IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO DRAINS, SEWERS AND WATERCOURSES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING EXTRANEOUS SOLID MATTERS THEREFROM
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Easton, the elder, and Charles Edwards Amos,
both of The Grove, in the Borough of Southwark, Engineers, for the
"'Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO DRAINS, SEWERS AND
WATERCOURSES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING EXTRANEOUS SOLID MATTERS
THEREFROM."
Sealed the 18th January 1859, and dated the 19th November 1858.,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Easton, and Charles
Edwards Amos at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 19th November 1858.
We, JAMES EASTON, the elder, and CHARLES EDWARDS AMOS, both of The
Grove, in the Borough of Southwark, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO DRAINS, SEWERS
AND WATERCOURSES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING EXTRANEOUS SOLID MATTERS
THEREFROM," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of improved apparatus applicable to drains, sewers, and
watercourses, consists in adapting to some convenient part of the drain, sewer,
or watercourse a grating of peculiar construction, whereby any extraneous' solid
matters, such as weeds, pieces of wood, brickbats, stones, the dead bodies of
animals, or other substances, may be arrested in their progress along the drain,
sewer, or watercourse, and be removed therefrom, so as to prevent such ex-
traneous matters from blocking, up. the watercourse and stopping the flow of
the water therein.

page_text: To this end a chamber or recess of suitable form and dimensions is placed
at some convenient part of the drain, sewer, or watercourse, and made to
extend across it from side to side. In this chamber is mounted a moveable
grating in such a manner as to extend 'transversely across the whole of the water-
way of the drain, sewer, or watercourse: The grating is to be formed of a
suitable number of endless chains connected together laterally in any convenient
manner, and provided with projecting pins, points, or hooks; or a number of
short bars similarly provided with projecting pins may be jointed together in
an endless series, so as to form an endless grating, which is to be passed round
wheels or rollers mounted in the chamber or recess made in the drain, sewer, or
watercourse. This endless chain or grating should not be placed vertically,
but at an inclination to the line, of the drain or sewer. It will now be under-
stood that the water and liquid matters will pass freely through the endless
chain or grating; but that all solid matters of any great size or dimensions or
that would be likely to cause an obstruction in the watercourse will be
arrested by the grating, and by causing the same to rotate by communicating
motion to the wheels or rollers on which the grating is mounted, the grating
will be caused to lift up such solid matters out of the drain and deposit them
in some receptacle provided above for the purpose.
An obvious modification of the above consists in placing a fixed grating at an
inclination extending from top to bottom of the waterway, and adapting thereto
a travelling grating or chain provided with pins, points, or hooks, that are
made to project and travel between the bars of the fixed grating which will
arrest the large solid bodies, but will allow the liquid matters to pass through.
When any accumulation of solid matters takes place against the fixed grating,
the moveable grating may be set in motion, and the solid matters will be raised
up and removed by the projecting pins, points, or hooks, and be deposited in a
suitable receptacle above, as in the other instance. The moveable grating may
either be kept in continual motion, or it may only be operated from time to
time when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Easton, and Charles Edwards Amos in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
EASTON, the elder, and CHARLES EDWARDS AMOs, both of The Grove, in the
Borough of Southwark, Engineers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
'One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Easton and Charles Edwards Amos, Her special license that
we, the said James Easton and Charles Edwards Amos, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Easton and Charles
Edwards Amos, our 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 APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO DRAINS, SEWERS, AND WATERCOURSES FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING
EXTRANEOUS SOLID MATTERS THEREFROM," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James Easton and Charles Edwards Amos, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
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 1, the said Charles Edwards Amos, on behalf of
myself and the said James Easton, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention of improved apparatus applicable to drains, sewers, and water-
courses, consists in adapting to some convenient part of the drain, sewer,
or watercourse a grating of peculiar construction, whereby any extraneous
solid matters, such as weeds, pieces of wood, brickbats, stones, the dead bodies
of animals, or other substances, may be arrested in their progress along the
drain, sewer, or watercourse, and be removed therefrom, so as to prevent such
extraneous matters from blocking up the watercourse and stopping the flow of
the water therein.
To this end a chamber or recess of suitable form and dimensions is con-
structed at some convenient part of the drain, sewer, or watercourse, and made
to extend across it from side to side. In this chamber is mounted a moveable
grating, in such a manner as to extend transversely across the whole of 'the.
waterway of the drain, sewer, or watercourse. The grating is to be formed

page_text: of a suitable number of endless chains, connected together laterally in any
convenient manner, and provided with projecting pins, points, or hooks. Or a
number of short bars similarly provided with projecting pins may be jointed
together in an endless series, so as to form an endless grating, which is to be
passed round wheels or rollers mounted in the chamber or recess made in the
drain, sewer, or watercourse. This endless chain or grating should not be
placed vertically, but at an inclination to the line of the drain or sewer. It
will now be understood that the water and liquid matters will pass freely
through the endless chain or grating, but that solid matters of any great size
or dimensions, or that would be likely to cause an obstruction in the water
course will be arrested by the grating, and by causing the same to rotate (by
communicating motion to the wheels or rollers on which the endless chain or
grating is mounted) the pins. points. or books attached to the grating will be
caused to lift up such solid matters out of the chamber formed in the drain
and deposit them in some receptacle provided above for the purpose.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the movable
grating, which forms the principal feature of our Invention; Fig. 2 is a side
elevation or rather sectional elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a partial
plan view. a is the bottom of the sewer or drain, and b a chamber constructed
therein to receive the hexagonal barrel or cylinder c, round which is passed
the endless chain or grating d. This endless chain also passes round a
similar hexagonal harrel or cylinder cplaced above. Both of these barrels
or cylinders are mounted in suitable bearings, and on the axle of the top
cylinder is keyed a toothed wheel e, which is driven by any suitable gearing.
The moveable or travelling endless grating d is composed of a number of
links (one of which is shown detached at Fig. 4) which are jointed together
by transverse rods g, as seen best in Fig. 1. These links (or if preferred only
a certain portion of them) are provided with pins, points, or hooks, extending
out at right angles to the body of the link as seen in Fig. 4, and as the endless
chain of links is made to travel round the barrels or cylinders c, the hooks or
points will come under any bodies that may have been brought by the water.
against the grating, as shewn in the sectional elevation, Fig. 2, and will lift
them up and throw them over the top of the upper barrel or cylinder c* on to
an inclined fixed grating 1, (Figures 2 and 3). down which they will slide into
any suitable receptacle provided for the purpose. Instead of this inclined
grating.h, a vertical plate may be placed behind the travelling endless grating
'd, for the purpose of preventing the extraneous matters from falling back again
into the sewer.
An obvious. modification of the above consists in placing a fixed- grating.at

page_text: an inclination extending from top to bottom of the waterway in the same
position and situation as the travelling grating d in the Figures, and adapting
thereto a travelling grating or chain provided with pins, points, or hooks, like
the endless chain d, in Figures 1, 2 and 3. These pins, points, or hooks are
made to project and travel between the bars of the fixed grating, which will
arrest the large solid bodies, but will allow the liquid matters to pass through.
When any accumulation of solid matters takes place against the fixed grating
the moveable grating may be set in motion, and the solid matters will be
raised up and removed by the projecting pins, points, or hooks, and be deposited
in a suitable receptacle above, as in the other instance. The moveable grating
may either be kept in continual motion, or it may only be operated from time
to time, when required.
Having now described our Invention of "Improved Apparatus applicable to
Drains, Sewers, and Watercourses, for the Purpose of Removing Extraneous
Solid Matters therefrom," and having explained the manner of carrying the
the same into effect, we claim as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent,
the adaptation to sewers, drains, or watercourses of a moveable endless chain
or grating provided with pins, points, hooks, or other analogous contrivances,
whereby solid matters may be lifted out of the drain, and deposited above, as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, 1. the said Charles Edwards Amos, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
C. E. AMOS. (L.S.)