AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE WORKS
Year: 1886

page_text: I MOSES JAMES ADAMS Sanitary Engineer of 11 Chapter House Street York in
the County of York and 7 Westminster Chambers London SW do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE
WORKS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly.
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Instead of the ordinary method by which the house sewage passes to the drains
or in conjunction therewith I provide a tank into which the sewage of one or more
houses is led This tank is fitted with a syphon which when in action discharges
the contents to the drain. Two or more of these tanks are so connected and their
action so governed that they shall cominence their action simultaneously the
combined flushing power of the series carrying the sewage through the pipes with
considerable force and at such a rate of flow that no deposit of sediment can take
place and the sewers are rendered self cleansing. My system of simultaneous
discharge enables the drains and sewers to be of less size than those generally
employed whilst the different sections of the system may be timed to discharge at
any required interval of time.
The nature of my system and the special appliances required in connection
therewith may be seen by reference to the accompanying illustrations.
Fig. 1 shews the form of tank I prefer as a receptacle for the house sewage,'
The tank of stoneware or other suitable material is fitted with a syphon having
two dips or water seals at its outlet B the first dip confining the air within syphon
so that a head of water is obtained above the bend the confined air preventing the
waste of liquid through the syphon until a height is reached exceeding the dip of
water seal The second trap is of such a depth that it increases the air pressure
upon the syphon outlet the water rising in the tank to a height greater than it
would attain with the first dip only. I provide in connection with the syphon an
air pipe C as shewn.
The action of this arrangement then being as follows The liquid will rise in
the tank until a certain level is reached when it will pass away through the
syphon or other opening to the drain as it enters the tank The air which
confined now by the closed air pipe C is allowed to escape by the opening of a
suitable valve or tap provided in connection with the air pipe The pressure of air
in the syphon is relieved and the syphonic action immediately set up and the

page_text: contents of tank will be discharged to the drain a series of these tanks being
connected together by one or more air pipes are thus discharged simultaneously
and a powerful flushing of the sewer takes place.
Fig. 2 shews the application of my system to a small section of a town or
district A being the tanks which receive the sewage from the houses delivering it
intermittently by the drain to branch sewer G this delivery being governed by the
air pipe C connecting the tank or tanks with the governor D. The governing
apparatus is placed in a suitable inspection shaft and so arranged in connection
with a tippling bucket E or other arrangement that when the tanks or such part
of their number as may be found necessary shall be full and overflowing by the
waste through the syphon such overflow shall be of sufficient velocity and force to
discharge itself into the tippling bucket or other arrangement the apparatus
opening the governing valve and allowing the escape of the air confined in the
syphons and pipe with the result that the immediate discharge of any tanks which
may be full to starting level is set up. The governor shewn is so formed that the
open end of air pipe projects within a vessel of liquid this pipe I cover with a hood
or cap dipping into the liquid so that when closed all air shall be confined in the
pipe and when lifted free escape for the air provided the cap or valve I so connect
with an apparatus actuated by the waste from tanks that it is raised or opened
upon the supply of water reaching any desired limit as shewn at D and E Fig. 3
any suitable valve or arrangement for allowing the exit of air may be used Fig. 34
and 5 give the chief features of my system.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The arrangement of a tank and syphon such syphon having a double seal
and an air pipe in connection such air pipe being for the purpose of governing the
discharge of the syphon by being opened or closed confining the air or allowing it
to escape.
2nd I claim the arrangement of two or more syphon flushing tanks so placed and
connected and so governed that their discharge shall be simultaneous.
3rd I claim the use of the air pipe in connection with the syphon or traps of a
syphon flushing tank such pipe connecting two or more tanks for the purpose of
governing their discharge and being opened and closed by a suitable valve or other
equivalent arrangement.
4th I claim the arrangement of opening valve or governor by the tippling
bucket or equivalent means and the governing apparatus as shewn on my drawings
and further explained herein.
5th I claim the arrangement of the various appliances and the system of
discharging a series of flushing tanks simultaneously as set forth herein and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings or an equivalent arrangement though
differing in conformity effecting a similar purpose.