Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM LEWIS BAKER of 8 Danes Inn Strand (London) in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer seek leave to amend the specification of Letters Patent,
No. 14598 of 1884, as shown in red ink in the copy of the original specification
hereunto annexed.
My reasons for making this amendment are as follows
Information received since filing the Complete Specification has induced me to
doubt whether or not the claim is possibly too comprehensive.

page_text: I WILLIAM LEWIS BAKER of 8 Danes Inn Strand (London) in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRANTS to be as follows:-
Whereas Hydrants or Water Sluices for opening or shutting off supplies of water
from Water Mains or Pipes for fire-extinguishing and other purposes are now
frequently made with a small valve or opening on the delivery pipe or that part of
the Hydrant which is situate beyond or on the delivery side of the main valve or
sluice, the small valve or opening being commonly known as a frost valve being for
the purpose of draining off from the delivery pipe any water which might be liable
to become frozen when the main valve or sluice is closed: And whereas such frost
valves have hitherto been usually so placed fitted or adapted upon or to the
delivery pipe that access to them for closing opening cleaning clearing and other
purposes has been from the outside of the delivery pipe. Now my Invention
consists in constructing Hydrants with frost valves so placed fitted or adapted to
them that access to such valves shall be provided inside of the delivery pipe and in
a straight line (or thereabouts) from the delivery extremity thereof. This may be
effected in various ways. The ordinary Hydrants are frequently made with a bend
in the delivery pipe and are enclosed in a brick pit with iron cover or within an
iron box or frame; and access to the frost valve has been external with regard to
the delivery pipe but from within such pit or box. I provide a frost valve orifice
accessible in a straight line (or thereabouts) from the delivery extremity of the
delivery pipe or from one of its delivery extremities if it be made forked or with
branches; and I employ within the delivery pipe either a rod as plug or valve to
the orifice or a plug or valve of any convenient description, the rod plug or valve
and the orifice having a taper or other suitable fitting one to the other. The rod or
valve may be made with a slot or catch for receiving the hooked end of the ordinary
"spoon" or rod usually carried by turncocks and firemen, or it may be shaped to
receive a rod spanner or key for laying hold of it to open or close the orifice when
required; Or the frost valve may be of any convenient character provided that
access thereto be furnished in a straight line (or thereabouts) from the delivery
extremity of the delivery pipe.

page_text: I WILLIAM LEWIS BAKER of 8 Danes Inn Strand (London) in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRANTS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
Whereas Hydrants or Water Sluices for opening or shutting off supplies of water
from Reservoirs Tanks Cisterns Water Mains or Pipes for fire-extinguishing and
other purposes are now usually made with a small valve or opening on the delivery
pipe or that part of the Hydrant which is situate beyond or on the delivery side of
the main valve or sluice, the small valve or opening being commonly known as a
frost cock or valve being for the purpose of draining off from the delivery pipe any
water which might be liable to become frozen when the main valve or aluice is
closed. And whereas such frost cocks or valves have hitherto been usually so
placed fitted or adapted upon or to the delivery pipe that access to them for closing
opening cleaning clearing and other purposes has been from the outside of the
delivery pipe; or if (otherwise) access has been from the inside, then that the valves
have not been readily removeable nor replaceable. Now my Invention consists in
constructing Hydrants with frost cocks or valves so placed fitted or adapted to them
that access to such valves shall be provided inside of the delivery pipe and in a
straight line (or thereabouts) from the delivery extremity thereof and that they
shall be readily removeable and replaceable. This may be effected in various ways.
The ordinary Hydrants are frequently made with an elbow or bend in the delivery
pipe and are enclosed in a brick pit with iron cover or within an iron box or frame;
and access to the frost cock or valve has been external with regard to the delivery
pipe but from within such pit or box.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1. is a section of an ordinary Hydrant pit or
recess below the ground level with the usual iron cover frame a and removeable
cover b. Inside the pit is shewn in elevation an ordinary sluice or valve box c and
in section a "single-way " delivery pipe d with the usual removeable cap upon its
delivery end d* to which when in use a fire-hose or intermediate elbow pipe may
be connected. (Or as sometimes constructed the sluice box c and delivery pipe d
may be formed in one instead of in two pieces jointed together as shewn.) e is a
frost valve discharging orifice or valve seating and ƒ a plug or valve fitted thereto
which it will be noted are so placed as to be accessible from within the delivery
pipe and in a straight line from its delivery extremity d*. The plug or valve
together with its seating or orifice may be of a description requiring to be closed or
opened by hand or of a description intended to act automatically that is to say
constructed so that the opening and the closing shall be dependent upon water

page_text: pressure or be effected by the shutting off and the turning on of the sluice or main
valve of the Hydrant. Illustrations of each description are herein given and
represented by some of the figures of the Drawing but in all cases the site or
position of the plug or valve and of its seating or discharging orifice is (in
accordance with my Invention) situate inside of or within the delivery pipe and
although within it is accessible in a straight line from the delivery extremity.
Consequently. And in all cases whether so stated or not the plug or valve may
readily be removed to the outside of and completely away from the pipe, and be
replaced when desired its size of course not being too large to pass the usual
constriction of water way at d*. Fig. 2 is similar to Figure 1, excepting that a
Hydrant is shewn with a "double-way" delivery pipe the frost plug or valve and
its seating or discharging orifice being accessible from the delivery extremity d* of
one of the two branches. Fig. 3 shews a "stand-post " Hydrant the delivery pipe
of which is placed as usual within a box or frame forming the foundation of the
post. In this Hydrant the desired access may be had from the top of the stand
post when its cap is removed. Similar letters of reference are used to denote
corresponding parts in the above three figures, and arrows are shewn to indicate
the direction of flow of the water service through the Hydrants. The remaining
figures are drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 4 shews a rod f of any convenient length
employed as the frost-plug or frost-valve the lower end being tapered to fit the
orifice e and the body having a slot opening or catch f* into which the hooked end
of the ordinary "spoon" tool or rod usually carried by turncocks and firemen may
be inserted; or it may be shaped to receive a rod spanner or key of any convenient
description for laying hold of it to open or close the orifice by completely removing
or replacing the rod when required. Fig. 5 is a plug valve ƒ with an eye fx by
which it may be lowered into place or lifted as required. The eye should not be
too large for passing through the upper extremity of the delivery pipe. g is a bush
or seating. The foregoing figures 4 and 5 illustrate forms of frost valves requiring
manual attention for the operations of opening and closing them. The remaining
figures shew frost valves which are automatic or self acting that is to say intended
to close with the water pressure from the inlet pipe m (figures 1. 2. 3) when the
sluice c is opened, and to open when the sluice is closed and the pressure is reduced
to only the small column of water remaining in the delivery pipe when the fire-hose®
or intermediate elbow pipe is disconnected. Fig. 6 shews two views of a hollow
plug with lifting eye f* as described for figure 5 and with a hinged and balanced
Hap f of such size or weight as to allow the passage through the plug to be closed
as shewn when the water pressure from the inlet pipe is "on
and to open the
passage when the water pressure is shut "off" by the sluice of the Hydrant. In
this respect the action is automatic. Fige 7 and 8 shew each of them two views of
other automatic frost valves either of these being the valve shewn or intended by
the reference letter f in the figures 1. 2. and 3. Both of the valves illustrated by
figures 7 and 8 have a hollow plug f, both a lifting eye ƒ* and both a hollow box
or case g at the side of or connected with the plug and within which box or case is
a weight loosely fitting it but guided by projections provided for the purpose,
which maintain the weight centrally but permit it to freely rise and fall accordingly
as the water pressure from the inlet pipe is "on" or "off" the rising action (caused
by the water pressure) closing the passage through the frost valve, and conversely
the falling action opening it (by the force of gravity). The closing or opening is
actually effected at the (valve) fitting or seating at i at the top of the weight h in
figure 7 and near its base in figure 8. In the latter instance a special valve pieco k is
employed which on the upper side is furnished with a stem or rod supporting or
carrying the weight h. In both figures is a strainer or grating which is intended
to be so fitted as to be removeable and by its removal to permit the several parts
or some of them to be taken asunder for cleaning when required.
"
And here I desire it to be noted that any convenient frost plug or valve and
orifice or seating for same may be used in place of those hereinabove described or
illustrated in the drawing.

page_text: 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
The constructing Hydrants with frost plugs or valves or plug or valve-seatings
with-draining orifices the plugs valves seatings or orifices-being so placed fitted or
adapted to the Hydrants that access to them whether they be of a non-automatio
or of un automatic character-shall be provided inside of the delivery pipe-or-one-of
the delivery pipes of the Hydrant (if there-be-more than one) and in a straight line
(or thereabouts) from the delivery extremity of such pipe. The term "Delivery
The constructing Hydrants with readily removeable and re-placeable frost plugs
or valves and with seatings or draining orifices thereto substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn on the drawing, the fitting adapting and placing of the plugs
or valves whether these be non-automatic or automatic being such as to provide for
ready access to them in a straight line (or thereabouts) from the delivery end of
the delivery pipe, or of one of the delivery pipes (if there be more than one) and
for their complete removal through the said end to the outside of and away from
the said pipe, and also for their re-insertion through the said end, and their
replacement into or to their seatings inside of the said pipe. The term "Delivery
pipe" is to be understood as including any water delivering passage on the outlet
side of or beyond the main valve or sluice of the Hydrant whether constructed
strictly as a pipe or otherwise. And the term "automatic" is to be understood in
the sense hereinabove explained.