"A NEW METHOD OF MAKING OR OBTAINING A VACUUM OR VACUUMS, WHEREBY POWERS ARE GAINED OR OBTAINED APPLICABLE TO THE IMPROVE- NENT OF HYDRAULIC, PNEUMATICAL, AND MECHANICAL MACHINES OR ENGINES, OR ANY OTHERS WHERE FLUIDS, STEAM, OR VAPOUR MAY BE USED OR APPLIED
Year: 1802

page_text: WILSON'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
WILSON, of the Grange Walk, in the Parish of Saint Mary Magdalen, Ber-
mondsey, in the County of Surry, Tanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Christopher Wilson, did, by my petition, humbly re-
present to His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third that I had, by
long study and application, and after much trouble, labour, and expence, found
out, invented, and discovered "A NEW METHOD OF MAKING OR OBTAINING A VACUUM
OR VACUUMS, WHEREBY POWERS ARE GAINED OR OBTAINED APPLICABLE TO THE IMPROVE-
NENT OF HYDRAULIC, PNEUMATICAL, AND MECHANICAL MACHINES OR ENGINES, OR ANY
OTHERS WHERE FLUIDS, STEAM, OR VAPOUR MAY BE USED OR APPLIED," which said
Invention I, the said Christopher Wilson, conceived would be of general public
utility; that I, the said Christopher Wilson, was the first and true inventor
thereof, and that the same was not known, nor had ever been used or practised
by any other person or persons, to the best of my knowledge and belief; I did,
therefore, most humbly pray His Majesty that he would be graciously pleased
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Majesty's
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole use,
benefit, and advantage of my said Invention, within that part of His Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and. Ireland called England, His Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years,
according to the Statute in that case made and provided; His said Majesty, being
willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which might be for the
public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request, and, there-
fore, by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of

page_text: March, in the forty-second year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain
knowledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and
grant unto me, the said Christopher Wilson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, his especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Christopher Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every
of us, by ourselves, or by our deputy or deputies, servants, or agents, or such
others as I, the said Christopher Wilson, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term of years therein and herein-after ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, .use, exercise, and vend my said
Invention within that part of His Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Christopher Wilson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions
seem meet; and that I, the said Christopher Wilson, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit,
benefit, commodity and advantage, from time to time coming, growing,
accruing, and arising, by reason of tho said Invention, for and during the term
of years therein and hercin-after mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy
the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or
mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Christopher..Wilson, my,executors,
administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of
fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately
ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended according to. the Statute in such
case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that if I, the said Christopher Wilson, should not particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
one calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages.
whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void,
anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had,
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in obedience to the said Letters Patent, and the
proviso therein contained, I, the said Christopher Wilson, do hereby describe
and ascertain the nature of my aforesaid Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, in manner following (that is to say):→
.

page_text: To make or obtain a vacuum or vacuums according to my said Invention, a
metal box or case, to contain the wheels and segments herein-after described,
must be made with two flat sides, one of which (the other being similar thereto)
is represented by Figure 2 in the Drawing annexed hereto, numbered 1; the
top, bottom, and the other sides consist of two segments of a cylinder (marked
A, A, in Figure 1 in the said Drawing annexed hereto, numbered 1), and of
pipes or tubes of such forms as may best answer the purpose to which the
working parts are intended to be applied. The whole of such box or case (after
the wheels and segments herein-after described are placed therein) must be
made air-tight, except at the bottom and top, where the water or other fluid
is to pass in and out through the pipes or tubes marked B, B, in the said
Figure 1. In the box or case two segments of a cylinder are contained,
marked C, C, in the said Figure 1, two of their ends being united, and their
sides or edges fastened to the flat sides of the box or case, in which is also
contained two wheels marked D, D, in the said Figure 1, each of which
revolves upon an axis which goes through the flat sides of the box or case. The
wheels may be made with any number of teeth of any shape, so as that the
teeth of the, one will fill up the spaces in the other, and work and be as near
air and water tight as possible. The diameter of the wheels must be equal to
the diameter of the cylinder from which the before-mentioned segments are
cut, so that the ends or points of the teeth may touch the inside of the segments.
The wheels must be of an equal width with the cylinder, so that their sides
may work against the insides of the flat sides of the box or case. The axles
of the wheels must be made long enough to come through the flat sides of the
box or case, and to admit of having placed over two or three of their ends
caps or stuffing boxes, screwed or fastened to the sides of the case to make
them air-tight, and likewise to be bearings to the axles, and one of such axles
must be made long. enough to have a stuffing box and square end as repre-
sented by E in Figure 2 of the said Drawing, numbered 1, to place a handle
pulley or wheel thereon to work the machine. The bottom of the box or case
is a tube or pipe, marked B in the said Figure 1, through which water or
other fluid is to ascend, and to which tube or pipe another pipe or tube of any
required length, and made either of metal wood, leather, or any other substance
that will answer for a tube may be connected, as occasion requires, according
to the different uses to which the machine may be applied. The top of the
box or case is a tube or pipe, also marked B in the said Figure 1, through
which the water or other fluid drawn into the machine through the tube or
pipe at bottom is discharged, and to which tube or pipe at the top a connect-
ing tube or pipe may be placed in like manner as to the bottom. By turning

page_text: the handle pulley or wheel fixed to the axle of one of the wheels (and which
must always be turned towards the center of the machine) both the wheels are
put in motion, and the spaces between their teeth become so many buckets each
carrying itself full from the pipe or tube at the bottom (which pipe or tube
branches into two, as marked F, F, in the said Figure 1, and feeds the two wheels
on the contrary sides, which carry it up into the tube or pipe at the top, through
which it will ascend to any required beighth, as it cannot pass down again between
the teeth that are in gear, but presses on the descending teeth, which, working
in contract with each other and sweeping the lower segments of the cylinder
with their points, make or obtain a vacuum in the spaces marked G, G, in the
said Figure 1, and by the weight of the atmosphere and incumbent fluid acting
on the upper sides of the descending teeth, as they fall into the vacuum, great
power is gained or obtained, and the teeth, by sweeping the upper segments,
make a vacuum in the lower pipe or tube. Another vacuum, according to my
said Invention, and whereby great power is also gained or obtained, is made or
obtained in manner following (that is to-say) :-
:-
A, A, A, in the Drawing numbered 2, hereto annexed and marked Figure 3,
represent a wheel with three of its sides firmly united by any mode, so as to
be air and water tight, and the other side open in the wheel, but covered close
with the cap or case B, B, B. In the said Figure 3, and the pipes or tubes C
and G, G, G, in the said Figure 3, round the inner sweep or circle of the cap
or case, and the pipes or tubes, must be fastened on a sufficient stuffing to
make the whole air or water-tight with the wheel A, A, A. The wheel may
be inade of metal, or of metal and wood, and the arms connected by any of the
various modes of making water-wheels; in the inside of the wheel must be
partitions to form buckets. Tho partitions may be either straight, angular, or
curved, and may also be either fixed fast to the wheel the whole of their
length, or only fastned with hinges or pivots at the inner end to the inside of
the wheel, and by that means be moveable. The other ends of the partitions
must project even with the periphery of the wheel, so as touch the inner side
of the cap or case. The cap or case must be firmly fixed on a bed or frame of
any materials; and the wheel A, A, A, must also be hung by its axle H in the
said Figure 3 in a frame, and well adjusted, so as to turn easy in the cap or
case and pipes or tubes. In the case D, in the said Figure 3, may be fixed one
of the before described machines, or any other forcing hydraulic engine, the upper
pipe of which must be connected with the pipe or tube E in the said Figure 3,
which may be open at the top, but must be connected with the trough F, in
the said Figure 3, which communicates with the pipes or tubes G, G, G. All
the pipes or tubes may be of any form, and made of any materials capable of

page_text: being made into pipes and tubes; one of the pipes or tubes marked G may
answer the purpose, or a greater number may be used; and there is not any
necessity for their being all level at the top, but they may be of different levels,
and of any heighth. On the axle H may be fixed any kind of machinery now
in use, which is fixed or connected to the axles of wheels, and also machinery
to turn the machine or engine in the box D. When all is so fixed and
connected, the trough F must be filled with water, which will fill the pipes
or tubes G, G, G, and part of the wheel A, A, A, but will be stopped in its
descent by the partitions in the wheel, and will carry the wheel round, and
as the partitions fall to the bottom the fluid will fall into the pipe or tube C,
and then into the box D, where the before described machine, or any other
hydraulic engine, as before mentioned, being turned or worked by the con-
necting machinery on the axle H, makes or obtains a vacuum in the pipe or
tube C, at the bottom of the wheel; which being acted upon by the water in
the pipes G, G, G, and the atmosphere above them, will gain a great power,
which may be communicated or applied from the wheel or axle H to or upon
any kind of hydraulical, pneumatical, or mechanical machinery whatever. The
pipes or tubes C and E, and box D, with the machine or other engine therein,
as before mentioned, may be placed on any side of the wheel A, A, A, so that
the pipe or tube E may convey the water or other fluid into the trough F, or
by any other mode into the pipes or tubes G, G, G.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Wilson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the forty-second year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the Grace of God
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender
of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred