A NEW OR IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM VATS AND OTHER VESSELS AND RESERVOIRS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Webster, of Solihull, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS
FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM VATS AND OTHER VESSELS AND
RESERVOIRS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Webster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th November 1881.
JAMES WEBSTER, of Solihull, in the County of Warwick, Engineer. "A NEW
OR IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM VATS
AND OTHER VESSELS AND RESERVOIRS."
The object of this Invention is to draw off liquids of different gravities as
required from vessels or reservoirs without disturbing the sediment at the bottom
thereof by means of a floating apparatus.
In carrying my said Invention into practice I construct a hollow case or shell of
any suitable form and material, say, of thin copper. Within this shell, and slightly
projecting outside of it, I fit and fix one or more (by preference four) horizontal
inlet-pipes, meeting in a hollow boss in the centre of the shell or thereabouts; to
the underside of the said boss I fit the outlet-pipe, which passes through the
bottom of the said shell, on the end of which pipe I attach an indiarubber or
other flexible tube to convey the liquid away through the bottom or side of the
vessel in the usual way. Or the said tube may be fitted to a syphon for carrying
off the liquids without perforating such vessels. In the upper part of the said boss
I fit a smaller tube, perforated near its upper end, to allow air to pass in and out
of such boss to prevent a vacuum being formed therein, which tube is passed
through the upper end of the shell. All the joints, where the pipes pass through
the shell, as well as the others, are made sound and water tight, so that the apparatus
may float.
The horizontal inlet-pipes and the boss are fixed a little below the middle
(vertically) of the shell.
Upon and near the lower end of the outlet-pipe I fix a collar, upon which collar
I place the principal weights to steady and partially to sink the apparatus.

page_text: In using my said improved apparatus the shell is placed upon the liquid, being
previously sufficiently weighted by metal weights placed upon the collar of the
outlet-pipe to sink the shell in the liquid to the proper depth to allow such liquid
to touch or nearly touch the underside of those portions of the inlet-pipes which
project outside the shell.
When the liquid is sufficiently clear or ready to be drawn off, I then place some
lighter metallic weights on the upper or air-pipe to sink the mouths of the inlet-
pipes the required depth in the liquid. The flow of the liquid into the inlet-pipes
is regulated by these top weights, the more of them that are put upon the shell the
greater is the flow of the liquid through the apparatus; by reducing the said
weight the liquid can be drawn off to the greatest nicety, and so gently and evenly
as not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the vessel, even when the liquid is
drawn off very nearly to the top of such sediment.
For some purposes, where a large floating apparatus is required, I prefer to make
such floating apparatus of solid wood, cork, or other similar material of a light
gravity. In these cases, instead of using inlet-pipes I channel the upper part of
these floats, say, two or more channels cutting each other in or near the centre of
the float, or cutting a main longitudinal channel and a suitable number of others
crosswise thereto, so that all the liquid entering them will flow to such centre, in
the underside of which meeting place the outlet-pipe is fixed, and the flexible tube
attached thereto.
My said apparatus may be applied as a floating filter by enlarging the centre
boss, or by forming a chamber there, and charging the same with carbon.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th May
1882.
JAMES WEBSTER, of Solihull, in the County of Warwick, Engineer. "A NEW
OR IMPROVED FLOATING APPARATUS FOR DRAWING OFF LIQUIDS FROM VATS
AND OTHER VESSELS AND RESERVOIRS."
The object of this Invention is to draw off liquids of different gravities as
required from vessels or reservoirs without disturbing the sediment at the bottom
thereof by means of a floating apparatus, cither bollow or solid.
In order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and be more
readily performed, I will explain the same with the aid of the accompanying
Drawing, which forms part of this Specification, reference being made thereto by
the numerals and letters marked thereon, the same index letter refers to similar
parts of the apparatus in each Figure of the said Drawing.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved hollow metallic float.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the middle of the tubes b of the float.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the middle of the said float.
Fig. 4 is an isometrical perspective view of a channelled solid wood or cork float,
for the same purpose.
In carrying my said Invention into practice, I construct a hollow case or shell a,
say, of thin copper; of any suitable form or shape. Within this shell a and slightly
projecting outside of it I fit and fix one or more (by preference four, as shown)
horizontal inlet-pipes b meeting in a hollow boss c in the centre of the shell a, or
a little above it, as shown; to the underside of the boss c I fit the outlet-pipe d
which passes through the shell a at a¹, as shown, on the end of which pipe d
at d', I attach an indiarubber or other flexible tube to convey the clear
liquid away through the bottom or side of the vessel in the usual way. Or
the said flexible tube may be fitted to a syphon for carrying off the liquid without
perforating the vessel.
In the upper part of the boss c I fit a smaller tube e, perforated near its upper
end, say at c¹, to allow air to pass in and out of the boss c to prevent a vacuum
being formed therein, which tube passes through the upper end of the shell at a³,
as shown.
The joints where the pipes pass through the shell, as also all other joints therein,
are made sound, secure, and water-tight, so that the apparatus may safely float.
Upon the lower or outlet-pipe d I fix a collar f, upon which collar f I place the
weights g to steady and partially to sink the apparatus.
In us my said improved apparatus the shell a is placed upon the liquid, being
previously sufficiently weighted with weights g placed upon the collar f of the
outlet-pipe d to sink the shell a in the liquid to the proper depth to allow such
liquid to touch or nearly touch the underside of those portions of the inlet-pipes b
which project outside the shell a.
When the liquid is sufficiently clear or ready to be drawn off, I then place some
lighter weights h upon the collar i, which collar is fitted to the upper pipe e so as
to sink the mouths of the inlet-pipes to the requisite depths in the liquid. The
flow of the clear liquid into the inlet-pipes b is regulated by these uppermost
weights ; the greater their aggregate weight the greater is the flow of such liquid
through the apparatus; by carefully reducing such weight the liquid can be drawn
off to the greatest nicety, and so gently and evenly as not to disturb the sediment
at the bottom of the vessel, even when the liquid is drawn off very nearly to the
upper surface of such sediment.

page_text: For some purposes where a large floating apparatus is required I prefer to make
such floating apparatus t of solid wood, cork, or other suitable material of light
gravity, see Fig. 4. In these cases, instead of using inlet-pipes b, I form channels
in the upper part of the solid body t, say two or more channels communicating
with each other in or near centre of the float; or I form a main longitudinal
channel along the middle of the float and a suitable number of others crosswise.
thereto. In all cases the bottoms of the channels are made with a very slight
fall to the centre of the float so that all the liquid entering such channels shall
freely flow to such centre and pass down the outlet-pipe 1, which is fixed where
shown and carried down through the float; to the lower end of this pipe the
flexible tube is attached for carrying off the liquid.
This float is weighted and regulated in a similar manner as herein described for
the metal float, and shown in Fig. 1; or it may be weighted and regulated by top
weights alone placed on the metal posts m, as shown by the dotted lines at h¹ and h
in Fig. 4, such posts being fixed in suitable positions for keeping the float as nearly
in the horizontal plane as possible or desired.
My said improved apparatus may be applied as a floating filter by enlarging the
centre or meeting place of the channels, or by forming a chamber there, and
charging the same with charcoal or other filtering material.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and the method of performing the same, I claim as my Invention and desire to
secure by the herein before mentioned in part recited Letters Patent,.
Firstly. The floating metallic hollow apparatus, substantially as and for the
-purposes herein.described, and shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawing.
Secondly. The floating solid apparatus with channels, as-and-for-the-purpose-
herein described, and shown in Figure 4 of the said Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Webster, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two.