IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Broadfoot, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Plumber and Brassfounder, for the Invention
of "INTROVEMENTS
M
Sealed the 5th February 1869, and dated the 8th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Broadfoot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th August 1868.
I, JOHN BROADFOOT, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Plumber and Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows, that
is to say:
This Invention relates to the constructing of waterclosets in a simple
and efficient manner, and so as to be suitable for various situations, one
modification being specially adapted for ships.
In a modification for general purposes there is a main discharge valve
of a spherical form with a cylindrical way through it, which is held in a

page_text: spherically shaped box made in two halves. The box may be made
wholly of brass, but it is preferred to make it of cast iron with annular
brass lining pieces fitted in at the top and bottom openings into the box.
At these parts also there are inserted rings or narrow annular strips of
hard leather, and it is against these that the spherical valve, which is
made by preference of gun metal, bears so as to make tight joints when
the valve is closed.
In the modification for ships a valve closing by means of a spring is
added below to prevent the ascent of water, this valve being a simple
hanging flap valve consisting of a sheet of rubber or leather held between
two plates, and which closes against an inclined seat made as it were by
cutting obliquely a part of the cylindrical pipe projecting down into the
lower valve box. The main valve turns on journals passing out through
stuffing boxes in its valve box, and one of these is fixed a short crank
arm that is connected to a lever to which the closet hand rod is jointed.
The valve of the water supply pipe for flushing is actuated by a lever
connected to the main lever, or to one of the journals of the main
valve, and consists of a plug of glass or wood, which closes against an
annular seat covered or lined with a ring of rubber or leather, and
which is made with a spindle passing out through a stuffing box and
jointed externally to the lever.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Broadfoot in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN 2
BROADFOOT, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Plumber and Brassfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty- 3
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Broadfoot, Her special licence that (
I, the said John Broadfoot, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Broadfoot, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, froni
time to time and at all times thereafter 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 WATERCLOSETS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Broadfoot, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Broadfoot, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the constructing of waterclosets in-a
simple and efficient manner and so as to be suitable for various situations,
one modification being specially adapted for ships.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended n Sheet
of explanatory Drawings to be hercin-after referred to, and representing
a modification of my improved watercloset apparatus as arranged for
3 ships' use.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, and Figure 2 is a
vertical section at right angles to Figure 1.
The apparatus comprises a main discharge valve 1 of a spherical form
with a cylindrical way 2 through it, and which is held in a spherically
O shaped box 3, 4, made in two halves. The valve box 3, 4, is represented
as made wholly of brass, but it may be made of cast iron with annular
brass lining pieces fitted in at the top and bottom openings 5, 6, into the
box. At these parts also there are inserted in shallow grooves made
for the purpose rings or narrow annular strips 7 of hard leather or rubber,
5 and it is against these that the spherical valve 1 bears, so as to make
tight joints when the valve is closed, that is, in the position in which it

page_text: The
is shown in Figure 2, with the passage 2 through it lying across.
valve 1 is made with a shell of gun metal in which a tube of copper is
soldered to form the way 2 through it. The shell is cast with spindles
or journals 8, 9, on it, and the apertures in the box 3, 4, through which
these pass are kept tight by stuffing boxes. One 8 of the spindles has
fixed on it a curved slotted crank arm or lever 10, acted on by a pin with
a roller fixed to a lever 11 that has the usual hand rod 12 jointed to it.
To adapt the apparatus for ships' use a second valve 13 closing by a
spring 14 is added below the main valve 1 to prevent the ascent of water
when the main valve is open. This second valve 13 is a simple hanging
flap valve consisting of a sheet of rubber or leather held between two
plates, and which closes against an inclined seat made as it were by
cutting obliquely a part of the cylindrical pipe 15 projecting down
into the lower valve box. When the apparatus is made for use on land
the second valve 13 is of course not required. The two halves 3, 4,
of the main valve box are bolted together, the basin 16 enclosed in lead
being fixed upon the upper half 3, whilst the lower half 4 is bolted down
to a cast-iron plate 17, which in the case of land closets forms the sole
plate of the apparatus, whilst in the case of ship closets it forms the top
of the lower valve box (the remainder of which is not shown in the
Drawing). The valve of the water supply pipe 18 for flushing is actuated
by the main lever 11, and consists of a plug 19 of glass or wood, which
closes against an annular seat 20 covered or lined with a ring of rubber
or leather, and which is made with a spindle 21 passing out through a
stuffing box, and is connected by a link 22 to the lever 11.
box in which the improved plug 19 is fitted is shown in section in
Figure 1, and its construction will be easily understood from that
Figure.
The valve
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, and
that I do not claim to have invented every separate detail herein
described or delineated; but that what I believe to be novel and
original and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before

page_text: discharge valve with narrow annular leather packing rings, and the
application of a plug of wood or glass to the water supply valve.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Broadfoot, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN BROADFOOT. (L.s.)