IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, and Samuel
Sinclair Robson, all of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, for the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Jackson, Thomas
Glaholm, and Samuel Sinclair Robson at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 2nd July 1864.
We, WILLIAM JACKSON, THOMAS GLAHOLM, and SAMUEL SINCLAIR ROBSON,
all of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PUMPS," to be as follows:--
Our improvements in pumps relate, 1st, to pumps in which the barrel or
chamber above the lower valve is movable instead of fixed, as in ordinary,
while the plunger or part entering the barrel and producing the displacement
of the fluid, is fixed. These pumps we consider especially applicable as ships
pumps, but may be used for other purposes. We erect one or more of these
plungers from a bed plate fixed on the deck, the exterior of such planger
being cylindrical and truly turned, the inlet or suction passage passes up the
centre of the cylindrical plunger, and on the top is placed the suction valve.
The pump chamber is contracted at the lower part, where it fits on to the
cylindrical surface of the plunger, and may be furnished with a suitable
packing to keep it tight; it may fit a sufficient length to maintain the
parallelism of the barrel or chamber during its reciprocating motion, or it may

page_text: be furnished with an additional guide or guides for that purpose. For ship's
purposes the mere fitting of the contracted part of the chamber may be
sufficiently tight without packing, a slight escape being of no consequence.
The suction valve seat, fitted on the top of the plunger, is extended in
diameter so as nearly to fit the interior of the barrel or chamber, and prevents
stones, gravel, or extraneous matters passing towards the contact parts of the
plunger and barrel. The upper part of the barrel in its formation is left
open, but has placed directly upon it a receiving and delivery chamber,
which closes the upper part of said barrel, and in the bottom of this receiving
chamber is placed the delivery valve, which is thus directly over the suction
valve. This receiving chamber for ships' pumps is open at top, and furnished
with a short spout to deliver the water. The delivery valve is of course easy
of access, the shallow chamber in which it is placed being open, as before
mentioned, while the suction valve if choked, being immediately below, can be
readily reached through the delivery valve, or the delivery chamber may be
unfastened and removed, thereby exposing the interior of the pump barrel or
chamber and suction valve. At the junction of the barrel and receiving or
delivery chamber there are flanges or strengthening bands, at which point we
apply gudgeons (one on either side), on to which the forked end of a con-
necting rod takes, this connecting rod being worked from a crank causes the
pump or chamber to reciprocate, and with it the delivery chamber and valve.
The rise of the barrel from off the stationary plunger produces a void in its
capacity, which is immediately supplied by water or other fluid through the
suction valve, while its descent closes the suction, and the water having no
escape is forced by the presence of the plunger to pass upwards through the
delivery valve, as will be readily understood. Two or more of these pumps
may be arranged to work in combination, and be worked by double cranks
with winch handles and fly wheels, or they may be worked singly and by
levers instead of by rotary motion as above.
The
pump barrel or chamber and delivery chamber above mentioned may
be of one piece, but furnished with an internal flange on which to rest the
delivery valve seat, which should be so fitted as to be readily removed for
access to the lower valve.
Instead of the suction valve being at the top of plunger, as above described,
it may be down at bottom, but within it, and considerably below the lowest
position of the reciprocating barrel. The reciprocating barrel in this case is
quite closed at the upper part, the delivery being through a branch passage
springing from the plunger stem just above the suction valve; in this branch
passage the delivery valve is placed, which is arranged so as to be of easy

page_text: access either through the delivery spout or passage, or otherwise. Ready
access may be had to the suction valve by lifting the reciprocating pump
chamber off from the plunger. Instead of the pump chamber reciprocating
in a vertical direction it may be inclined or even horizontal. The stationary
plunger being disposed in either of such positions, and by preference projecting
from an upright stand pipe or chamber containing the valves, the opening and
junction of the stationary plunger is situated between the suction and delivery
valves, the water in these cases being delivered from the upper part of the
fixed stand pipe or chamber.
Another part of our Invention relates to a pump which requires no suction
valve. In this case the plunger or piston reciprocates, and occupies nearly
half the length of the pump cylinder or barrel, which is disposed in a hori-
zontal position, and is mounted in gudgeons, on which it oscillates like an
oscillating steam engine cylinder. The inlet of the water or fluid is by the
one gudgeon, and the exit at the other; the inlet is simply a through passage,
and enters at the middle of the length of the cylinder; the outlets are from
either end of the cylinder, but merge into one passage at the outlet gudgeon.
Suitable delivery valves are placed in the outlet ports or passages, or it may
be one valve communicating with the delivery after the two delivery passages
unite. The piston is suitably packed, and rendered tight as pump pistons.
usually. The action of the pump is this:-The piston occupying nearly half the
length of the cylinder in moving from one end to the other creates a vacuum
at the end from which it has receded (the delivery valve or valves preventing
the return of the water from the delivery), and there being no communication
with the inlet until near the completion of the stroke, so soon as the stroke is
complete the inlet is opened when the water rushes in and fills the vacuum.
The retrograde motion of the piston closes the inlet and cuts off the escape of
the water which entered and which is forced out at the delivery. The same
effect is produced at the opposite end of the cylinder, and thus a continuous
double action of the pump is maintained. This pump is well adapted for a
poop pump on board ship, and may be readily worked by an upright lever
from the deck. The cylinder may be fitted so as to reciprocate instead of the
piston, but this we think presents no advantage, and instead of oscillating on
gudgeons it may be fixed and driven by a rotary and crank motion, or other-
wise, as well understood in the various ways of imparting reciprocating motion
to the pistons of steam and other engines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, and Samuel Sinclair
Robson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JACKSON, THOMAS GLAHOLM, and SAMUEL SINCLAIR ROBSON, all of Sunderland,
in the County of Durham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight. hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto
us, the said William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, & Samuel Sinclair Robson,
Her special licence that we, the said William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, and
Samuel Sinclair Robson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, and Samuel
Sinclair Robson, our executors, administrators,. and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to, time, and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PUMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said:
William Jackson, Thomas Glaholm, and Samuel Sinclair Robson, our
executors. or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Jackson, Thomas: Glaholm,
and Samuel Sinclair Robson, 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to: say):-
Our improvements in pumps relate; first, to pumps; in which the: barrel; or
chamber above the lower valve is movable instead of fixed, as in ordinary,
while the plunger or part entering the barrel and producing the displacement
of the fluid is fixed. These pumps we consider especially applicable for ships'
pumps, but may be used for other purposes. We erect one or more of these

page_text: plungers on the deck or from a bed plate fixed on the deck; the exterior of
such plunger is cylindrical, and truly turned, the inlet or suction passage
passes up the centre of this cylindrical plunger, and on or near the top is
placed the suction valve. The pump chamber is contracted at the lower part
where it fits on to the cylindrical surface of the plunger, and may be furnished
with a suitable packing to keep it tight; it may fit throughout a sufficient
length to maintain the parallelism of the barrel or chamber during its re-
ciprocating motion, or it may be furnished with an additional guide or guides for
that purpose.
For ship purposes the mere fitting of the contracted part of
the chamber may be sufficiently tight without packing, a slight escape being
of little or no consequence on the deck of a ship. The valve seat fitted on
the top of the plunger may be extended in diameter so as nearly to fit the
interior of the barrel or chamber, and prevents stone, gravel, or extraneous
matters passing down towards the contact parts of plunger and barrel. The
upper part of the barrel in its formation is left open, but has placed directly
upon it a receiving and delivery chamber, which closes the upper part of
said barrel, and in the bottom of this receiving chamber is placed the delivery
valve, which is thus directly over the suction valve. This receiving chamber
for ships' pumps is open at top and furnished with a short spout to deliver the
water. The delivery valve is of course easy of access, the shallow chamber
in which it is placed being open as before mentioned, while the suction valve
if choked, being immediately below, can be readily got at through the delivery
valve, or the delivery chamber may be unfastened and removed, whereby the
interior of the pump barrel or chamber and suction valve are exposed. At
the junction of the barrel and receiving or delivery chamber there are flanges
or strengthening bands, at which points we apply gudgeons (one on either
side), on to which the forked ends of a connecting rod take; this connecting
rod is worked from a crank or handle, and causes the pump barrel or chamber
to reciprocate, and with it the delivery chamber and valve. The rise of the
barrel from off the stationary plunger produces a void in its capacity, which
is immediately supplied by water or other fluid through the suction valve,
while the descent closes the suction, and the water having no escape is forced
by the pressure of the plunger to pass upwards through the delivery valves,
as will be readily understood. Two or more of these pumps may be arranged
to work in combination, and be worked by double cranks with winch handles
and fly wheels, or they may be worked singly and by levers, instead of by rotary
motion as above. The pump barrel or chamber and delivery chamber above
it may be of one piece, but furnished with an internal flange on which to rest
the delivery valve seat, which should be so fitted as to be readily removed for

page_text: access to the lower valve. Instead of the suction valve being at the top of
plunger as above described it may be down at the bottom, but within it, and
considerably below the lowest position of the reciprocating barrel. The
barrel, instead of being open, may be closed at the upper part, and the delivery
through a branch passage springing from the stationary plunger or stem;
just above the suction valve in this branch passage the delivery valve is placed,
which is arranged so as to be easy of access either through the delivery spout
or passage or otherwise. Ready access may be had to the suction valve by
lifting the reciprocating pump chamber off the upper part of the stand piece
or plunger. Instead of the pump chamber reciprocating in a vertical direc-
tion it may be inclined, or. even horizontal, the stationary plunger or stand
piece being disposed in either of such positions, and by preference projecting
from an upright stand pipe or chamber containing the valves; the opening
and junction of the stationary plunger is situated between the suction and
delivery valves, the water in these cases being delivered from the upper part
of the fixed stand pipe or chamber.
Another part of our Invention relates to a pump which requires no suction
valve. In this case the plunger or piston reciprocates and occupies nearly
half the length of the pump cylinder or vessel, which is disposed in a hori-
zontal position, and is mounted on gudgeons, on which it oscillates like an
oscillating steam engine cylinder. The inlet of the water or fluid is by the
one gudgeon and the exit at the other; the inlet is simply a through passage,
and enters at the middle of the length of the cylinder; the outlets are from
either end of the cylinder, but emerge into one passage at the outlet; suitable
delivery valves are placed in the outlet parts or passages, or it may be one
valve in a chamber communicating with the delivery after the two delivery
passages unite. The piston is suitably packed and rendered tight as in air
pump pistons usually. The action of the pump is this, the piston occupying
nearly half the length of the cylinder, in moving from one end to the other
creates a vacuum at the end from which it has receded, the delivery valve or
valves preventing the return of water from the delivery, and there being no
communication with the inlet until near the completion of the stroke, so soon
as the stroke is complete the inlet is open, when the water rushes in and fills
the vacuum. The retrograde motion of the piston closes the inlet and cuts
off the escape of the water which entered, and which is forced out at the
delivery; the same effect is provided at the opposite end of the cylinder, and
thus a continuous action of the pump is maintained. This pump is well
adapted for a poop pump on board ship, and may be readily worked by an
upright lever from the deck. The cylinder may be fitted so as to reciprocate

page_text: reciprocating motion to the pistons of steam and other cylinders.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a pair of pumps constructed according to our Invention,
the one pump being represented in central vertical section, the other in external
elevation. We have represented these pumps as being worked by a crank
shaft and fly wheels, and as we prefer to arrange them, but they are also
adapted for working singly or in pairs by a hand lever, one on each side of the
fulcrum, and as ships' pumps are usually worked. a, a, is a suitable bed
plate, or it may be the deck of a ship, on which the pumps are secured; b is
the suction pipe terminating in a cylinder c, c, of an external diameter,
according to the size of the pump required; it is furnished with a flange with
which to bolt it down on the deck or bed plate a. The exterior of c, c, is truly
and cylindrically turned and smoothened in a lathe. On cylinder c, c, is fitted
the barrel or pump chamber d, so as to slide freely on c, c, which forms a guide
for it in its up-and-down motion; this may be further furnished with a packing
at e, to render it water-tight. The chamber d may be cast in one piece with
the upper valve box or cistern f, or, by preference, in two pieces, the part d
being made open at top, and covered in by the bottom of part f, which is
bolted thereto, but may be readily removed for clearing or examining the
suction valve g, which is disposed on the top of the suction pipe, as seen. The
lower or suction valve g is a lift valve, and the upper one ha clack valve.
The flange of the seat of valve g is extended at i to fit somewhat nearly the
interior of chamber d, but without touching, to prevent stones or extraneous
matters passing down to the contact surfaces of d and c. Instead of the
chamber d being enlarged as in Fig. 1, it may be cylindrical and bored
throughout as in section at Fig. 2, in which case the flange i is dispensed
with, a greater length of bearing being at same time provided as a guide for
the reciprocating pump chamber. 7 is the spout or spill water from cistern f.
On the chamber d are two pins or trunnions m, m, diametrically opposite to
each other; on these pins the forked arms of the connecting rod p take, and
this being suspended from and worked by one of the cranks of the shaft r, r,
a reciprocating motion is communicated to the pump chamber d, which has
the effect of pumping water or other fluid like an ordinary pump. When the
chamber d rises a vacuum is created by reason of its being closed at top
by the clack valve h, and fitting air-tight on c, c, causes valve g to rise

page_text: and the inflow of water from the suction pipe b. On the descending stroke
taking place valve 9 closes, and the water having no other escape passes up
through clack valve h to cistern f, and thence escapes. The cranks of shaft r
are set so as to elevate the one chamber d while the other is depressed, and so
keep up a continuous discharge of water. 8, s, are fly wheels, and t, t, winch
handles, by which to actuate the shaft r, which is mounted on suitablo
standards u, u, from the bed plate or deck a. The upper valve being always
exposed is of course easily got at to clear it, if necessary, and the lower one
may be readily accessible by removing the chamber d altogether or removing.
the top piece or cistern f, which is simply jointed and bolted thereto.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of a pump chamber before referred to in
addition to the boring and filling throughout of the parts c and d; it is repre-
sented as furnished with a gland w, like an ordinary stuffing box, whereby the
packing can be readily tightened, as it wears by means of the bolts v, v,
drawing the flanges x, x, together. In this Figure also the foot or suction
valve g' is placed low down in the suction pipe b instead of at top, as before.
Fig. 3 represents in vertical section another arrangement of pump,
according to our Invention; in this case the part c and suction valve are
somewhat as in Fig. 2, while the chamber d¹ is simply a hollow cylinder with
a closed top fitting and working on part c, as before described, from the stand
piece c. Above the foot or suction valve g¹¹ branches a channel Y, which is
carried up a sufficient height, and at top near the delivery is the delivery
valve j; this latter valve is accessible from the delivery, which may be open
at top as before, while access can be had to the foot or suction valve by
removing the chamber d'. The chamber d' has a reciprocating motion
imparted to it, as before described, which draws the water through the foot
valve g¹¹, and discharges it at z. Instead of working the chamber d¹ in a
vertical direction, as described, it may be disposed and move in a horizontal
or inclined direction, if desired.
Fig. 4 represents a plan, partly in section, of a poop pump constructed
according to our Invention; and Fig. 5 an elevation of the same. This pump
as before mentioned, has no suction valve. A is a cylinder, mounted on
gudgeons H, H', on which it oscillates, & resting in frames B on bed plate or
deck C; this cylinder is fitted with a piston D, filling rather less than half the
capacity of the cylinder, and moving water-tight therein. Piston D is worked
by rod E, connected with an upright hand lever F, or it may be by a crank
or other contrivance, as will be readily understood. The piston rod E works
air-tight through the stuffing box G. The inlet and outlet pipes are through
the gudgeons H, H', of the cylinder; I is the inlet or suction passage; and

page_text: K, K, the outlets or delivery, which communicate with each other, and by a
horizontal channel Lin the casting of the cylinder with the opposite gudgeon H¹.
Valves are placed in channel I, one at either end, such valves opening out-
wards, only we use for this purpose lift valves (moving horizontally with
stems, and pressed into their seats by springs, as indicated in dotted lines.
The act of moving the piston D from one end of the cylinder to the other
produces a vacuum more or less perfect in the end from which it is moved,
the consequence of which is that as soon as it passes and uncovers the inlet or
suction passage I water rushes in and fills the vacuum; on the return stroke
this water is forced out at the outlet K, and is prevented returning by the
delivery valve therein, at same time a vacuum is produced at the opposite
end, and a similar action induced, and so on, thereby pumping water which is
delivered copiously at M.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is the general
arrangement and construction of pumps herein-before described, and repre-
sented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Sinclair Robson, for myself and
the said William Jackson and Thomas Glaholm, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
SAM. S. ROBSON. (L.B.)