AN IMPROVED EARTH CLOSET."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Fraser Baird, of Pimlico, in the County
of Middlesex, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Bengal Staff Corps, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED EARTH CLOSET."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Fraser Baird
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th August 1867.
I; AUGUSTUS FRASER BAIRD, of Pimlico; in the County of Middlesex,
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Bengal Staff Corps, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED EARTH CLOSET," to be as follows:-
This closet consists of the following. parts" or members, viz., a receptacle
beneath the seat for receiving the deposits with which the earth is 'to be'
mixed'; a shoot or passage opening into the said réceptacle) for conveying 'the'
earth into the same, and at the other end to that above mentioned another
opening by which the earth is supplied from a hopper to the said shoot; the
bottom of this-hopper being curved. and provided with the last-mentioned
opening for conimunication with the shoot is opened and closed by the action
of a sector piece or other valve weighted asia counterbalance, such piece or
valve being secured to or forming part of a flap or valve hung on a centre, the
office of which flap is to close the opening from the shoot into the receptacle
first herein mentioned, the same being effected by means of a projection from

page_text: the centre of the said flap or valve situate just beneath the seat of the closet,
so that when at rest the sector valve closes the entrance from the hopper to
the shoot and prevents the discharge of earth into the said shoot, and when
used the weight of the sitter presses the seat on the said projection and thus
gives motion to the valve arrangements, and opening the entrance from the
hopper to the shoot and shutting the entrance to the receptacle for deposits,
thus allows the shoot to be filled with earth, which is discharged therefrom
into the said receptacle by the sitter removing pressure by getting up from
the seat. The sector valve has a rod or rods attached to it working in the
hopper to prevent the consolidation of the earth and cause it to move as
required.
Instead of the seat effecting the desired action by the above-described
arrangements there may be a ledge behind or by the side of the seat, which
may be acted on by push-down-action of the seat, or by a handle acting on
the fore end of the valve arrangement, the shoot being at an angle nearer the
horizontal line than that above described; or a hinged or other cover may
effectuate the action; or the action may be effected by the intervention of a
connector, or cord, or wire, and handle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Augustus Fraser Baird in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th February 1868.
;
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME;-I, AUGUSTUS
FRASER BAIRD, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant-Colonel
in the Bengal Staff Corps, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters,
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her,
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the;
said. Augustus Fraser Baird, Her, special, licence that I, the said Augustus
Fraser Baird, my, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said Augustus Fraser Baird, 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 EARTH CLOSET," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said Augustus Fraser Baird, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 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 Augustus Fraser Baird, do bereby
declare the nature of my said. Invention,-and-in. what manner_the_same_is_to_.
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The nature of the said Invention consists in constructing an earth closet in the
manner hereafter described. This closet has the following parts or members
arranged and acting in manner hereafter described, namely, a receptacle beneath
the seat for receiving the deposits with which the earth is to be mixed, with a
shoot or passage opening into the said receptacle for conveying the earth into
the same, and at the other end to that above mentioned another opening by
which the earth is supplied from a hopper to the said shoot; the bottom of this.
hopper being curved and provided with the last-mentioned opening for com-
munication with the shoot is opened and closed by the action of a sector piece
or other valve weighted as a counterbalance, such piece or valve being secured to
and forming part of a flap or valve hung at the centre, the office of which flap
or valve is to close the opening from the shoot into the receptacle first herein
mentioned, the same being effected by means of a projection from the centre
of the said flap or valve situate just beneath the seat of the 'closet, so that
when at rest the sector valve closes the entrance from the hopper to the shoot
and prevents the discharge of earth into the said shoot, and when the closet.
is used the weight of the sitter presses the seat on the said projection and
thus gives motion to the valve arrangement and opens the entrance from the
hopper to the shoot, shutting the entrance to the receptacle for deposits, thus
causing the shoot to be filled up with earth, which is to be discharged therefrom
into the receptacle by the removal of pressure by the sitter getting up from
the seat.
The sector valve has a rod or rods attached to it working in the
hopper to prevent the consolidation of the earth and cause it to move as.
required.
Instead of the seat effecting the desired action by the above-described
arrangements there may be a ledge behind or by the side of the seat, which
may be acted upon by push down action of the seat, or by a handle action on.
the fore end of the valve arrangement, the shoot being at an angle nearer a
horizontal line than that above described; a hinged cover may also be adopted

page_text: vertical position shewn depresses the seat, which is thus caused to act on the
said projection (D). Figure 4 shews this arrangement with the hinged cover
shut down.
Figure 5 view of the side of the shoot or box where the pivot of the door is
situate.
Figure 6 is a section of another arrangement of the details of my earth closet.
A weighted valve (A) moving on a pivot (a) is opened from (y) towards (w)
by the point (e) being-depressed-by-the-seat which rests-on-it; when-(c).
reaches (x) the piece (a, b, p,) is moved on the pivot (6) and some prongs (p)
are thrown forward in the direction of the dotted lines toward the opening
y, w, aiding the earth in its exit in case of its being consolidated or hardened.
The lowering of the piece (a, b, p,) from w to v pulls down some prongs P
moving on a pivot d at the top of the reservoir causing the earth to be moved
so as to insure its filling up the space emptied below and preventing arching
above it. This is all effected by the weight of a person depressing the seat at
(e). On the seat being released and e freed a weight w attached to the
upper prones P at the back of the reservoir brings all the prongs into their
original position. The upper and lower prongs are connected by a bar or
chain fff. The said upper prongs may be made to work at the sides
instead of the back, the weight being inside, and there being two sets of prongs
instead of one and two weights.
Figure 7 is a section of another arrangement of details of my earth closet.
F, the hopper; C, moveable shoot working on pivots at B; G, weight piece;
A, stop piece, which may be also used as a shoot by being prolonged for that
purpose; P, prongs to prevent consolidation of earth. This apparatus can be
put in action by the weight of the sitter upon the seat, or by a handle (as at
Figure 8) fastened to the pivot, which must be lengthened for its reception. This
handle can be used with the other apparatus. When the valve G is brought from
under the opening 6 the shoot is brought over A and its opening a closed, the
shoot C is filled with earth, and upon the sitter rising or letting the handle free
the weighted valve G falls back and closes the opening b, at the same time
opening d, and the earth is free to cover the deposit. The weighted valve
herein-before referred to can be made wedge-shaped, as shewn in Figure 8.
The width of the shoot or box in which the earth is collected for use on
each occasion may be from three to six inches wide, more or less as desired,
so as to contain from one and a half to three pints of earth. The length from
the centre to the top of the flap or valve of the shoot or box, or from the
centre of the lower end of thereof, may vary according to circuuistances as
may be found desirable.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare
that I claim, the improved earth closet herein-described which has the shoot,
flap or valve, and hopper and receptacle for déposits as hérein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Fraser Baird, have hereunto
'set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
AUGUSTUS FRASER BAIRD. (L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD STUBBS,
Solicitor,
1, Nicholas St.,
BristoÏ.
'