IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS FOR RAISING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS BY' STEAM POWER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR RAISING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS BY' STEAM POWER."-A com->
munication from abroad by William Lewis Horne, of Batavia, Kane
County, State of Illinois, United States of America.
Sealed the 14th January 1868, and dated the 22nd August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on, the
22nd August 1867.
I, ALEXANDER. MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for" IMPROVE
MENTS IN APPARATUS POR RAISING WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS BY STEAM POWER,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new device for pumping water or other liquid by
means of steam power; and consists in the use of a floating piston within
a stationary cylinder, the piston being alternately depressed-by the steam and
elevated by the water, the steam being condensed by the water as soon as
the piston is down, so that thereby the piston is relieved from the pressure of

page_text: same.
the steam and is free to be acted upon by the water. With a proportion-
ately small amount of steam power a large column of water can be elevated
to a considerable height. The main cylinder, which is upright and which may
be made of any suitable material and dimensions, is arranged above the water
supply pipe and is connected with the same at such height that the water at
its natural level would stand in the cylinder at or near the upper head of the
A poppet valve is arranged at the upper part of the pipe, an annular
float is also arranged in the cylinder of a somewhat smaller diameter than the
same so that a narrow annular space is left between the float and the cylinder.
The float is hollow so as not to sink in the water. Its upper end is closed by
a head in which one or more.valves opening inward are arranged.. The lower
edge of the float is bevilled so as to fit tight upou an annular shoulder formed
in the cylinder. A vertical rod is arranged within the cylinder, so that the
float will slide on it, it has two shoulders against which the float strikes in its
respective upper and lower positions; thereby the rod will be raised or
lowered, it not being securely fixed in the cylinder. The upper head of the
cylinder is annular, and upon it is arranged, a small cylindrical vessel closed at
top and sides and connected with two pipes, the entrances to these pipes are
closed by sliding valves which are both connected by, small rods with the
- vertical rod or bar.above-mentioned.in: such a manner that, when the bar is
raised, the lower valve.is. opened.and the upper one closed, and vice versa
when the bar is lowered. One of said pipes connects the small cylindrical
vessel above-mentioned with the upper part or neck of a 'syphon pipe, the
lower end of which is connected with the lower part of the cylinder. The
other pipe connects said cylindrical vessel with a steam boiler or reservoir.
"
t
The operation is as follows:-The float being supported upon the water so as
to be close to the head of the cylinder; strikes against the upper shoulder
on the vertical bar, thereby raising the bar; opening the lower valve and
closing the upper one; steam is thereby admitted into the cylinder, and as it
has no means of escape, it forces the float- down, thereby, compressing the
water: below, closing the valve.in the. water supply, pipe, and forcing the water
üp in the syphon-pipe above-mentioned. When the float is so far lowered by
the pressure of the steam that it strikes upon the annular shoulder formed in
the cylinder, then steam will. force.. open: the valves in the piston and: will be
condensed. by the water; thereby, it loses..its power at the same time the
float strikes the lower shoulder on the vertical bar, thereby. lowering the
latter, opening the upper valve in the small cylindrical chamber, and closing
the lower one. The further supply of steam. is thereby shut off and what

page_text: gases are contained above the float will-escape through the pipe to the neck
of the syphon to be carried off by the next charge of water forced through;
and thus an..almost complete vacuum is formed above the piston. The water
not being forced down any more by the steam is drawn up to fill the vacuum
and raises the supply valve, and rises in the cylinder, elevating the float until
the same strikes against the upper shoulder on the vertical bar asi.before
explained; thus continuous motion is obtained, the water itself moving, the
float one stroke and the steam the other. The annular space between the
float and the walls of the cylinder is filled with oil as a packing. The steam
chamber always remains heated, as the cold water never enters, the float being
longer than half the length of the cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander. Melville Clark in the Great, Seal, Patent
Office on the 19th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM' THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her-Letters
Patent, bearing 'date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first-year of
Her reign, did,' for Herself, 'Her heirs and successors, give-and-grant unto
me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special licence that I, the-said
Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said. Alexander Melville Clark, 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 APPARATUS FOR RAISING "WATER OR OTHER
LIQUIDS BY STEAM POWER," a communication to me from abroad by William
Lewis Horne, of Batavia, Kane County, State of Illinois, United States, of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in, writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, aud-in-what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereen (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to a new device for pumping water or other liquid
by means of steam power, and consists in the use of a floating piston within a
stationary cylinder, the piston being alternately depressed by the steam and
elevated by the water, the steam being condensed by the water as soon as the
piston is down, so that thereby the piston is relieved from the pressure of the
steam and free to be acted upon by the water. With a proportionately small
amount of steam power a large column of water can be elevated to a considerable
height.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawing represents a side elevation of this
Invention; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
.
The main cylinder A, which is upright and which may be made of any
suitable material and dimensious, is arranged above the water supply pipe B
and is connected with the same at such height that the water at its natural
level would stand in the cylinder at or near the upper head a of the same, as
is indicated by the red lines in Figure 2.. A poppet valve b.is. arranged at the
upper part of the pipe B, as shown. C is an annular float arranged in the
cylinder A of a somewhat smaller diameter than the same, so that a narrow
annular space is left between the float, and the cylinder. The float is hollow,
so as not to sink in the water. Its upper end is closed by a head c, in which
one or more valves d opening inward, are arranged. The lower edge of the
float C is bevilled, so as to fit tight upon an annular shoulder e formed in the
cylinder, as shown. D is a vertical rod arranged within the cylinder A, so
that the float will slide on it. It has two shoulders of and g, against which
the float strikes in its respective upper and lower positions; thereby the rod
will be raised or lowered, it not being securely fixed in the cylinder. The
upper head a of the cylinder A is annular, and upon it is arranged a small
cylindrical vessel E closed on top and sides and connected with two pipes F
and G; the entrances to these pipes are closed by sliding valves h and i
respectively, which are both by small rods j, j, connected with the bar D in
such a manner that when the bar is raised the valve h is opened and i closed,
and when the bar is lowered i is opened and h closed. The pipe G connects

page_text: the vessel E with the upper part or neck; of a syphon pipe H, the lower.end
.of which is connected with the lower part of the cylinder A, as shown. The
pipe F connects the vessel E with a steam boiler or reservoir..
The operation is as follows:-The float: C being supported upon the water
5 so as to be close to the head a of the cylinder strikes against the upper
shoulder on the bar D, thereby raising the bar, opening the valve h, and
closing the valve i. Steam is thereby admitted into the cylinder E, and as it
has no means of escape it, forces the float C down, thereby compressing the
water below, closing the valve b, and forcing the water up in the pipe H.
When the float is so far lowered by the pressure of the steam that it strikes
upon the shoulder e the steam will force open the valve d and will be condensed
by the water; thereby it loses its power at the same time the float strikes
the lower shoulder 9 on the bar D, thereby lowering the latter, opening the
valve i, and closing the valve h. The further supply of steam is thereby shut
off, and what gases are contained above the float will escape through the
pipe G to the neck of the syphon H to be carried off by the next charge of
water forced through H, and thus an almost complete vacuum is formed above
the piston C. The water not being forced down any more by the steam is
drawn up to fill the vacuum, raises the valve b, and rises in the cylinder A,
elevating the float C until the same strikes against the shoulder f. Thus
continuous motion is obtained, the water itself moving the float one stroke and
the steam the other. The annular space between the float C and the walls
of the cylinder is filled with oil as a packing. The steam chamber always
remains heated, as the cold water never enters it, the float being longer than
half the length of the cylinder.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The water elevator made and operating substantially as herein shown
ind described.
Secondly. So arranging a water elevator that by means of steam a float C
s, forced against the water, the steam condensing as soon as the float is at the
nd of its stroke, leaving a vacuum above the float to allow the water to raise
he same and make the opposite stroke.
Thirdly. The automatic valve arrangement by which the pipes F and G are
Iternately opened and closed, as set forth, consisting of the sliding bar D
aving shoulders and 9 and operated by the float C, substantially as berein
hown and described.

page_text: Fourthly. The cylinder Acwhen arranged in combination with the float C
and syphon H, all-made substantially as herein shown and described.
Fifthly. Providing the head of the annular float C with valves.d, 'd, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein shown-and-described.
"In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have 'hereunto
"set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February; in the year of
our' Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
A. M. CLARK. (L.B.)