Improvements relating to Self-acting Gates for Water Ways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1897
Complete Innnifination Loft 20th July 1000 Manantad
17th Cont
1000
Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Loft, 30th July, 1908 Accepted, 17th Sept, 1808
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Self-acting Gates for Water Ways.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of 18, Buckingham
Street, Strand, London, W.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, a communication to me from abroad by James Edward Whiting,
Civil Engineer, of Poona, in the Bombay Presidency, East Indies, to be as
follows:-
In the Specifications of my former Letters Patent No. 18928 of 1893 I have
described certain self acting gates for water ways in which such gates are retained
in closed position by tension exercised by weights which are suspended in cisterns
into which water flows when the head of water is sufficient, so that the immersion
of the weight may reduce the active tension due to its gravity and permit the gate
to open.
The present invention relates to an improvement or addition to this mechanism
the principal object of which is to enable such gates to be fitted in situations in
which it would be difficult to construct cisterns at a convenient level to obtain a
clear outfall or escape for the water in the cistern, or where it is not convenient to
build fixed cisterns at all, or if at all yet not of the full size or depth necessary
for the purpose that is to say, in these cases this improved system may be adapted
instead, or as an auxiliary method of obtaining automatic opening of the gates.
The invention consists in suspending a cistern of iron or other suitable material,
by a chain, or rope passing over pulleys and with its other end tending to lift or
counteract the action of the counterpoise weight, that closes the gates against the
water. The suspended cistern will be hung in such a position that a pipe, or
conduit may convey water into it, so soon as the surface of the river or reservoir
rises to the level chosen for maintenance, that is to say directly the water rises
above this level in the reservoir it will flow through the pipe or conduit into the
suspended tank and it will continue to do so until the weight of the tank and of
the water in it shall be sufficient to lift the counterpoise weight, that keeps the
gate closed against the water in the reservoir and permit the gate to commence to
open and will continue to do so until the surface level is so reduced that water will
cease to flow through the pipe into the suspended cistern. At the bottom of the
cistern an outlet will have been provided. smaller than the bore of the inlet pipe
and such that it will empty the cistern as soon as the level of water sinks below
the required level for maintenance, then it is manifest that so soon as a sufficient
quantity of water has escaped from the suspended cistern, the counterpoise weight
will regain a balance of power to close the gate gradually against the water issuing
from the reservoir.
In this arrangement the weight may he hung at any suitable elevation and it
need not be in a cistern if it be inconvenient to build one. It may be attached if
desired, to the gate by a system of blocks and chains and also to the suspended
cistern that is to say the moments of the counter weight need not be equal to that
of the gate and cistern but may be greater or less as may be found convenient in

page_text: each situation. It is clear also that if desired the two systems may be united, so
as to work in unison; that is to say the weight may hang in a cistern (as for my
former design) that will fill when the reservoir is full and thus the weight being
submerged will lose part of its effective gravity and at the same time there may be
attached a suspended cistern which as it fills will also help to lift or counteract the
weight and so ensure the opening of the gate. This combination may be desirable when
small cisterns can be constructed in walls and embankments small heavy-weights
are used for counterpoise.
DI PUIT
Improvements relating to Self-acting Gates for Water Ways.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., of 18, Buckingham
Street, Strand, London, W.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, a communication to me from abroad by James Edward Whiting,
of Poona, in the Bombay Presidency, East Indies, Engineer, and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Various methods have been proposed and used by which sluices or other gates
for waterways have been so combined with weights or so weighted or made as to
open automatically when a desired head of water is obtained, and in the Specifica-
cation of the Letters Patent No. 18928 of 1893 of my said correspondent, there
has been described certain self acting gates for water ways in which such gates are
retained in closed position by tension exercised by weights which are suspended in
cisterns into which water flows when the head of water is sufficient so that the
immersion of the weight may reduce the active tension due to its gravity and
permit the gate to open.
The present invention relates to an improvement of or addition to such
mechanism, the principal object of which is to enable such gates to be fitted in
situations in which it would be difficult to construct cisterns at a convenient level
to obtain a clear outfall or escape for the water in the cistern, or where it is not
convenient to build fixed cisterns at all, or if at all yet not of the full size or depth
necessary for the purpose that is to say in these cases this improved system may be
adopted instead, or as an auxiliary method of obtaining automatic opening of the
gates.
The invention consists in suspending a cistern of iron or other suitable material
by a chain or rope passing over pulleys and with its other end tending to lift or
counteract the action of the counterpoise weight that closes the gates against the
water or in other words tends to lift or open the gate or gates. The suspended
cistern will be hung in such a position that a pipe or conduit may convey water
into it, as soon as the surface of the river, or reservoir, rises to the level chosen for
maintenance, that is to say directly the water rises above this level in the reservoir,
it will flow through the pipe or conduit into the suspended tank and it will
continue to do so until the weight of the tank and of the water inlet shall be
sufficient to lift or counteract the weight that keeps the gate closed against the
water in the reservoir and permit the gate to commence to open and will continue
to do so until the surface level is so reduced that water will cease to flow through
the pipe into the suspended cistern. At the bottom of the cistern an outlet will
have been provided smaller than the bore of the inlet pipe and such that it will
empty the cistern after the level of water sinks below the required level for main-

page_text: tenance. Then it is manifest that so soon as a sufficient quantity of water has
escaped from the suspended cistern, the counterpoise weight will regain a balance
of power to close the gate gradually against the water issuing from the reservoir.
In this arrangement the weight (when the gate is not made to close by its own
weight) may be at any suitable elevation and position and it need not be in a
cistern if it be inconvenient.
In order that the present invention may be more fully understood I now proceed
to set forth more particularly the mode in which the same may be carried into
effect with the construction of automatic gate described in the Specification of
the Letters Patent of my correspondent previously referred to, reference being had
to the annexed sheet of drawings and to the letters of reference thereon, that is
to say Fig. 1 represents in plan the arrangement for a self acting gate for a
water way with the cistern marked Z³ suspended by a chain marked C passing
round two pullies marked F3 and F respectively and then going down towards
the weight W shown in Fig. which hangs in a cistern marked Z built in the
weir and actuates the gate as described in the Specification of the former
Patent 18928 of 1893. This weight is suspended by a chain C3 and the chain C+
described above may be attached to chain C³ at the point marked K¹ in Fig. 2 by
a shackle in such a manner that the weight of the suspended cistern tends to
diminish the pull of the weight W on C₁ and when the suspended cistern is full
of water it will diminish this pull so much that the gates will yield to the pressure
of the water in the lake or river and so will open automatically. In order that
the suspended cistern may be filled with water and counterbalance the pull of the
weight on the gates at the proper time, a pipe marked M is provided having its
mouth M open to the water in the reservoir at the level chosen for highest supply
in the lake or river and this pipe will have its inner end brought to discharge water
into the suspended cistern 72 while from the same or a similar supply marked M,
a pipe or conduit marked M2 carries water into the fixed cistern Z. A small outlet as
at 73 7 is provided at the bottom of each of these cisterns so that water may escape
more slowly than it enters through M or M¹ running full. This outlet will empty
the cistern when M or M' ceases to supply water or in other words when the
surface in the lake or river sinks below full supply level.
The chain or rope by which the regulating cistern is suspended may after passing
round guides and pullies be attached as already described to the chain by which
closing weights are hung or it may be fastened directly to the underside of the gate
in such a manner to to tend to pull it open when the cistern is filled from full supply
level as already explained, the gate in this case being of any kind to be closed by
its own weight or by other chains or bars and weights hung in built cisterns or
otherwise disposed as may be more convenient in each case. Although this inven-
tion has been illustrated as applied to the gates described under the Letters Patent
aforesaid it will be obvious that this suspended cistern may be easily arranged in
conjunction with any form of automatic sluice or other gate to act in the manner
herein described.
I therefore do not confine myself to the use of this cistern in conjunction with
the apparatus shown under the aforesaid patent but―
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with a self acting water way gate of any kind weighted
to close until the water reaches a predetermined level, of a moveable cistern and
means for supplying water thereto when the water reaches the level at which the
gate is to open, the said cistern being so attached to the gate or to the weight
thereof or to the operating gear of the gate that when so supplied with water its
weight tends to neutralize the closing action of the weighted gate and permits the
gate to open.
2. The combination with a self acting water gate and a closing weight for the

page_text: same of a suspended cistern whose suspending device is attached directly or in-
directly to the closing weight in such a manner that the additional weight given
to said cistern by a supply of water thereto tends to lift or assist in lifting the
closing weight sufficiently to permit the gate to open substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. The construction of the mechanism comprising the cistern Z³ in combination
with the gate its closing weight W and the water conduit M' whether such
weight W is suspended freely or in a cistern Z substantially as herein described.
4. The combination with a self acting water way gate adapted to close when
the water level is below a predetermined level of a movable cistern made and
arranged to be supplied with water substantially as described herein to open or
assist in the opening of the gate when the predetermined water level is attained
or surpassed.
2011
T11000
R. HADDAN,
Chartered Patent Agent.