AN IMPROVED MODE OF UTILIZING RUNNING WARD
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Nasmyth, of Stafford Street, Bond
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF UTILIZING RUNNING WARD"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Nasmyth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th October 1852.
ઃઃ
I, JAMES NASMYTH, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF UTILIZING RUNNING WATERS" to be as
follows:-
In carrying out this Invention I divert the waters, or a portion of the
waters, of a river or stream, and carry the same on for a given distance,
and then avail myself of the acquired height of the water for supplying
towns, for irrigating land, and for motive power purposes, a culvert being
provided for returning the water when required into its natural channel.
In following the course of a river or stream (which has naturally a
fall), I construct reservoirs on one or both sides of the river or stream,
at any convenient distance from its banks, and unite them with one
another and with the river by transversal canals or culverts. If the
fall of the bed of the river or strean be six inches in every mile, and
the reservoir be twenty miles in length, it will in consequence be ten
feet higher than the river at the point where the reservoir is longitudi-

page_text: nally twenty miles distant from the place of its connection with the
river, and the reservoir will be also ten feet deeper at the same place,
or where it terminates, than at the place where it begins. In order to
avoid, when following the course of a lengthy river, the cost and incon-
venience of a reservoir of adequate height and depth, I divide the
whole length of the river into as many sectional reservoirs as may be
advantageous, and connect them with the river and with one another
by separate canals. The reservoirs may be made of bricks, stones,
The
metallic plates, wood, earth, or of any suitable substance.
transversal canals are of the same depth as the bed of the river at the
place where the junction is effected. The breadth of each transversal
canal depends on the quantity of water required to be conveyed from
the river into the reservoir. As for the smaller streams which flow into
rivers, I form an embankment on each side of the river, or make a
construction of any suitable substance on each of its banks, by which
the bed of the stream becomes a reservoir without a transversal
canal, but this kind of reservoir is made on the same principle as
before stated, increasing in height and depth as the bed of the stream
declines or falls. The terminus of these reservoirs thus constructed are
closed by a strong and durable wall across the bed of the stream, leaving
a sufficient opening at the top for the discharge of the water when the
reservoir is full.
As the surface of the water in each reservoir will, in the greater part
of its length, be above the surface of the ground, the water in it can be
readily and advantageously applied to the irrigation of the circumjacent
land, and also to the production of motive power by its fall from the
reservoir or by its weight or pressure. The motive power obtained will
be in proportion to the volume of water conveyed into the reservoir,
and this said power can be advantageously applied to pump the water
that is drained from the circumjacent land into the reservoirs, by which
means even marsh lands of the worst description can be converted into
dry and fertile fields.
As these reservoirs may be constructed, wherever required, and alter-
nately on each side of a river or stream, and being connected with one
another and with the river by transversal canals, persons and merchan-
dize may
be transported in them at a small cost, which may be effected

page_text: by placing boats in a reservoir, and moving them from one end to the
other by the aid of the motive power before mentioned, and then by
passing the boats from reservoir to reservoir by locks or sluices into
the transversal canals leading to the river. The water in these reser-
voirs can also be advantageously applied to supply abundantly and
cheaply river water to dwelling houses, manufactories, and for other
purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Nasmyth in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
JAMES NASMYTH, of Stafford Street, Bond Street, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Nasmyth, Her special license
that I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Nasmyth, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from 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 "AN IMPROVED MODE OF
UTILIZING RUNNING WATERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Nasmyth, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Nasmyth, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same.

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto amiexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
In carrying out this Invention I divert the waters, or a portion of the
waters, of a river or stream, and carry the same on for a given distance,
at or near about a dead level, and then avail myself of the acquired
height of the water for supplying towns and villages, for irrigating
land, and for motive power purposes, a transversal canal being pro-
vided for returning the water when required into its natural channel.
In following the course of a river or stream (whatever the amount
of its natural fall), I construct reservoirs on one or both sides of the
river or stream, at any convenient distance from its banks, and unite
them with one another and with the river by transversal canals. In
the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, shews in diagram the manner of
obtaining a head of water; the line A, B, indicating the natural fall of
the river to which my Invention is applied, and the line C, D, the level
of the water in the reservoir. Thus, if the fall of the bed of the river
or stream be six inches in every mile, and the reservoir be twenty miles
in length, it will in consequence be ten feet higher than the river at the
point where the reservoir is longitudinally twenty miles distant from
the place of its connection with the river, and the reservoir will be also
ten feet deeper at the same place, or where it terminates, than at the
place where it begins. In following the course of a lengthy river, in
order to obtain a height and depth of water equal to the purposes to
which it is to be applied, I divide the whole length of the river into as
many sectional reservoirs as may be advantageous, and connect them
with the river and with one another by separate canals in the manner
indicated at Fig. 2, wherein A, A, is the river; B, B, are the reservoirs,
made alternately at opposite sides of the river, and connected with the
river and also with each other by transversal canals C, C, which are
provided with gates for shutting off or opening a communication with
the river.
The reservoirs may be made of bricks, stones, metallic plates, wood,
earth, or of any suitable substance. The bottom of the transversal
canals is on a level with the bed of the river at the place where the
-

page_text: junction is effected. The breadth of each transversal canal will
depend on the quantity of water required to be conveyed from the
river into the reservoir.
As the surface of the water in each reservoir will, in the greater
part of its length, be above the surface of the ground, the water in it
can be readily and advantageously applied to the irrigation of the
circumjacent lands, and also to the production of motive power by its
fall from the reservoir or by its weight or pressure. The motive power
obtained will be in proportion to the volume of water conveyed into
the reservoir, and this said power can be advantageously applied to
pump the water that is drained from the circumjacent lands into the
reservoirs, by which means marsh lands may be converted into dry and
fertile fields.
As these reservoirs may be constructed wherever required, and alter-
nately on opposite sides of a river or stream, by being connected with
one another and with the river by transversal canals and locks, they
may be employed for the transport of passengers and merchandize as
well as for the purposes above set forth.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Mode of
Utilizing Running Waters," I wish it to be understood, that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the mode herein described
of diverting the waters of streams and rivers so as to give them an
artificial elevation, and thereby rendering them applicable to the
purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nasmyth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
0
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JAMES NASMYTH. (L.S.)