CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER-CLOSETS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN WALKER
WILKINS, of Stanhope Street, Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Walker Wilkins, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Walker Wilkins,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Walker
Wilkins, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands
of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATER-CLOSETS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said John Walker Wilkins, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
SIX calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Walker Wilkins, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Figure 1 of the said Drawings is a front elevation of the principal parts of
a water-closet, constructed according to my said improvements. Figure 2, a
vertical section thereof; and Figure 3, a top plan.
A, A, 16,resents the flooring of the closet, on and above which the whole of
the apparatus is placed; B is the basın; C, a circular receiver, with a projecting
collar cat top, which encloses the neck of the basın; D is a plug, which at
its two ends fits into the receiver exactly, but is cut away in the body of it to
the extent of about three-fourths, as shewn separately in Figure 1, so that
according as the quarter-piece left entire is brought under the bottom orifice
of the basin, or turned round out of its way, that orifice is opened or closed;
E is a spanner attached to an axis carried from the outer end of the plug
through a stuffing box in the outer end of the receiver C, and connected by
leverse and f to a ball handle F which rests in a cup G, which is supported
by a standard G; II is the soil pipe, which is bolted to one side of the
receiver C and is placed in such a position in respect to it that, supposing the
receive to be filled with water to about the height shown in Figure 2 (which
it should always be), the top level of that water will be a little above the under
part of the soil pipe at the bend h; I is a trap piece, which projects down-
wards from the top of the receiver at the side next the soil pipe, and dipping
beneath the water, serves to prevent the passage of any air or vapours over
the surface of the water; K is an air pipe, which leads from the soil pipo to
the external atmosphere, or to any open place within doois, L is a cistern at
one side of the basin, which is supplied with water from the main service pipe
M, and always kept filled to about the height shewn in Figure 2, by means of
a regulating ball cock N; P is a pipe, which leads from the bottom of the
cistern L to the bottom of the basin B, and keeps that basın also constantly
filled to the same level as the water in the cistein; Q is a valve in the pipe R,
which opens only in the direction of the inflow and thus prevents any return
of water up the pipe When the plug D is turned round towards the side on
which the pipe P is placed that pipe is altogether closed. T is a branch pipe,
which leads from the main service pipe M to the fan or spreader S at the
top of the basin, and is opened and closed by means of a valve V, which is
connected by a rod U to a ball handle W, which rests in a cup X. On the
closet being used, the plug D is first opened by pulling up the handle F', when
the contents of the basin descend quietly into the water in the receiver C, and
are carried instantly forward into the soil pipe H by the action of the water

page_text: descending from the basin B, while the air pipe K prevents any noise which
might arise from the displacement and readjustment of the air within the
receiver and soil pipe. On the plug D being again closed, the cistern and
basin are again filled with water to the same height as before. The basin
may then be either washed or not from the top, according as required, by
opening the cock V by means of the handle W, and should this further
washing be had recourse to, the water which is already in the basin will pre-
vent the descent of the water from under the fan from being heard. From
the absence of all noise, which is the peculiar characteristic of this watcı-
closet, I propose to call it the "silent water-closet." Instead of the passage
between the basin and receiver being closed by means of a circular plug, as
before described, it may be closed in the manner shewn in the modified
arrangement represented in Figure 4. Here the receiver C is circular as
before, and with a circular cap c, into which the neck of the basin fits exactly,
the receiver and cap having broad flanges, by which they are bolted together.
The passage between the basin and receiver is opened and closed by means of
a slide valve D, which is ground true on the under surface to fit a brass
washer, let into a space made for the purpose between the flanges of the
receiver and cap, and is connected by a compound triangular lever V with the
rod of the handle F. The access of water from the cistern L is cut off on
the opening of the valve D by means of a valve Y, inserted in the lower end of
the pipe P, which leads from the cistern L to the basin, the spindle of which
is lifted when the valve is closed by a shoulder Saised on the rod of the
valve, and dropped by the withdrawal of that shoulder on the opening of
the valve is the soil pipe, and K, the an pipe, both as before
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
improvements constituting my said Invention are,-
First, the employment in water-closets of a cistern with suitable inlet and
outlet pipes and valves to keep the basin and tiap always partially filled with
water (except at the moment of discharge) unconnected with and independent
of the supply of water ordinanly introduced at the top of the basin, where the
fan or spreader is placed, as before described.
And, second, the employment in water-closets of an air pipe to prevent noise,
as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walker Wilkins, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year
of our Loid One thousand eight hundred and forty-six
JOHN WALKER (Ls) WILKINS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid John Walker Wilkins came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.