elevation of the soil pipe valve, and
Figure 8 (Sheet 2) is a plan of the bottom of the valve, which is made
of india-rubber, or other elastic material.
Figure is an horizontal section of the valve chamber, showing the
transverse spindle and top of the discharge valve cover.
A, the supply cistern, which, in Figure 6, is shown fitted on the under side
with B (Figure 6), a service box, and to which is fitted C, a vertical air
pipe, for facilitating the discharge of the water from the service box ; D
(Figure 6), a weighted conical valve in the bottom of the cistern, which
communicates with the service box, which service box has an under chamber
for containing E (Figures 6 and 9), the service box discharge valve which is
jointed to F (Figure 6), a crank arm, keyed on to G (Figures 6 and 9), a
transverse axle, the outer end of which is provided with H (Figures 6 and 9),
a crank arm, on the outside of the valve chamber, the outer end of which is
provided with a short stud, which takes into a slot, formed in the lower end
of I (Figure 6), a vertical arm rigidly attached to J (Figure 6), the seat
of the closet, which is jointed at the back of K (Figure 6), the closet pan;
L (Figures 6, 7, and 8) my improved elastic soil pipe valve; M, a
flushing pipe, which is fitted with N, a stop cock, which is opened, when
desired, to flush the soil pipe, without actuating the apparatus through
the seat; P (Figure 6) foot on front of the closet pan.
The action of this modification is as follows:-
Upon pressure being applied to the closet seat, the pendant arm I is thrown
slightly backwards, carrying with it the crank arm H, on the end of the axle
G, which elevates the crank F, within the valve chamber, which elevates and
closes the discharge valve on the bottom of the service box B', and the vertical
spindle on the top of the valve E, being elevated comes into contact with the

page_text: pendant shank on the supply valve D, elevates the same, and allows the water
to escape from the cistern A into the service box B¹; the closet seat being
relieved of pressure, the valve E is opened, and the valve D descends on to its
seat, and cuts off the supply from the cistern. The water in the service box
being thus relieved is discharged into the valve box, and through a pipe into
the basin, the weight of which carries down the soil through the elastic soil
pipe valve L; B (Figure 4) is a small cavity or chamber on the unler side
of the supply cistern, which, by a pipe, is connected to the closet pan, and
through which works Q (Figure 4) supply valve spindle which carries on its
upper end, R (Figure 4), supply valve on the bottom of the cistern, the
lower end of the shank of which is jointed to S (Figure 4), a crank armı on
the end of T (Figure 4), a transverse spindle, which is enclosed within a small
chamber formed on the outside of U (Figure 4), a valve chamber, into which
the bottom of the pan, and the head of the soil pipe opens. The transverse
axle T, is fitted with the valve chamber with V (Figure 4), a double faced
valve, which is fitted with W (Figure 5), counter weights, for keeping the
valve against the bottom of the soil pipe when not in action; X (Figure 4)
is a vertical rod, fitted on the top with a handle for the purpose of drawing
it up by hand, when it is desired to discharge the basin; Y (Figure 4) is a
pipe connecting the supply cistern with the valve chest U for the purpose
of flushing the same.
The action of this modification of my improved closet is as follows:-
When it is desired to discharge and rinse the basin, all that is required is
to take hold of the landle on the head of the rod X and draw it upwards,
which opens the supply valve R, when the water escapes into the chamber B,
and thence through the pipe into the basin, thence it passes into the valve
chamber U, during which time the head of the supply pipe is closed by the
face of the under side of the valve V; upon the handle being depressed or
allowed to fall down again by the action of the counter weights, the supply
valve R is drawn down to its seat, the head of the soil pipe is uncovered,
and the orifice on the bottom of the pan is again closed and retains the
after supply within the basin, which will be equal to about the capacity of
the chamber B.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this, my said
Invention, and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same
into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before described
and set forth, as it will be readily seen that the same may be considerably
varied without departing from the Invention; but what I claim is,—

page_text: First, the construction and use of the double faced valve for alternately
closing the bottom of the closet pan and the head of the soil pipe substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement of valves, cranks, or levers, whereby
the lower or discharge valve, during the act of closing, opens the supply
valve, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and set forth.
Thirdly, the peculiar form of elastic valve, to prevent an up current of
water or air in the soil pipe, as herein-before described and set forth.
Fourthly, the peculiar arrangement and combination of the supply cisterns
and basins as applied to the construction of waterclosets, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
And, lastly, the general arrangement, combination, and mode of con-
structing portable waterclosets as herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hays Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Twenty-eighth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JOHN HAYS (L.s.) WILSON.