IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FOUNTAIN
Year: 1871

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LETTERS PATENT to James Walkland and John Unwin, both of
Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of
IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FOUNTAIN.”
Sealed the 25th July 1871, and dated the 30th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Walkland and
John Unwin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 30th January 1871.
We, JAMES WALKLAND and JOHN UNWIN, both of Sheffield, in the
County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FOUNTAIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of an improved self-acting
fountain adapted for application to the interiors of various ornamental
and useful articles, or for room decorations, such as candelabras,
grottos, ferneries, and other places where the play of water or other
liquids, such as scents or perfumes, may be desirable or necessary, pro-
ducing thereby various brilliant effects, especially where the water or

page_text: other liquid is made to play between or around candles or other
illuminating agents.
The Invention consists in constructing the upper part of a candelabra,
for example (or other ornament), spread out and made into an air-tight
basin, vessel, or chamber by being covered by a flat or sloping plate;
the bottom of this basin, vessel, or chamber is formed by another plate
separating the basin from the stem or pedestal beneath. The lower part
of the candelabra (or whatever article it is wished to apply the
fountain to) is likewise spread out and a basin or chamber of similar
dimensions to the higher chamber is formed therein by having a plate
fixed above, and separating it from the hollow stem or pedestal. The
plate forming the bottom of this chamber may likewise form part or the
whole of the bottom of the candelabra or other article. The outsides of
these chambers, as well as the outside of the stem or pedestal, may be
formed into any desired ornaments or mouldings of any suitable shape or
design. A pipe or tube extends" from near the bottom of the inside of
the lower chamber, up through the stem or pedestal and upper chamber,
and terminates flush with the upper surface of the covering plate of the
same. A second pipe extends from the upper part of the inside of the
lower chamber up through the stem to the upper part of the inside of
the higher chamber. Both these pipes are open throughout. A third
and central pipe extends from the lower part of the inside of the
higher chamber up and through the covering of the same, terminating
in a nozzle or jet surrounded by foliage or any suitable ornamental or
useful design.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The upper chamber is
first filled with water or other liquid or perfume or scent through an
orifice in the covering plate of the same, which when the chamber is
filled is closed by a screw top or other convenient means. A space or
basin immediately above this plate, and formed by a slight continuation
upwards of the sides of the upper chamber, is then partially filled. The
water herein runs down the first pipe into the lower chamber and expels
the air therefrom up the second pipe into the upper chamber. The
downward pressure of the air here causes the water to be forced up the
central pipe and through the nozzle or jet, thereby forming a fountain,
which plays until the lower chamber is full of the water or other
liquid.

page_text: Afterwards, by simply inverting the article or apparatus the water or
other fluid will be emptied back into the other chamber or basin, and
the fountain so made again ready for playing, or in some cases a small
orifice may be made in the bottom of the lower chamber closed by a
screw plug or other means when the apparatus is at work.
When the
lower chamber is filled this plug may be removed and the water will
flow out through the orifice, the screw top in the upper chamber being
first removed so as to allow for the admission of air to supply the place
of the water.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said James Walkland and John Unwin in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
WALKLAND and JOHN UNWIN, both of Sheffield, in the County of York,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Walkland and John Unwin, Her
special licence that we, the said James Walkland and John Unwin,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said James Walkland and John Unwin, our executors, adminis❤
trators, 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 Channęl
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING
FOUNTAIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
Walkland and John Unwin, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or one of our or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within

page_text: six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Walkland and John
Unwin, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to the construction of an improved self-acting
fountain adapted for application to the interiors of various ornamental
and useful articles, or to room decorations, such as candelabras, grottos,
ferneries, and other places where the play of water or other liquids,
such as scents or perfumes, may be desirable or necessary, producing
thereby various brilliant effects, especially where the water or other
liquid is made to play between or around candles or other illuminating
agents.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "An
Improved Self-acting Fountain," we will now proceed to describe more in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be dis-
tinctly understood we have annexed hereunto one Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say :-
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figure 1, as one example of
its application, represents our Invention as applied to a candelabra, the
exterior of which may be ornamented in any desirable or suitable manner;
and Figure 2 represents a central vertical section of the shell of the
same showing the interior arrangement of the fountain.
The Invention consists in constructing the upper part of a candelabra,
for example (or of any other suitable ornament) as an enlarged air-tight
· basin or chamber a (see Figure 2) by covering the same with a flat or
. sloping plate b, the bottom of the basin, vessel, or chamber being formed
. by another plate c, which separates the basin a from the hollow stem or
pedestal d beneath. The lower part of the, candelabra (or whatever

page_text: article it is wished to apply the fountain to or to insert it in) is likewise
enlarged or spread out and a basin or chamber e of similar dimensions
to the chamber a is formed therein by having a plate ffixed above and
separating it from the stem or pedestal d. The plate g forming the
bottom of the chamber e may likewise form part or the whole of the
bottom of the candelabra or other article (see Fig. 2). The exterior
of these chambers as well as the exterior of the stem or pedestal d may
be enriched in appearance by means of any desired ornaments,
engravings, paintings, or mouldings, and of any suitable shape and
design, as illustrated in Figure 1, for example. A pipe or tube h
extends from near the bottom of the inside of the chamber e up through
the stem or pedestal d and chamber a and terminates flush with the
upper surface of the covering plate 6 of the same. A second pipe i
extends from the upper part of the inside of the chamber e up through
the stem d to the upper part of the inside of the chamber a.
pipes and i are open throughout. A third and central pipe j extends
from the lower part of the inside of the chamber a up and through the
plate 6 and is terminated by a nozzle or jet k which may be surrounded
by foliage or any suitable ornamental or useful design.
means.
Both
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The chamber a is first
filled with water or other liquid or perfume or scent through an orifice /
in the covering plate of the same, which orifice (when the chamber a is
filled) is closed by a screw top or plug m, or by any other convenient
A space or basin n immediately above the plate 6 and formed
by a slight continuation upwards of the sides of the upper chamber (as
seen in Fig. 2) is then partially filled. The water in the basin n runs
down the pipe h (flush with the plate 6) and into the chamber e and
expels the air therefrom up the pipe into the chamber a. The down-
ward pressure of the air in this chamber causes the water therein to be
O forced up the central pipe ; and through the nozzle or jet k, thereby
forming a fountain which plays until the lower chamber is full of the
water or other liquid. Afterwards by simply inverting the article or
apparatus the water or other liquid will empty itself back into the
chamber or basin a, the plug o thereon being first removed to allow for
3 the emission of the air therefrom, and likewise the plug p from the
chamber e to allow for the admission of air to supply the place of
the running water, and the fountain will be thereby again ready for
lamine

page_text: The orifice (closed by the plug p) in the chamber e may also be used
as follows: When the chamber e is filled the plug p may be removed
from the orifice and the water or other liquid will flow out through
the same into any suitable receptacle provided the screw top or
plug m in the chamber a is first removed to allow for the admission
of air. In this case the orifice and plug in the chamber a would not
be required.
Or in lieu of this the apparatus may be constructed as illustrated in
Figure 3 so as to play at both ends. In this case the arrangement of all
the pipes would be double (videlicet) in addition to the three pipes
h, i, and there would be three others h¹, i, j, which would perform
the same functions respectively when the apparatus is inverted which the
pipes h, i, and j do when the apparatus is placed as illustrated. When
the chamber e as above described has become filled with the liquid and
the fountain has consequently ceased to play, and it is desired to
recommence, all that is necessary is first to transfer the jet k from the
pipe j to, and to close the pipe with the screw cap × from j¹, and to
transfer a screw stopper y from the upper part of pipe to the pipe i;
this is done through an orifice in the plate 6 closed by the cap 2. The
apparatus is then inverted and a screw stopper z transferred from the
(now) upper part of the pipe i to the pipe h, which is performed through
an orifice in the plate g closed by a cap 4, and a little water or other
liquid is poured into the basin n¹ which runs down the pipe h¹ & expels
the air from the chamber a through the pipe to the chamber e, and
thereby forces the liquid therein out through the jet k (now) on the
pipe, and the fountain plays as before described till the chamber a is
filled, when, if desired, the operation is repeated, the cap x¹ being again
removed to the pipe ¹ and the jet to the pipe j, and the plugs or stoppers
z and y from the pipes h and i being removed and transferred respectively
to the pipes and h¹. In this double arrangement the plugs o and p
would not be required.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention for
"An Improved Self-acting Fountain," together with the manner in
which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, we would remark in conclusion that we claim as our Invention,
the peculiar construction and either single or double-acting arrangement
of the improved self-acting fountain and its application and adaptation
to various ornamental and useful purposes, substantially as herein-

page_text: before described and as illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Unwin (on behalf of the said
James Walkland and on my own behalf), have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
JOHN UNWIN. (L.S.)