IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE AND OTHER REFUSE MATTER, AND in Apparatus TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.”
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Job Cole, Promenade Garden, Sutton Coldfield,
in the County of Warwickshire, and William Abbott, Brass Founder,
Birchfield, in the County of Staffordshire, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE AND OTHER REFUSE
MATTER, AND in Apparatus TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Job Cole and William
Abbott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Pet
on the 4th November 1871.
We, JOB COLE, Promenade Garden, Sutton Coldfield, in the County of
Warwickshire, and WILLIAM ABBOTT, Brass Founder, Birchfield, in the
County of Staffordshire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE AND OTHER REFUSE
MATTER, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in order to purify sewage and to separate from it the solid
matters it contains the sewage has been passed into a series of settling.

page_text: tanks, and in some cases chemical substances have been added to it
either before it enters or whilst it is contained in the settling tanks in
order to precipitate the organic impurities contained in the sewage.
The solid and organic matters settle down at the bottom of the de-
positing tanks, whilst the purified liquid portion of the sewage is allowed
to flow away into a river or stream on to the land for the purposes of
irrigation. The deposit accumulated in the tanks has from time to time
and
to be removed and dried to be manufactured into a saleable manure,
great difficulty is now experienced in drying such deposit, and in
addition the accumulated deposit whilst it is drying frequently gives
off offensive smells and creates a nuisance wherever such sewage works
arc erected.
The object of our Invention is to remedy these inconveniences and to
For
facilitate the drying of the deposit collected in the settling tanks.
this purpose we form the bottom of the settling tank of plates of metal,
or tiles or other thin plates, and below such bottom we form hollow
passages which are caused to traverse to and fro in a zig-zag manner from
one side of the tank to the other. When an accumulation of deposit
has been obtained in one of the settling tanks and the liquid portion of
the sewage has been allowed to drain off from it hot water or steam or
other heated fluid is caused to traverse through the zig-zag passages
below the bottom of such tank, and thereby the whole of the bottom of
the tank is heated and the deposit is dried in a few hours. The dried
deposit is then removed from the tank and the tank can be again used
for receiving sewage. The several settling tanks may be covered over
with a suitable roof, and the gases or vapour given off whilst the
deposit in any of them is being dried may be led through a fire and
carried away to a chimney or may be otherwise disposed of. If chemical
matters be used to purify the sewage and the liquid which passes off
from the setting tanks is in a sufficiently purified state it be allowed
to pass at once into a river. If the liquid which passes from the settling
tanks be not completely purified it may be led on to the land for
irrigating purposes; it may also be purified by causing it to flow from
the settling tanks into a channel covered over at the top with gratings
or plates over which is a depth of earth, which absorbs any smell which
may be given off, and the liquid then flows into or over shallow beds
in which are aquatic plants; this completes the deodorization and
purification of the liquid sewage and renders it fit to be passed into a
-
may

page_text: river if desired. A stream of air is also drawn through the covered
channel to carry off the injurious gases, and such stream of air where it
leaves the channel may be conducted through charcoal to purify it from
such gases, or it may be passed through a fire or otherwise disposed of.
The liquid sewage as it is passing through the channel may if desired
be heated to facilitate the driving off of the carbonic acid gas therefrom.
In some cases the solid and liquid excreta from closets in place of being
carried off by a stream of water as sewage may be collected in tanks and
be from time to time dried therein by the application of heat to the bottom
of the tank. Any smells arising from such closets are conducted off to a
chimney of sufficient height to cause the requisite draught, and may be
deodorized on their passage as before described. Sifted ashes or other
dry material may from time to time be thrown into the closet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Job Cole and William Abbott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOB COLE,
Promenado Garden, Sutton Coldfield, in the County of Warwickshire,
and WILLIAM ABBOTT, Brass Founder, Birchfield, in the County of
Staffordshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Job Cole and William Abbott, Her
special license that we, the said Job Cole and William Abbott, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Job
Cole and William Abbott, our 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 TREATING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE AND OTHER'
REFUSE MATTER, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Job Cole and William
'

page_text: '
Abbott, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us or them, 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 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 William Abbott, on behalf of
myself and the said Job Cole, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
Heretofore in order to purify sewage and to separate from it the solid
matters it contains the sewage has been passed into a series of settling
tanks, and in some cases chemical substances have been added to it
either before it enters or whilst it is contained in the settling tanks in
order to precipitate the organic impurities contained in the sewage.
The solid and organic matters settle down at the bottom of the depositing
tanks, whilst the purified liquid portion of the sewage is allowed to flow
away into a river or stream on to the land for the purpose of irrigation.
The deposit accumulated in the tanks has from time to time to be
removed and dried to be manufactured into a saleable manure, and great
difficulty is now experienced in drying such deposit, and in addition
the accumulated deposit whilst it is drying frequently gives off offensive
smells and creates a nuisance wherever such sewage works are crected.
The object of our Invention is to remedy these inconveniences and
to facilitate the drying of the deposit collected in the settling tanks.
For this purpose we provide at the bottom of each settling tank a
number of pipes or passages through which steam or other heated fluid
may be caused to pass in order that when an accumulation of deposit
has been obtained in a settling tank and the liquid portion of the sewage
has been drained off therefrom, that the whole of the deposit may be
heated and quickly dried by causing steam or other heated fluid to
pass through the pipes or passages. When the deposit has been suffi-
ciently dried it may be removed from the tank and the tank can then be
again used for receiving sewage. The several settling tanks may be
carried over with a suitable roof, and the gases or vapour given off

page_text: whilst the deposit in any of them is being dried may be led through a
fire and carried away to a chimney, or may be otherwise disposed of.
If chemical matters be used to purify the sewage and the liquid which
passes off from the settling tanks is in a sufficiently purified state it may
be allowed to pass at once into a river. If the liquid which passes
from the settling tanks be not completely purified it may be led on to
the land for irrigating purposes; it may also be purified by causing it
to flow from the settling tanks into a channel covered over at the top
with gratings or plates over which is a depth of earth which absorbs
any smell which may be given off, and the liquid then flows into or over
shallow beds in which are aquatic plants; this completes the deodo-
rization of the liquid sewage and renders it fit to be passed into a river
if desired

page_text: 3. The combined arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein
described for treating and utilizing sewage.
4. The treating and utilizing sewage by causing it after the solid
matters have been separated therefrom to flow through channels covered
at the top with gratings or perforated coverings over which earth is
placed to absorb any gas which may rise up through the perforations.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Abbott, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.