IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER-CLOSETS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter McGregor, of the Town and County of Dum-
barton, North Britain, Joiner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER-CLOSETS."
Sealed the 28th December 1855, and dated the 5th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter McGregor at the
.. Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
November 1855
"I, PETER MCGREGOR, of the Town and County of Dumbarton, North
Britain, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER-CLOSETS" to be as follows, that is to say :-
.
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of the mechanical'
details of water-closets, more especially such as are intended for ships' use, in
such manner that they may be used with comfort and convenience in all states
of the weather. In the ordinary ships' water-closets the free thoroughfare
between the soil pan and the sea, arising both when the closet is used, and
from accidental causes, is a most objectionable feature, owing to the rush of
water which occurs when the sea is at all rough. In the present Invention
this evil is removed by the use of a duplex valvular action, contrived in such
manner that a direct thoroughfare through the closet can never by any possi-
bility occur. In addition of the usual clack valve in the bottom of the soil

page_text: pan, there is a secondary valve in the lower part of the discharge passage,
worked in concert with the upper valve. The two valves are connected
together by spindles and levers actuated by a single handle. This connection
is so made that when the discharging handle is pulled, the lower or secondary
valve is first of all closed, shutting off all communication with the sea; then,
as the handle is pulled further up, the soil pan valve above is opened, and the
cleansing or discharging water is let on. In this way the soil and water are
let down into the intermediate space between the two valves, and on the descent
of the handle the upper valve closes first, and then the lower one opens to
allow the soil and water to escape. This differential action may be effected in
various ways and with various kinds of valves; as, if slide valves are used, one
valve is made to traverse further than the other to effect the same end.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Peter McGregor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
MCGREGOR, of the Town and County of Dumbarton, North Britain, Joiner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Peter McGregor,, Her special license that I, the said Peter
McGregor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Peter McGregor, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time "agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
WATER-CLOSETS, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter
McGregor, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal; 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent. :
4

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter McGregor, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of the
mechanical details of water-closets, more especially such as are intended for
ships' use, in such manner that they may be used with comfort and convenience
in all states of the weather. In the ordinary ships' water-closets the free
thoroughfare between the soil pan and the sea, arising both when the closet is
used, and from accidental causes, is a most objectionable feature, owing to the
rush of water which occurs when the sea is at all rough. In the present
Invention this evil is removed by the use of a duplex valvular action, contrived
in such manner that a direct thoroughfare through the closet can never by
any possibility occur. In addition to the usual clack valve in the bottom of
the soil pan, there is a secondary valve in the lower part of the discharge
passage, worked in concert with the upper valve. The two valves are connected
together by spindles and levers actuated by a single handle. This connection'
is so made that when the discharging handle is pulled, the lower or secondary
valve is first of all closed, shutting off all communication with the sea; then,
as the handle is pulled further up, the soil pan valve above is opened, and the
cleansing or discharging water is let on. In this way the soil and water are
let down into the intermediate space between the two valves, and on the
descent of the handle the upper valve closes first, and then the lower one opens
to allow the soil and water to escape. This differential action may be effected
in various ways and with various kinds of valves; as, if slide valves are used,
one. valve is made to traverse further than the other to effect the same end.
And in order that iny said Invention may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended and shall now proceed to describe a Sheet of, explanatory
Drawings, such Drawings- illustrating some of the modes of working out my
Invention in practice.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is an elevation, and Figure 2 is a
vertical section, of one arrangement of water-closet as fitted with my improve-
ments; Figure 3 is a plan, corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a
horizontal section of the apparatus as inverted, one half of the Figure being as
sectioned. below the lower valve, and the other half as sectioned above the
lower valve, and showing the under side of the upper valve.
In this arrangement of water-closet the soil pan A is precisely similar, to
those ordinarily used, being provided with the usual clack valve B at its dis

page_text: charge aperture C. Instead, however, of this valved-discharge aperture C
directly communicating as is usual with the soil pipe, it opens into a vessel D,
provided with a second discharge aperture E, fitted with a second valve F, and
it is through this latter valved aperture E that a passage is finally obtained to
the soil pipe G. The valve B is fixed on a spindle H, which passes through
'suitable eyes or bearings to the outside of the vessel D, and has fixed upon it
externally a lever I, weighted to keep the valve B closed when not acted upon
by the discharge rod J. The lever I carries a pin K, which is acted upon by
an elongated box L upon the discharge rod J. The box L also acts on another
lever M, which is loose upon the end of the spindle H. This lever M.is con-
nected by a link N to a lever O fast on the spindle P of the lower valve. F, and
the same lever O is extended on the other side to carry a weight Q, which
tends to close the-valve F when not kept open by the rod J. This rod J, is
formed with a catch R, which keeps it down until the rod is shifted laterally:
.to release the catch. When this is done, the weight Q causes the valve Fito
close,, and at the same time raises the lever M, which lifts up the rod J, or
rises with it as it is raised by hand. The box L of the rod J .does not act
upon the lever I until the valve F is quite closed, after which on continuing to
raise the rod it lifts the lever I, and so opens the upper valve B, allowing the
contents of the soil pan A to descend into the vessel D, at the same time the
water is let on for cleansing the pan. The further end of the spindle H has
fixed upon it a small lever S, indicated by dotted lines in Figures 1.and 3, and.
which is connected by a link T. to the cock lever U of the water pipe V, so
that when the spindle H is turned, it opens the water cock and. lets on the.
water. When the rod J is pushed down again, it first allows the weighted
lever I to close the valve B, after which the continued downward motion of
the rod effects the opening of the valve F, causing the discharge into the soil,
pipe G of the contents of the vessel D; thus, the two valves B and F are
never under any circumstances both open at the same time, and consequently
the disturbing action of the sea at the lower mouth of the soil pipe can never
reach the soil-pan A.
In Figures 5 and 6, on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached, is
represented, in vertical and horizontal section respectively, an arrangement.
of my improved ship's water-closet, in which slide valves are used instead of.
clack valves, as in the modification just described. The soil pan A of this
second modification communicates by a short passage B with a slide valve
chamber C, in which is a slide D, actuated by a rod E, passing out through a,
stuffing box in the casing C, and jointed to a lever F, working on a stud
centre carried by a bracket G. The valve D governs the passage B, com

page_text: municating with a vessel H between it and a second valve I, which last.works,
in a valve chamber J, and is actuated by a rod K, passing out, through a
stuffing box in the valve chamber to the lower reverse end of the lever F, to
which it is jointed. The lever: F is connected by a link L' to a lever M
fast on a horizontal spindle N, which has a long-handled lever O fixed upon
one end of it for actuating the valve mechanism by. The other end of the
spindle N has fast on it a short lever P, connected by a link Q to the cock
lever R of the water supply pipe S, these details being indicated in red lines
in Figure 5. The action of this apparatus is precisely the same as that of the
modification represented in Figures 1 to 4. A weighted lever. T, fixed on
the spindle N, keeps the upper valve D closed when the lever handle O is not
acted upon. In this position of the parts, as represented in the Figures, the
aperture in the valve I coincides with the lower opening in the vessel.H.
communicating with the soil pipe at U. The aperture in the upper valve D,
is, however, at some distance from the passage B, so that when the lever O'is
shifted over, the lower valve I first becomes closed before the upper valve. D.
is at all open, so that there never is at any time a direct communication
between the soil pan A and the soil pipe at U. When the upper valve D is,
opened, the contents of the soil pan A pass into the vessel H, the. flushing,
water supply being at the same time let on; and when the upper valve D.is.
subsequently closed by the reaction of the weighted lever -T, the lower valve I
is opened, and the contents of the vessel H pass into the soil pipe., .
.
Figure 7 on the Sheet of Drawings is a vertical section of a water-closet,
showing another mode of carrying out the objects of my Invention; and
Figure 8 is a partially sectioned plan of the apparatus corresponding. In
this arrangement there is fitted immediately below the soil pan A-a cylindrical,
vessel B, the axis of which is horizontal. Inside this vessel is a diametrical,
valve piece C, fixed upon a spindle D. lying in the axis of the vessel, and,
passing out through a stuffing box on one side to receive a lever E, which is,
connected by a pin to the long-handled lever F. The valve piece C is fitted,
to work, fluid-tight in the vessel B, and its diametrically opposed ends are
made sufficiently wide to cover the aperture G in the soil pan, as well as the
aperture H into the soil pipe I, 'when it is placed in a vertical position, so
that the apertures G and H are never in direct communication with each
other. A weighted lever Jis fixed on the spindle D to carry the valve
always to the position in which it is represented in the Figures. When the.
contents of the soil pan A and of the upper portion of the vessel B are to be
discharged; the lever F is shifted over to the left, and it brings the valve piece
into the position indicated "by dotted lines; and nearly at right angles to the

page_text: position in which it is represented in full lines. The movement of the lever F
also lets on the water, a link K passing from the lever serving to turn the
cock lever L' of the water supply pipe M. When the lever F is released,
the weighted lever J brings back the parts to their normal position, the
discharge having been effected without for a moment establishing any direct
connection between the soil pan A and the soil pipe I.
It will be obvious to the practical man that the same results may be
brought about by various mechanical contrivances, but the essential feature of
the Invention is the employment in water-closets of two valved apertures,
arranged Iso that both shall never be open at once, and so that whatever is
discharged through such apertures shall first be passed into the space between
them whilst the lower aperture is closed, or the apparatus is in an equivalent
position, and thence through the lower aperture whilst the communication is
cut off with the upper one.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before, in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of water-closets, as herein-
before described.
Second, the application and use in water-closets of a duplex arrangement
of discharge valves, contrived so that there is never a direct communication
through both, the discharged matters being passed first through one valve or
aperture whilst communication through the second is cut off, and then through
the second valve or aperture whilst communication through the first is cut off,
as herein-before described. .
6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter McGregor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth (30th) day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
PETER MCGREGOR. (L.S.)