IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CISTERNS
Year: 1884

page_text: I GEORGE EDWARD NEWTON 1 Great Percy Street London, W.C Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER
CISTERNS to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a cistern, for domestic and other purposes,
which shall preserve its contained water from pollution by foreign matter such as
dust, insects, soot, & other products of combustion, vegetable, & disease germs,
& all other finely comminuted matter suspended in the atmosphere, & which find
admission to the present forms of cistern, tainting the water & rendering it unfit
for human consumption.
To this end I close my cistern with an airtight lid as shown in the accompanying
drawing, the inverted pipe A being the opening through which air travels, inwards
or outwards, when water enters or is withdrawn. This pipe from its lower end to
the dotted line B is filled with slag, asbestos, cotton, or other fibrous material of
fine texture, or with diaphragms made of these materials woven into cloth, & such
fibre or diaphragms in their function as a filter completely intercept and exclude all
foreign matters even to the infinitessimal particles which are always floating in the
atmosphere-Having thus prevented the entrance of injurious matter through the
air duct, I effect the same purpose towards the only other opening into my cistern
viz. the waste, or overflow pipe E. To attain this object the said waste pipe is
furnished with a valve which forms an airtight closure to its upper opening. This
valve C consists of a circular block of wood faced with a layer of metal, or india-
rubber D which latter rests upon the planed end of the waste-pipe, & is kept in
position as it rises & falls, by the winged portion F which slides in the pipe.
When the ball-tap performs its office, this valve rests on the faced upper end of
the waste-pipe, & perfectly closes all communication between the interior of the
cistern & the outer air, or drain over which it usually falls: should the ball-tap fail
to shut off at the proper time, the water, continuing to rise, floats the valve from
its seat, and allows the surplus to escape through the waste pipe, & falls again to
its normal position when the water falls to its proper level.
Dated this 7th day of April 1884

page_text: I GEORGE EDWARD NEWTON 1 Great Percy Street London, W.C Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER CISTERNS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The object of my invention is to provide a water cistern for domestic, & other
uses which shall preserve its contained water from pollution by foreign matter such
as dust, soot, insects, vegetable, & disease germs & all other finely comminuted
matter with which the atmosphere is constantly laden, & which find admission to
the present form of cistern, tainting its water & rendering it unfit for human
consumption.
To this end I close my cistern either with a lid covering its whole upper surface,
or with a manhole cover as shown in the drawing, the inverted pipe A being the
opening through which air travels inwards, or outwards when the water enters or
is withdrawn. This pipe from its lower end up to the dotted line B is filled with
slag, asbestos, or cotton wool of fine texture or with diaphragms woven of these
materials, & such wool or diaphragm in its function of filter completely intercepts
& excludes all foreign matter even down to the infinitessimal particles which are
always floating in the atmosphere. Having thus prevented its entrance thro' the
air duct I effect the same purpose towards the only other opening into my cistern
viz the waste or overflow pipe E. To attain this object the said waste pipe is
furnished with a valve which forms an airtight closure to its upper opening. This
valve C consists of a circular block of wood faced with a layer of metal or india
rubber D which latter rests upon the planed end of the waste pipe, & is kept in
position as it rises & falls by the winged portion F which slides in the pipe.
When the ball tap performs its office this valve rests on the planed upper end of
the waste pipe & perfectly closes all communication between the interior of the
cistern & the outer air: should the ball tap fail to shut off at the proper time, the
water continuing to rise floats the valve from its seat & allows the surplus water to
escape thro' the waste pipe, & falls again to its normal position when the water
falls to its proper level.
I claim as my invention the design, adaptation & combination of the various
parts herein specified viz. the inlet air pipe with its filtering material, & the floating
valve to the waste pipe in the belief that it is quite novel & perfectly efficient for
the purpose named
Data thin 7th day of January 1805
GEORGE EDWARD NEWTON.