AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND OTHER COCKS, APPLICABLE TO UNION JOINTS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Fletcher, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, Brass Founder and Finisher, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND OTHER COCKS, APPLICABLE TO UNION
JOINTS."
Scaled the 19th November 1869, and dated the 2nd June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd June 1869. .
I, JOHN FLETCHER, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Brass Founder and Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM AND OTHER COCKS, APPLICABLE TO
UNION JOINTS," to be as follows:-
My improvement consists in so arranging a steam or other cock that
it not only answers the ordinary purpose of a cock for opening and
shutting off the supply, but it also forms a union joint which may bo

page_text: closed end of the plug are formed a number of holes round the side
which correspond to other holes in the seat that this end of the plug
works in, and the holes in the seat open into an annular space which
surrounds the seat, and thereby communicate with the pipe. The plug
may be turned by means of a lever handle applied to it in any convenient
manner. When the plug is turned so that the holes formed therein
coincide with those in the seat the tap is open and the steam or other
fluid is free to pass through, but when the plug is so turned as to bring
the holes in the plug quite away from those in the seat the cock is closed,
for the closed end of the plug then prevents anything from passing
through direct and the communication through the holes is cut off.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is an outside view of a
steam cock mule according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan with onç
portion of the outer casing removed so as to shew the plug; Fig. 3 is
a section of the casing; and Fig. 4 is a view of the plug. The same
letters refer to corresponding parts in these views.
A and B are the two portions of the outer casing; C is the hollow
plug; D is the lever handle. The annular space round the scat is shewn
at. E, E, Fig. 3, and F, F, are the holes leading into it. The corresponding
holes in the plug are shewn at G, G, Fig. 4. In these views both the
seats in the outer case of the cock are shewn of a conical form. I find
however in practice that it is hetter to make one of these seats of the
form of a sphere, that portion of the plug which works in it being of
course made to correspond. A cock made thus is shown at Fig. 5, IL, II,
bring the spherical seat. This form of sent allows of a more ready
adjustment than the two cones. Although I prefer to make a number
of holes round the side of the plug at the closed end it is clear that one
hole of sufficient size with a corresponding one in the seat might bo
used. The annular space surrounding the valve seat is not absolutely
necessary as other means may be adopted to open a communication
between the hole or holes in the valve seat and the pipe.
Fig. G is a view of a cock in which the annular space is, dispensed
with, the hole in the valve scat opening direct into the pipe. For some
purposes, as for instance for water gauges, I not only make the holes
already described in the side of the closed end of the plug, but I also
make one or more holes through the side at the other end of the plug,
which may communicate with two different branches, and thus answer
the purpose of an ordinary two-way cock. This may also be accom-

page_text: plished by means of a midfeather or partition in the annular space
surrounding the valve scat, or otherwise causing the holes in the valve
soat to communicate with two different pipes, and the other end of the
plug might then be open.
Fig. 7 is a side view of a water gauge constructed with my improved
cocks. The upper cock A is constructed upon the plan already described.
The casing of the lower cock B is furnished with a midfeather which
divides the casing into two chambers. This midfeather is shown in
Fig. 7 by the dotted lines C, C. One of these chambers communicates
with the glass tube of the water gauge, and the other with the small
blow off pipe D. The plug and the seat in which it works are provided
with certain holes which are so arranged that by turning the plug by
means of the handle E into certain positions the man may either shut
the cock altogether, blow off from the top, indicate, or blow off from the
bottom, at will. This will be better understood by a reference to Fig. 8,
which is a cross section of the lower cock taken on the line F, G, Fig. 7,
and which also shows the position in which the bandle must be placed
for the various purposes. A is the chamber communicating with the
tube of the gauge, and B is the chamber communicating with the blow-
off pipe D. The centre or hollow of the plug is open to the water in the
boiler. When the handle is in the position No. 1 the port a in the plug
coincides with the port a' in the seat, and consequently the water riscs
in the glass tube and indicates. When the handle is moved into the
position No. 2 it brings the hole b in the plug opposite the hole ¹ in the
scat, at the same time bringing the hole a away from the hole a', thus
allowing the water to blow through and out at the pipe D. When the
handle is moved into the position No. 3 it brings the hole, shown in
dotted lines at C (and which is made through the end of the plug)
opposite corresponding openings in the scat, at the same time closing
the ports and b, and thus allowing the gauge to be blown through
from the top. When the handle is moved into the position No. 4 nonc
of the ports in the plug coincide with those in the seat and the cock is
consequently altogether slut.
Fig. 9 shews one plan of constructing a two-way cock upon my prin-
ciple. When the handle is moved to either extremity of its motion it
opens one or other branch, and when it stands half way both branches
are shut. It is evident that cocks with a greater number of branches
may be made on the same principle In fixing cocks made upon my

page_text: principle they should be so applied that the open end of the plug will
-form the inlet, as the pressure will then tend to keep the plug up against
the seat.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Fletcher, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year 5
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN FLETCHER. (L.S.)