An improved Apparatus for Abter caining in Casks or similar Receptacles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 21st Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 28th Jan., 1887.
RESERVE
An improved Apparatus for Abter caining
in Casks or similar Receptacles.
I ROBERT HILL of 19 North View in the City and County of Newcastle upon Tyne,
Innkeeper,. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable the contents of spirit or other casks being
taken more readily than heretofore. The apparatus consists in a glass tube inserted in
a cylinder having a vertical opening, and extending about the full height of the cask.
The cylinder is attached at the top to the cask by a bracket, and at the bottom by a
stop cock, one end of which is inserted into the cask, and the other end is attached to
an elbow from the bottom of the cylinder. The bottom of the glass tube is inserted
into a gland fixed in the upper end of the elbow. On the lower side of the elbow a
pet cock is fixed. There is a small outlet for air in the top of the tube. On the
outer side of the cylinder I arrange a scale showing the various measurements or
quantities.
To ascertain the contents of a cask, I turn on the stop cock, and the liquid then
flows up the tube and shows the same level as the inside, the scale on the cylinder
showing at a glance, the contents. After the contents are ascertained, I shut off the
stop cock, and take out the liquid remaining in the tube, through the pet cock.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Ascertaining the Quantities of Liquids
in Casks or similar Receptacles.
.
I ROBERT HILL of 19 North View in the City and County of Newcastle upon Tyne
Wine and Spirit Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE QUANTITIES OF LIQUIDS IN OASKS OR
SIMILAR RECEPTACLES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to enable the contents of spirit or other casks being
taken more readily than heretofore, and it consists essentially of a glass tube inserted
in a cylinder having a vertical opening, which is attached to the cask, at the top by a
bracket, and at the bottom by connections with a stop cock screwed into the cask; the
whole being arranged and operating substantially as hereinafter more particularly
explained.
For illustrating this invention I have chosen its application to a spirit stock cask of
the size usually containing 108 gallons, and known by the name of a butt.
Figure 1 in the accompanying drawings represents the apparatus as affixed to a
cask.
A is a glass tube, which is inserted in a cyclinder B, (made of brass or other
suitable metal). This cylinder has a slit in the front, taken out for the purpose of
showing the glass tube. The bottom of the glass tube and metal cylinder are inserted
into a stuffing box C. A ground in coupling D connects the stuffing box C to an
elbow E. Another ground in coupling D 1 connects the elbow E to a lock stop cock F;
the lock stop cock being screwed into the cask as at G. In the under side of the
elbow E is inserted a pet cock H. The upper portion of the cylinder passes through
and is held in position by a bracket J, and which is screwed into the cask as at K.
The top of the cylinder is covered by a screw cap L or plug screw, in which is a small
air vent. A hole is bored through the screw of the bracket J communicating with a
pet cock fixed in the bracket as at H 1. A scale is marked on the outer side of the
cylinder indicating the quantities. Figure 2 is a detail of the scale of quantities
drawn to a larger scale, and is one half of the actual size required for the size of cask
mentioned above. The longer markings indicate gallons and the shorter, half and
quarter gallons.
To ascertain the contents of the cask, I turn on the lock stop cock F, and the liquid
then flows up the tube; the vent in the screw cap L allowing the air in the tube to
pass out with the force of the rising liquid. I then turn on the pet cock H 1 allowing
air to enter the upper part of the cask, and overcome the vacuum created by the liquid
running from the cask into the tube.
The liquid in the tube has now attained the same level as inside the cask, when the
scale at the height of the liquid gives the contents of the cask. I then shut the stop
cock F, close the pet cock H 1 to prevent any further air entering the cask, and take
out the liquid remaining in the tube through the pet cock H.

page_text: The apparatus as above described allows stock spirit casks being kept sealed, and
prevents any tampering with the contents, the quantity in the cask being ascertained
without any disturbance of the spirit.
The apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 only allows the scale to commence at the point of
6 gallons, and it is very seldom necessary to require it lower, but when so required, I
make a slight alteration in the connections at the lower end of the tube. The portion
of the stop cock F would be bent downwards between the screwed end G and the
barrel, and the connections lowered, allowing the tube and cylinder to be lengthened
so that the scale could be shown to commence from a quarter gallon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
An apparatus consisting of a glass tube in a metal cylinder, attached at the bottom
to a stop cock by an elbow and couplings, held in position at the top by a bracket;
the said tube and cylinder being covered by a cap or plug screw having an air vent,
the arrangement of the pet cocks H and H 1, the said cylinder having a scale placed
thereon arranged to suit various sizes of casks or similar receptacles; the whole in
manner and for the purpose substantially as hereinbefore specified and shown in the
accompanying drawings.