IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING HOSPITALS AND OTHER BUILDINGS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stephens, of Duke Street, Grosvenor
Square, in the County of Middlesex; for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING HOSPITALS AND OTHER BUILDINGS
Scaled the 28th November 1871, and dated the 5th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stephens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1871.
I, JOHN STEPHENS, of Duke Street, Grosvenor Square, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING HOSPITALS AND OTHER
BUILDINGS AND PLACES, AND FOR DRIVING MACHINERY IN GENERAL," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates chiefly to means of ventilating hospitals and
other buildings by a current or currents of air generated or produced in
a vessel in which jets and blades are caused to rotate by a column or
head of water, gas, or other fluid passing through the jets.

page_text: The interior of the vessel is provided with fixed blades or a serrated
rib and also with apertures leading to tubes on the outside, which direct
the currents into various parts of the building as desired, and some of
these may be connected to vessels in which medicated wool or other
disinfecting agent is placed, so that the foul or vitiated air can be
purified before it passes into the atmosphere. Or this order can be
reversed and the impregnated purifying air can be forced into the
building by the same means. The water or other fluid mixed with a
disinfecting agent or not is allowed to flow into a receiver, from which
it can be drawn and used again, or it is permitted to run to waste. The
water or other fluid as it issues from the nozzles or jets strikes against
the fixed blades or the serrated rib with great force, and causes the
blades on them to force the air through the apertures. By reversing
the working of the apparatus currents can be drawn into it.
I propose in soine cases to balance the jet spindle by springs or
weights to reduce friction or to carry a shaft from the top of it so that
machinery can be actuated thereby.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Stephens in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STEPHENS, of Duke Street, Grosvenor Square, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
•
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Stephens, Her special
licence that I, the said. John Stephens, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Stephens, my executors,
administrators, 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 ""IMPROVED

page_text: .
MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR "VENTILATING HOSPITALS AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND
PLACES, AND FOR DRIVING MACHINERY IN GENERAL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Stephens, 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 Stephens, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates chiefly to means of ventilating hospitals and
other buildings by a current or currents of air generated or produced
in a vessel in which jets and blades are caused to rotate by a column or
head of water, gas, or other fluid passing through the jets.
The interior of the vessel is provided with fixed blades or a serrated rib,
and also with apertures leading to tubes on the outside, which direct the
currents into various parts of the building as desired, and some of these
may be connected to vessels in which medicated wool or other disin-
fecting agent is placed, so that the foul or vitiated air can be purified
before it passes into the atmosphere. Or this order can be reversed and
the impregnated purifying air can be forced into the building by the
same means. The water or other fluid mixed with a disinfecting agent
or not is allowed to flow into a receiver, from which it can be drawn
and used again, or it is permitted to run to waste. The water or other
fluid as it issues from the nozzles or jets strikes against the fixed blades
or the serrated rib with great force, and causes the blades on them to
force the air through the apertures. By reversing the working of the
apparatus currents can be drawn into it.
:
The manner of carrying my Invention into effect is represented in the
accompanying Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively an
elevation and a section of an apparatus such as I have before described.
a is the case through the top or lid 6 of which passes a pipe c, by which
the water, gas, or other fluid is allowed to pass to the cap d, on or to
which branches or nozzles e, e, are arranged, the tips of them being

page_text: bent or curved to direct the column or jet of fluid against a serrated rib f
secured to the inside of the case. The nozzles carry each a blade 9 for
directing the air which is drawn up the tube h by their rotation from
the building or room in which the apparatus may be placed into the
tubes i, i, leading into the open air outside the building, thus the 5
building or room becomes cleared of the foul or heated air.
In Figure 2 I have shown the apparatus as being fitted to the upper
part of a building with a A-shaped roof, the lower end of the tube h
being fitted with a rose or an ornamental endj, so as not to present the
unsightly appearance which the open ended tube might do; but it will ]
be understood that the tube may be open, or it may have branches
leading to different parts of a building by which the foul or heated air can
be drawn from ante-rooms or from galleries. The blades and the nozzles
are caused to revolve by the pressure of the fall or head of fluid from
any source, the fluid striking against the serrated rib seen in Figure 3,
with sufficient force to cause splashes or a spray for the purpose of
moistening the foul air before it leaves the building. The up-take
tube h, or the dispersing tubes i, i, may be provided with medicated
wool or other agent for purifying the foul air before it passes into the
atmosphere.
In the case of the apparatus being fitted to smallpox, fever, or other
hospital wards, this plan will be found of great value, as the surrounding
atmosphere is prevented from becoming polluted and from spreading the
disease from which the patients may be suffering. The water, should
water be used for the purpose, can be allowed to leave the case a as it
accumulates through the pipe k, which leads it down to the eaves,
gutter, or direct to the drain, as desired.
In Figures 1 and 4 I have shown the tubes i, i, as being attached to
one main outlet pipe 1, the outer end of which may be led into a
chimney, not only for the purpose of the air intermingling with the
smoke and vapour thrown off from a fire, but for exciting the draught
of the chimney.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement of apparatus the reverse of the above.
Here the fresh air is drawn into the case a through the apertures in its
crown m by the fan blades, and it is forced out of it and through the
tubes i, i, by which it is conducted to various parts of a building to
supply fresh air thereto, which tubes may pass through stoves or other
heating apparatus, so that the air becomes warmed before it issues from

page_text: the outlets. Thus it will be understood that in the summer time a
plentiful supply of cool atmospheric air can be admitted to any part of
a building for the purpose of reducing the temperature, and in the
winter time a supply of heated air for the purpose of heating or raising
the temperature which may be more or less impregnated with a
deodorizing or a disinfecting agent as required. The head of water or
other fluid in this case passing into the cap and nozzles from below
through the pipe c, and the fluid as it leaves the nozzle tips strikes
against a flat surface or plate n, which may be covered with a felted or
other fabric o kept moistened by water or by a disinfectant fluid from a
separate pipe or by the nozzles. If a separate pipe be used for wetting
the fabric air under pressure can be passed through the pipe c.
I have in each of the foregoing examples shown the draw-off water
pipo k as being on the outside of the up-take, but it can be arranged in
the inside if desired, as I have shown in Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, of the
Drawings, the upper part of the case being formed with a flange plate p
for leading the water to the pipe k, the plate being covered on the inside
with folt or other fabric, which is continually in a wet state for main-
taining a constant evaporation and a moistening of the air.
In Figure 9 it will be seen that the nozzles or jets are of curved form
from the cap d to their outer ends, and that the fan blades are bellied;
there is also a rim q for preventing the spray of the liquid splashing over
the top edge. I can if I wish it make the top edge sufficiently strong to
carry a vase or a figure to give an ornamental appearance to the outside,
or a simple flat top or cap, such as I have shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8,
may be fitted to prevent rain water entering the up-take tube when
driven by side winds.
The driving of machinery by the apparatus can be accomplished whero
the fall or pressure of water is very great, there being no limit to the
sizes of the pipes or the nozzles, which could have a spindle or shaft
attached to them for transmitting the motion, and springs or weights
can be arranged in connection with the jet spindle to reduce friction.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The means herein-before referred to for ventilating hospitals
and other buildings and places.
Secondly. I claim the apparatus herein-before described and shown in
Figures 1 and 2, and also the modification thereof, whereby a supply of