IMPROVEMENTS IN REMOVING AND COLLECTING FOCAL AND OTHER REFUSE MATTER FROM HOUSES OR OTHER. BUILDINGS, AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robertson, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REMOVING AND
COLLECTING FOCAL AND OTHER REFUSE MATTER FROM HOUSES OR OTHER.
BUILDINGS, AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR."
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robertson at the Office
JOHN ROBERTSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN REMOVING AND COLLECTING FOCAL AND OTHER REFUSE MATTER
FROM HOUSES OR OTHER BUILDINGS, AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR."
This Invention, which relates to improvements in removing and collecting focal
and other refuse matter from houses or other buildings has for its object to avoid
the use of water closets, and to collect the solid matter constituting the refuse of
dwelling houses or other buildings.
The Invention consists in erecting at a short distance from the back or side of
houses or other buildings a vertical tube or shaft open at the top and at the bottom,
and to which tube one or more galleries lead from one or more of the floors of the
house or other building. At the end of each such gallery a box of sufficient size
to hold a person is situated, and within this box is a seat and receptacle for the
fecal matter and urine discharged thereinto, and into which at other times the house
refuse is also thrown. The lower part of each receptacle is in communication with
the vertical tube. This receptacle is of special construction, that is to say, it is
taper, with the widest part thereof downwards, and to this part a door is hinged,
which is kept closed by being drawn up against the discharge mouth of the recep-
tacle by a lever, rod, or the equivalent thereof. When the receptacle has collected
in it a quantity of focal and refuse matter, the door is lowered, thus allowing the
I Price fidl

page_text: contents to be discharged into the vertical tube, through which the contents fall
into a box placed immediately below the tube to receive them. This box is carried
on wheels, and provided with shafts, so that it may be attached to a horse and
drawn away from time to time for being emptied. Immediately that one such box
when filled is drawn away it is replaced by another empty one, and the box may be
caused to make a tight joint with the bottom of the tube by being forced against it
by a screw, lever, or wedges. The tube is carried by preference as high, and it may
be to a greater height than the roof of the house or other buildings to which it is
attached, and any offensive gas which may escape therefrom may be burnt by placing
one or more gas burners in the tube for consuming it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June
1879.
JOHN ROBERTSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN REMOVING AND COLLECTING FOCAL AND OTHER REFUSE MATTER
FROM HOUSES OR OTHER BUILDINGS, AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR."
My said Invention relates to improvements in removing and collecting focal and
other refuse matter from houses or other buildings, and has for its object to avoid
the use of water closets, and to collect the solid matter constituting the refuse of
dwelling houses or other buildings.
The said Invention consists in erecting at a short distance from the back or side
of houses or other buildings a vertical tube or shaft open at the top and at the
bottom, and to which tube one or more galleries lead from one or more of the floors
of the house or other building. At the end of each such gallery a box or boxes of
sufficient size to hold a person is situated, and within this box is a scat aud recep-
tacle for the fecal matter and urine discharged thereinto, and into which at other
times the house refuse may be also thrown. The lower part of each receptacle is in
communication with the vertical tube, and each receptacle is preferably taper, its
lower part being the widest, and to this part a door is hinged, which is kept close<
by being drawn up against the discharge mouth. When a quantity of focal and
refuse matter has accumulated in the receptacle the door is lowered, and the contents
fall into and down the vertical tube into a receptacle placed immediately beneath to
receive them.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to
the annexed Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:―
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a portion of a building provided with
means according to my Invention for collecting the focal and refuse matters from
the said building. A¹, A2, represent parts of two stories or floors of the house. At
a short distance from the house is erected a vertical tube or shaft B, open at top
and bottom, the said tube being approached from the various floors by galleries C,
which galleries and the tube B mutually act as supports for each other. At the end
of each gallery and next the tube or shaft B, is a box or closet D, and within each
box or closet is a seat d, below the hole in which seat is a receptacle E, communi-
cating with the vertical tube B by the inclined communication f. The said receptacles
E are taper, the widest part being downwards, and to this part is hinged a door e,
which is kept closed up against the discharge mouth of the receptacle by a rod or
rope g hooked upon a hook at g¹. The seats d may be hinged at back, so as to be
capable of being turned back when house refuse is being thrown into the receptacles.
Immediately beneath the tube or shaft B is a box or cart H, carried upon wheels
and provided with attachments for shafts, and having an opening at its top at h, of
the same size as and to fit under the opening of the said shaft B, its air-tight closure
against the said opening of the shaft being effected, if desired, by forcing it there-
against by levers, wedges, or screws. The tube B is carried by preference as high
as, or it may be to a greater height than the roof of the house or other building
with which it is in connection, and it may be provided with a ventilator at top, or
the offensive gas therefrom may be burned by placing a gas burner or gas burners
in the tube for consuming it.
When foccal or refuse matter has collected in any one of the various receptacles,
the door e thereof is lowered by unhooking the rod g from the hook gl, and the
contents fall into the tube or shaft B, and down it into the box or cart H. This
box or cart is drawn away from time to time for emptying, being immediately

page_text: replaced by an empty box or cart. At the time of drawing away the box or cart,
the opening at its top is closed by covers h¹, which may be made air-tight.
In the Drawing I have shewn my Invention as applied to but two stories or floors
of a house, but it is to be understood that it may be similarly applied to any number
of stories or floors, and that there may, be any convenient number of closets D
around the tube B on each floor. On the lower floor, Figure 1, I have shewn two
closets and seats, one behind the other, the gallery C being continued round to the
door thereof, and access thereto also being obtainable from the ground floor by steps
at I. In Figure 2 I have shewn a plan of an arrangement of four closets on each
floor around the tube or shaft B. In this Figure parts like to those represented in
Figure 1 are marked with like letters.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein-before described and illustrated, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention, but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
The collecting and removal of foccal or refuse matter in the manner and by the
means essentially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings. Also the said means consisting of the apparatus constructed essentially
as herein before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robertson, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy bine.
JOHN ROBERTSON. (L.S.)