Apparatus for Testing Drains or Soil-pipes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1892-Accepted, 21st June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Testing Drains or Soil-pipes.
We HENRY EDWARD BURNET, Queen's Tax Collector, of 50 Queen's Road
Peckham and WILLIAM EDWIN GROOM, Sanitary Inspector, of Alpha Cottage,
Wells Street Camberwell, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In our invention we use a case which is bent or curvilinear in shape as to its
length & charged with any suitable substance to spontaneously emit intense smoke
& smell upon being ignited. Its rear end may have a cane or rod about six inches
or more in length connected to it by a fixed or moveable joint. For the purpose
of ignition the case may have a quick or slow match communicating with the
combustible substance in its forepart & extending to its rear end or beyond; or
the said case may be provided with a match or fusee & an apparatus for igniting it
by friction, upon pulling a cord, wire or the like connected therewith. The rear end
may have a hollow chamber for the purpose of inserting a small charge of any
suitable explosive substance. The case may be round, elliptical, square, oblong or
any suitable shape as to its thickness & of any suitable length.
Dated this 22nd May 1891.
H. E. BURNET.
W. E. GROOM.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Testing Drains or Soil-pipes.
We HENRY EDWARD BURNET of 50 Queen's Road Peckham in the County
of Surrey, Collector of Queen's Taxes, and WILLIAM EDWIN GROOM of Alpha
Cottage, Wells Street, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Sanitary Inspector,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
This invention relates to an improved device or apparatus for testing drains and
soil pipes by means of smoke and smell but especially the former i.e. by smoke.
Our present invention consists of a case bent or curvilinear in shape as to its
length and charged with any suitable combustible substance which when once
ignited will continue to burn until finished and in so doing will emit intense smoke
and smell.
Any pyrotechnist or firework maker or other person understanding this branch
of chemistry will readily understand how to produce the ignitable and combustible
substance required to produce the smoke and smell necessary for our purposes.
The said case may have one two or more bends or be curved in any suitable
shape.
The rear end may have a cane or rod or handle either flexible or rigid about six
inches or more in length connected to it by a fixed or movable joint that is we may
use either a flexible handle rigidly attached or a rigid handle flexibly attached or
a flexible handle flexibly attached and such handle may be either permanently
attached or mounted so that such handle is detachable and can be used on any
number of these cases this flexible handle or flexible connection being a very
essential part of our present invention.
For the purposes of ignition the said case may have a quick or slow match or a
fuse communicating with the combustible substance in its forepart and extending

page_text: to its rear end or beyond or the said case may be provided with a match or fuse
and an apparatus for igniting it by friction upon pulling a cord wire or the like
connected therewith or the combustible substance may be ignited in any other
suitable manner desired.
The object of our present invention is to produce a bent case with a handle
flexibly connected thereto as before described which may readily be inserted
through a gully or soil pipe trap and upon being ignited to discharge its effect
(ciz. smoke and smell) into the drain without having occasion to remove the water
from the trap or permit the effluvia to escape thereby and then if any defect or
leakage in the drain et cetera exists such smoke and smell will escape through same
and thereby indicate and serve to detect such leakage or defect.
And in order that our present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice we will proceed to describe same with reference to the
drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The several figures of the drawings annexed illustrate two ways of carrying out
our said invention.
Figure 1 shows a curved shape case with a flexibly connected handle and a fuse
and match extending beyond the rear end of the case for the purpose of igniting
the fuse after the case has been inserted in the gully or through the trap.
Figure 2 shows a bent case having a handle and slow fuse ready for igniting
before being inserted through the trap.
Any suitable cap or cover may be placed over the fuse and any suitable frictional
or other ignition device combined therewith.
A represents the bent case.
C represents the composition for producing the smoke and smell upon being
ignited.
F is the fuse.
M (Figure 1) is the match.
H is the handle flexibly connected with the case A so as to be capable of turning
or bending at H¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A case bent or curvilinear in shape as to its length and charged with any
suitable combustible substance to emit intense smoke and smell upon being ignited
and having a flexible rod or handle rigidly connected thereto or a rigid rod or
handle flexibly connected thereto or a Hexible handle flexibly connected thereto
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. An apparatus for testing drains consisting of the combination of a bent or
curved case charged with any suitable combustible substance to emit intense smoke
and smell upon being ignited together with a flexible rod or handle attached
thereto by a fixed or movable joint or a rigid handle attached by a flexible joint
substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1892
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A case bent or curvilinear in shape as to its length and charged with any
suitable combustible substance to emit intense smoke and smell upon being ignited
and having a flexible rod or handle rigidly connected thereto or a rigid rod or
handle flexibly connected thereto or a flexible handle flexibly connected thereto
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. An apparatus for testing drains consisting of the combination of a bent or
curved case charged with any suitable combustible substance to emit intense smoke
and smell upon being ignited together with a flexible rod or handle attached
thereto by a fixed or movable joint or a rigid handle attached by a flexible joint
substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1892
H. E. BURNET.
W. E. GROOM.
Tongue & Birkbeck,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
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Agents for the Applicants.