AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER METER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER
METER." A communication from abroad by Robert Westcott and Job
Symmes Crane, of Elizabeth, in the State of New Jersey, United States
of America.
Sealed the 9th July 1867, and dated the 15th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th February 1867.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lanc,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER METER,"
to be as follows:-
This improved water meter consists of two double-action measuring
cylinders fitted with sliding valves, which valves work in a valve chamber
common to both cylinders, the whole being arranged together in. a box, in

page_text: whose rear side is placed the water supply pipe leading to the valve chamber.
A crank shaft which is connected with the piston rods of the measuring
cylinders by a yoke gives motion through a worm and gear wheel to a dial
which indicates through a fixed index or pointer the quantity of water dis-
charged. Mounted on the crank shaft at opposite sides of this worm are the
cams for working the slide valves which govern the supply and discharge of
the water to and from the measuring cylinders. The water as it is measured
is returned to the valve chamber and flows thence through a discharge pipe.
The force or head of the water that comes through the supply pipe is relied
on to work the pistons, which are so arranged that one piston is made to
control the other, whereby the dead centre in the revolution of one crank is
overcome by the movement of the other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER METER," being a communication to
me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be

page_text: filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
In this improved water meter two cylinders and sliding valves are employed,
the valves working in a valve chamber common to both of them, and all being
arranged together in a box, in whose rear side is placed the water supply
pipe. A crank shaft which is connected with the pistons by a yoke gives
motion through a worm and gear wheel to a dial which indicates through a
fixed index the quantity of water discharged.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of a water meter and
box made according to the present Invention, the cover of the valve chamber
being removed and part of one of the cylinders broken away; Fig. 2 is a
vertical cross section in the plane indicated at ax, x; Fig. 1. Similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The letter A designates a box which encloses on all sides except the front
an apparatus made and arranged according to the Invention. A water supply
pipe O passes through the back of the box into a valve chamber M which is
placed between two pump cylinders B, B, that stand on the bottoin of the
box, as shown in the Drawing; I, I, are studs which are cast with the box A,
and project from its inner side, so as to form supports and guides for the
piston rods C, C, and bearings for the crank shaft D; I' is a stud carrying a
spindle, on which is mounted a gear wheel F, upon whose face may be placed
a dial. It is not considered necessary to show such a dial, because any
skilful artizan can construct and apply one to the apparatus without further
explanation. Upon the point of the spindle is fixed an index which remains
stationary while the gear wheel F which carries such dial rotates behind it.
K, K, are two valve seats formed within the valve chamber M, to which are
fitted slide valves N, whose stems H are suitably attached by links to excen-
trics G, G, placed on the horizontal crank shaft D which is driven from the
pistons C, C; J, J, are cranks placed on the shaft D and working in oblong
slots formed in the piston rods after the well known method of converting
reciprocating into rotary motion; K, K1, K2, K³, are ports which communicate
respectively with the upper and lower parts of the cylinders above and below
their pistons, and which open through the valve seat into the valve chamber

page_text: at such points that they may be alternately covered and uncovered by the
slide valves N; L, L, are channels which communicate with the supply pipe O.
When either of the ports or channels K, K', &c. are uncovered by the slide
S of
valves the water is discharged from the cylinders into one of the spaces
the valve chainber, whence it escapes to the discharge pipe P to be used
wherever it is conducted. When the valves are in the position seen in Fig. 1
the water enters the channels L and passes through the port K' to the lower
part of the left-hand cylinder B, and also through the port K2 to the upper
part of the right-hand cylinder, foreing the piston of the former upward and
that of the latter downward. During such change in the pistons the water
already in the cylinders will be forced out, that in the upper part of the left-
hand cylinder passing through port or channel K into the upper space S, and
that in the lower part of the right-hand cylinder through channel K' into the
lower space S; the space S being always in communication with the discharge
pipe Pare cleared of water as fast as it runs into them. It will be under-
stood that the valves N and channels L will only communicate with each other
and with the channels K, K', K, and K, and that the latter will communi-
cate with the interior of the valve chamber only when they are uncovered by
the valves. The slide valves are operated by the excentrics on the shaft D;
between these excentrics a worm wheel E is placed which works in a gear
wheel F, whose rotations with the aid of the fixed index T may be made the
means of indicating the number of strokes of the pistons or the quantity of
water that has passed through the cylinders. The force or head of the
water that comes through the supply pipe is relied on to work the pistons.
It will be observed that in this arrangement of parts herein shown one piston
is made to control the other, so that the dead centre in the revolution of one
crank is overcome by the movement of the other.
The box A and the studs I, I', can be cast together, also the cylinders
and valve seats R, R, can be cast in one piece.
The whole apparatus is arranged in its box A in a compact form and is not
easily liable to get out of order.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved
Construction of Water Meter," as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, a water meter made and arranged substantially as above shown, that
is to say, consisting of two cylinders having a common valve chamber between
them, within which are placed two slide valves worked by excentrics, or their

page_text: equivalents, from a shaft rotated by proper connections from the pistons of the
cylinders, such shaft carrying a worm E which rotates a gear wheel F, whose
spindle carries a fixed index, all as above set forth.
Second, combining the said apparatus mentioned in the preceding clause
with an enclosing box A, in the manner substantially as above shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.B.)